Hima Vatti Named General Counsel of University of La Verne
The University of La Verne (ULV) is pleased to announce the appointment of Hima Vatti, Esq., as its new general counsel and member of President Pardis Mahdavi’s leadership team, effective March 25, 2024.
As general counsel, Vatti will serve as the university’s chief legal affairs officer whose purview will be to provide legal advice to support and foster sound decision-making in all areas of operation, instruction, research, and administration.
“I am honored to welcome Hima Vatti to the University of La Verne as her vast experience and legal expertise will aid in moving our institution forward,” said President Pardis Mahdavi. “Ms. Vatti was a standout candidate because of her stellar track record and her people-first approach to supporting the establishment and implementation of policies, protocols, and processes.”
Ms. Vatti comes to the University of La Verne after nearly fifteen years at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). She served the Institute, including its Jet Propulsion Laboratory, for nearly a decade as an Associate General Counsel focused on managing litigation, investigations, and risk in a breadth of areas affecting higher education – including employment, students affairs, security, and compliance with policies and government regulations. Ms. Vatti began her career in higher education as the first associate director of Cornell University’s Office of Research Integrity and Assurance.
Ms. Vatti brings to ULV nearly two decades of experience as an attorney and senior administrator in higher education with significant experience in building collaborative relationships with campus partners and providing thoughtful advice, training, and outreach to all constituencies. Ms. Vatti expertly devised and monitored policies and processes to help advance research and educational initiatives, as well as to encourage a respectful and ethical campus culture and climate.
For the past five years, Ms. Vatti has served as the assistant vice president for equity and equity investigations, and Title IX coordinator, for Caltech’s campus community. In this role, Ms. Vatti led a team to prevent, address, and resolve concerns and complaints relating to sexual misconduct, unlawful discrimination and harassment, and interpersonal conflicts. She established the Equity and Title IX Office as a broadly accessed resource for the university’s international community of faculty, students, postdoctoral scholars, and staff (including senior faculty and administrative leadership) to provide proactive advice, preventative education and training, and informal and formal resolutions of issues and complaints.
“I am absolutely delighted to join the University of La Verne community and I am committed to working with my ULV colleagues to advance President Mahdavi’s vision of a learning community that is focused on providing growth and educational opportunities that enrich and advance the success of our diverse body of students in their academic pursuits, careers, and lives,” said Vatti.
Ms. Vatti’s work as a government attorney, and former service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Togo focused on public health initiatives, aligns with ULV’s four core values and connects strongly with its heritage of peace and community service. The University of La Verne has a strong and proven record of instructing and empowering future civic leaders and community-changers.
Before entering higher education, Ms. Vatti served as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Division, as a member of the Attorney General’s Honors Program, and as a litigation counsel in the law firm O’Melveny & Myers LLP. She holds a B.A. in Art History from Stanford University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
