Columbia University Military Ball Honorees

Lisa and Victor Mendelson '89CC

Victor H. Mendelson is the Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors and Co-Chief Executive Officer of NYSE-listed HEICO Corporation.  He founded HEICO’s Electronic Technologies Group in 1996 and has been its Chief Executive Officer since then. In addition to other positions at HEICO, he served as its Co-President and, before that, the Company’s General Counsel.  

Most identified as the world’s largest designer and maker of FAA-approved alternative commercial aircraft replacement parts, HEICO is a diversified aerospace, defense and electronics manufacturing and services company with production, engineering or distribution facilities in 29 states and 15 countries. HEICO’s products are found on nearly every Boeing jetliner built in the past 30 years, numerous Airbus aircraft, over one hundred currently-orbiting satellites, as well as numerous rockets, missiles, military aircraft, targeting systems, medical systems and other electronic systems. HEICO was named one of the “100 Most Trustworthy Companies in America” and one of the “World’s Most Innovative Growth Companies” by Forbes.

Victor Mendelson, his father, Laurans Mendelson, and his brother, Eric Mendelson, assumed management control of HEICO Corporation in 1990 after Victor initially identified the company as an investment for his family and they became the firm’s largest shareholders. HEICO successfully evolved from a company with approximately $25 million in continuing revenue and a similar market capitalization, as well as a net loss in their year of takeover, to over $4.5 billion in revenue and a market capitalization of nearly $40 billion. In those years, as a result of the outstanding efforts of HEICO’s 11,000+ Team Members, the firm has experienced approximately compound annual growth of approximately 17% in net income and 15% in net sales, and more in share price.  

He received his AB degree from Columbia College of Columbia University in the City of New York and he received his JD degree from the University of Miami School of Law.  

Mr. Mendelson is a Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York, a Trustee of St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, FL, a member of the Board of Directors and past President of the Florida Grand Opera, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade and a member of the Dean’s Advisory Board of the University of Miami School of Law.

He is a recipient of the John Jay Award from Columbia College, the 12 Good Men Award from Ronald McDonald House of South Florida, the Impresario Award from Florida Grand Opera and the American Dreamer Award from Hispanic Unity of South Florida, the Seixas Award from the Kraft Center Columbia Hillel and, with his wife, Lisa, the From the Heart Award from Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade, the Philanthropists of the Year Award from Social Miami and the Coral Gables Community Foundation’s Education Award, as well as the Tocqueville Award For Outstanding Philanthropy from United Way of Miami-Dade, the AJC National Human Relations Award and the HistoryMiami Flagler Award along with his family.

He has been married to Lisa Mendelson for 30 years and they are the proud parents of three adult children Alexander, Lindsey and Nicole, along with son-in-law Ryan Pearson.

Lisa Mendelson was raised in Miami and is a graduate of Miami-Palmetto High School. She believes in enhancing our South Florida community while prioritizing and caring deeply about education both locally and nationally. Lisa received her BA in Finance and Marketing from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business. Before beginning their family, Lisa served as Marketing Director for the American Heart Association. She supports a number of South Florida non-profits, particularly in the area of education. She serves on United Way’s board of directors, a member of its Executive Committee, co-chair of the Community Impact Committee and Past Chair of the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education committee. At South Florida PBS, Lisa serves as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee and Chair-Elect of its Board of Directors, and is a member of both the Finance and Real Estate Committees. She is Past Chairperson of the South Florida PBS Foundation and its Education task force. She is currently an active board member of the Baptist Health System Doctor’s Hospital Miami Orthopedic Sports Medicine Institute. Lisa received the United Way of Miami-Dade’s Donor Next Door Award for her passionate commitment to education. Lisa also has become an enthusiastic volunteer of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami Dade serving on several of their event committees. Lisa served as President of Temple Beth Am Day School’s PATIO (Parent and Teacher Involvement Organization) and was actively involved while her children were at Ransom Everglades in the Parent’s Association. 

