John Jay College of Criminal Justice has announced the appointment of Paula Howell Anderson, BA ’98, Peter J. Beshar, Richard J. Koehler, BA ’73 and Alex Rovt to the John Jay College Foundation Board. Each board member brings stellar credentials in the field law and international business.

Paula Howell Anderson

Paula Howell Anderson is a partner in the firm of Shearman & Sterling LLP, where she works in Litigation Group and has built an international reputation in such areas as Foreign Corrupt Practices Act investigations, complex commercial litigation, bankruptcy litigation, antitrust and international arbitration. Her clients have included global leaders in the finance, insurance, automotive, telecommunications, oil and gas, engineering, media and entertainment, and manufacturing industries. She has served on the firm's Diversity Committee and co-chaired its Black Lawyers Affinity Group. In addition to her work as a litigator, Ms. Anderson has done extensive pro bono work teaching Advanced Trial Advocacy Training programs for prosecutors at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and has been a faculty member for a training program for prosecutors at the International Criminal Court. Ms. Anderson earned her bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she was class valedictorian, and her law degree from Harvard Law School.

Peter J. Beshar

Peter J. Beshar is Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Marsh & McLennan Companies, where he supervises the Legal, Government Relations and Risk Management departments. Prior to joining Marsh & McLennan, Mr. Beshar was a litigation partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where he served as Co-Chair of the firm's Securities Litigation Group. Mr. Beshar is a former Assistant New York State Attorney General, who led the Attorney General's Task Force on Illegal Guns. Mr. Beshar graduated from Yale University in 1984 and from Harvard Law School in 1989. Following law school, Mr. Beshar clerked for the Honorable Vincent Broderick of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. In 2008, Mr. Beshar was selected as a David Rockefeller Fellow by the Partnership for the City of New York. Mr. Beshar recently received the Business Leadership Award from the Citizens Union of New York and the Burton Award for leadership in the law.

Richard J. Koehler

Richard J. Koehler, a founding partner in the firm of Koehler & Isaacs, LLP, has been involved in labor relations for over 25 years. Mr. Koehler has represented unions in the public and private sector since 1992 and has managed legal service programs for unions since 1993. He serves as general counsel, labor counsel and/or fund counsel for numerous unions. Mr. Koehler began his career in the public sector as a New York City police officer, and worked his way up the ranks of the NYPD, holding such positions as Director of the Communications Division, Chief of Planning, and Chief of Personnel. In 1986, Mr. Koehler was named New York City Commissioner of Correction, a post he held until he left public service in 1990 to become a full professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Mr. Koehler has also served as an arbitrator for the New York City Office of Collective Bargaining. He earned his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from John Jay College, a master's degree in urban affairs from Hunter College, and his law degree from Fordham Law School.

Alexander Rovt

Dr. Alexander Rovt is the President of IBE Trade Corporation, a world leader in the production, sales and marketing of agricultural fertilizers. A native of Ukraine, Dr. Rovt came to the United States in 1985, and two years later he took a sales job with IBE Trade. By 1996, he became the company's president and primary owner, leading the firm to its current position of controlling 12 percent of the world's ammonia supply and 6 percent of the ammonium nitrate. Today, IBE Trade clients include top agri-business players such as Cargill, ConAgra and Koch Nitrogen. Dr. Rovt has also diversified into New York real estate, having purchased 14 buildings, with plans for expanding that portfolio. A Brooklyn resident, Dr. Rovt is an active supporter of and contributor to civic and educational causes, including Brookdale University Hospital, Trustee, the New York City Board of Corrections and a local Orthodox Jewish schools and community center. He also engages in charitable work in his native Ukraine. Dr. Rovt earned his PhD in International Economics from Lvov Institute of Trade & Economics in Ukraine.


To learn about all of the members of the John Jay College Foundation Board, Click Here .