A former attorney and city commissioner, Jennifer Raab now heads up Hunter College, the crown jewel of the city's college system.

Born and raised in Washington Heights, Raab attended Hunter College High School. After several years as a corporate litigator for Cravath and Paul, Weiss, she abandoned law and went to work for the South Bronx Development Organization. Following a stint as director of public affairs at the New York City Planning Department, in 1989 Raab joined Rudy Giuliani's mayoral campaign as issues director. (She's credited with helping Giuliani become pro-choice in order to win over liberal voters.) In 1994, Giuliani installed her as chair of the Landmarks Preservation Committee. In 2004, she took the helm of Hunter amid grumblings about her political ties and her lack of a higher-education background. She's since led efforts to create a Hunter-affiliated high school that prepares minority students for college. [Image via Getty]