Johns Hopkins names Mark Rotenberg as new general counsel

Mark B. Rotenberg

Mark B. Rotenberg will be the next vice president and general counsel for The Johns Hopkins University, responsible for all university legal matters, President Ronald J. Daniels announced today.

Rotenberg comes to Johns Hopkins from the University of Minnesota, where he has served as general counsel for more than 20 years. He replaces Frederick G. Savage, who has served as JHU’s general counsel on an interim basis since Steve Dunham departed last summer.

Rotenberg will assume his new role on June 3.

“I have no doubt our university community will find Mark as I’ve found him: professional and energetic, with a strong legal mind and impressive leadership qualities,” Daniels wrote. “He will be a welcome addition to our senior leadership team.”

Rotenberg has argued and won cases before the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals, among others. He is a member of the American Law Institute, a frequent speaker at conferences and meetings of college and university attorneys, and active in leadership roles for numerous political, educational, and religious nonprofit organizations.

Mark earned his BA in politics and American history at Brandeis University, and J.D., M. Phil. and M.A. degrees from Columbia University’s joint program in law and American history. He served as editor of the Columbia Law Review and clerked for Judge Patricia Wald on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Subsequently, he served for four years in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel before returning to his native Minnesota. There, he entered private practice, becoming a partner at Dorsey & Whitney. In 1992, he was appointed general counsel of the University of Minnesota.