Lisa and her husband, Victor Mendelson have been married for 31 years. Together, along with their family, they received the AJC’s National Human Relations Award, the HistoryMiami Flagler Award and the United Way of Miami-Dade’s Tocqueville Award for Outstanding Philanthropy. Lisa and Victor received the Coral Gables Community Foundation Education Award and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade’s From The Heart Award. They are proud parents to Alexander, Nicole, Lindsey, and son-in-law Ryan Pearson.

Secretary Jeh Johnson '82LAW

Jeh Johnson is a Partner in the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, LLP and the former Secretary of Homeland Security.

Johnson has been affiliated with Paul Weiss on and off since 1984, and became the firm’s first African American partner in 1994. Early in his legal career Johnson became a seasoned trial lawyer, and in 2004 was elected a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

Johnson is on the board of directors of MetLife and a Trustee of Columbia University. In private life Johnson is also a commentator on national and homeland security matters on NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, MSNBC, FOX, CNN, CNBC, NPR, Bloomberg TV and other news networks. Johnson is the author of numerous op-eds in The Washington Post, USA Today, and The Hill, and since leaving office has testified routinely before Congress on the subject of homeland security and cybersecurity. In June 2020 the Chief Judge of New York asked Johnson to undertake a comprehensive review of racial bias in the state court system. On October 1, 2020 Johnson delivered a 100-page public report with a number observations and recommendations, all of which the Chief Judge committed to adopting.

Johnson is the 2018 recipient of the Ronald Reagan Peace Through Strength Award, presented at the Reagan Presidential Library, for “contributing greatly to the defense of our nation,” and “guiding us through turbulent times with courage and wisdom.” Johnson is also a 2021 recipient of The American Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award, a 2022 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the 2024 recipient of the New York State Bar Association's Gold Medal Award.

Johnson has debated at both the Cambridge and Oxford Unions in England, and in November 2019 was conferred honorary life membership in the Cambridge Union. He is the recipient of thirteen honorary degrees. He has lectured at Westminster College, Harvard and Yale law schools, the Harvard Kennedy School, the National Defense University, the National War College, and all four U.S military academies. In his final days as General Counsel of DoD, Johnson delivered an address at the Oxford Union entitled "How Will the War Against al Qaeda End?"  The address received international attention and acclaim. On September 11, 2020 Johnson was the convocation speaker at Liberty University, where he spoke of the importance of character and morality in leadership.

As Secretary of Homeland Security, Johnson was the head of the third largest cabinet department of the U.S. government, consisting of 230,000 personnel and 22 components, including TSA, Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Services, U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Coast Guard, the Secret Service, and FEMA. Johnson's responsibilities as Secretary included counterterrorism, cybersecurity, aviation security, border security, port security, maritime security, protection of our national leaders, the detection of chemical, biological and nuclear threats to the homeland, and response to natural disasters. In three years as Secretary of DHS, Johnson is credited with management reform of the Department, which brought about a more centralized approach to decision-making in the areas of budgets, acquisition and overall policy. Johnson also raised employee morale across the Department, reflected in the September 2016 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey.

Prior to becoming Secretary of Homeland Security, Johnson was General Counsel of the Department of Defense (2009-2012). In that position, Johnson is credited with being the legal architect for the U.S. military’s counterterrorism efforts in the Obama Administration. In 2010, Johnson also co-authored the report that paved the way for the repeal of the Don't Ask, Don't Tell by Congress later that year. In his book Duty, former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wrote that Johnson "proved to be the finest lawyer I ever worked with in government - a straightforward, plain-speaking man of great integrity, with common sense to burn and a good sense of humor."

Earlier in his career, Johnson was General Counsel of the Department of the Air Force in the Clinton Administration (1998-2001), and an Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (1989-1991) where, in three years he tried 12 cases and argued 11 appeals.  In addition to the boards of MetLife and Columbia, Johnson currently serves on the board of directors of the  9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York City.

Johnson is a graduate of Morehouse College (1979) and Columbia Law School (1982).