ALUMNUS NOMINATED AS TREASURY DEPARTMENTS GENERAL COUNSEL
NEW YORK, April 16, 2009 — Columbia Law School alumnus George W. Madison ’80 has been selected by President Barack Obama to advise the Department of Treasury as general counsel.
“The Treasury Department will be well-served by the expertise and commitment of [Madison.] Under the leadership of Secretary [Timothy] Geithner, I have great confidence that [he] will be a valuable and effective addition to our team as we tackle our nation’s economic challenges,” President Obama said in a written statement.
Madison joins the administration from TIAA-CREF, where he was Executive Vice President and General Counsel and a member of its Executive Management Team.
A few years ago, he told Columbia Law School that one of his most critical responsibilities at TIAA-CREF was preserving the company’ reputation. "The general counsel plays a big role in setting the company's relationships with regulatory agencies and other constituents," he said. ""Whether or not the government thinks you're a good corporate citizen can seriously affect your reputation."
With a degree in business and an MBA earned before he entered Columbia Law School, Madison brings a breadth of experience to his new post.
“Now with growing pressure to strengthen regulatory requirements, George Madison will be the government’s key advisor at Treasury,” said Dean David M. Schizer. “We are proud of his accomplishments and wish him well in this pivotal role.”
Madison was with TIAA-CREF since 2003 after six and a half years as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary at Comerica Incorporated, where he also served as a member of Comerica’s management policy committee and management council.
As a partner at Mayer, Brown for 10 years, he helped set up the law firm’s branch office in New York, practicing banking and structured finance law on behalf of foreign and domestic money center banks. Before joining Mayer, Brown & Platt in 1987, Mr. Madison was an associate with the law firm of Shearman & Sterling in New York. He also served as law clerk to the Honorable Nathaniel R. Jones at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati.