Arden Ornt Named Medical Center/University General Counsel

Jeanine Arden Ornt, general counsel to the University of Rochester Medical Center, advisor to the senior vice president for health affairs, and vice president and general counsel for Strong Health, has been named general counsel to the Medical Center and the University.

Arden Ornt becomes the first person to serve as University-wide general counsel with responsibilities that encompass legal affairs for the River Campus, Medical Center, and Strong Health. In addition, she will advise the University Board of Trustees and senior University administrators.

Her appointment to the post comes as University counsel and secretary John Diehl leaves the University to join Nixon Peabody.

"I have worked with Jeanine in her capacity as Medical Center general counsel, as well as on several projects in which she has worked directly with me, and I know that she has the skills, vision, and temperament to bring extraordinary value to the Medical Center and to the University in her new position," said President Thomas H. Jackson.

Arden Ornt joined the University in 1988 as associate director of the Medical Center Office of Counsel, and became director of legal affairs and risk management in 1989. Previously, she had practiced in the law firms of Pettit & Martin in Washington, D.C., Phillips, Lytle, Hitchcock, Blaine & Huber, and was a partner in the firm of Greisberger, Zicari, McConville, Cooman, Morin & Welch, P.C. in Rochester.

She earned her bachelor's degree with honors from the State University of New York at Cortland and her law degree from Albany Law School of Union University.