John Abbott

Jessica Bibliowicz '81 will succeed Sanford Weill '55 as chair of the Weill Cornell Board of Overseers. Weill, who will retire Jan. 1, has been elected chair emeritus.

After 20 years of leadership that transformed Weill Cornell Medical College into a global health care enterprise, Sanford I. Weill ’55 will retire as chair of the Weill Cornell Board of Overseers Jan. 1, the medical college announced Dec. 7. Jessica M. Bibliowicz ’81, a financial services entrepreneur who has served on the Board of Overseers for the past decade, will succeed Weill, who has been elected chair emeritus.

Bibliowicz will help lead Weill Cornell as it continues to break new ground in New York and abroad by expanding its clinical enterprise and forging public-private partnerships that accelerate groundbreaking scientific discoveries for patients. Working closely with Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College, Bibliowicz will help guide its transformation of medical education and drive dialogue on innovative health care delivery models that optimize the value and quality of patient care.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be able to support Weill Cornell Medical College’s tremendous efforts to educate, innovate and heal,” Bibliowicz said. “As a Cornell University alum, it’s especially meaningful to me to try and help take this distinguished institution to the next level of excellence in New York and beyond. Our ever-changing health care landscape has sparked exciting opportunities to help shape national conversation, and I’m eager to work with Dr. Glimcher and the Board of Overseers as we strive to improve and prolong human health.”

“When I joined the Board of Overseers more than 30 years ago, I was driven to try and make a difference in the world,” Weill said. “It’s truly humbling to see just how much of an impact Weill Cornell has had around the globe, and I believe we are poised to thrive far into the future. Weill Cornell Medical College is more to me than just an esteemed medical school – the people here are my extended family. I could think of no one better than Jessica to shepherd Weill Cornell into the next stage of its evolution.”

Under Weill’s leadership, Weill Cornell forged an affiliation with Houston Methodist in Texas, and in 2001 the university established a medical school in Doha, Qatar, which has trained 181 new doctors. In 2007, Weill Cornell established a formal affiliation with Bugando Medical Centre and the Weill Bugando University College of Health Sciences in Mwanza, Tanzania, named in recognition of the support by Weill and his wife, Joan. Weill Bugando has graduated an average of 100 new doctors every year for the past seven years.

In 1992 the Weills established the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Education Center, which comprises Weill Auditorium and 20 classrooms and teaching laboratories. In 2007, Weill Cornell opened the Weill Greenberg Center in New York City, the medical college’s ambulatory care center, and in January opened the adjacent Belfer Research Building, an 18-story, state-of-the-art facility. Last year, the Weills established the Weill Center for Metabolic Health. They have given more than $600 million to support Weill Cornell Medical College and Cornell University. In 1998 the medical college was renamed in appreciation of their dedication and commitment.

“What Sandy has done for Weill Cornell, New York and the world is just breathtaking – it’s a labor of love that will touch the lives of generations,” Glimcher said. “His unwavering leadership, profound magnanimity and steadfast resolve to enhance medical education, advance discoveries and enrich clinical care is his lasting legacy. Jessica is an outstanding choice to assume Sandy’s mantle and steer Weill Cornell into the future. I couldn’t be more thrilled for what’s to come.”

“Sandy is a businessman, entrepreneur, philanthropist, visionary leader, chairman emeritus of Citigroup, Cornell alumnus and my good friend,” said President David Skorton. “As chair of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College, he has nurtured the college’s growth, guided its progress and expanded its capacity for rigorous medical education, path-breaking research and superb clinical care – to the enormous benefit of our students, faculty, researchers and patients. I am delighted that Jessica Bibliowicz, who has provided exemplary leadership to the university and the medical college, has agreed to take on this new role as chair of the Board of Overseers.”

Bibliowicz, who was a government major in the College of Arts and Sciences, joined the Weill Cornell Board of Overseers in 2004 and is a member of the Cornell University Board of Trustees and a member of the Cornell Tech Campus Task Force. Bibliowicz is a senior adviser at Bridge Growth Partners and serves on the board of directors of Sotheby’s, Realogy and the Asia Pacific Fund. She is a board director/trustee of Prudential Insurance Funds and serves on the board of Jazz at Lincoln Center.