AFJ Presents: Tip the Scales

at PENDRY

WASHINGTON, DC THE WHARF NOVEMBER 2, 2023 6:30 - 9:30 PM

Event

PROGRAM TIP THE SCALES EVENT PROGRAM AND INFORMATION

6:30 pm

Ballroom Reception Begins

7:30 pm

Program Begins Welcome Remarks – Rakim Brooks, President of AFJ

7:40pm

First Ally of Justice Award: Earthjustice Sam Sankar, Senior Vice President of Programs

7:45pm

Second Ally of Justice Award: Gender Justice Megan Peterson, Executive Director

7:50pm

Presentation of The Robert Pennoyer Champion of Justice Award Introduction by Christy Pennoyer

7:55 pm

Guest of Honor: Wendy Davis

8:15 pm

Final Remarks

Look who’s

TALKING

Rakim

BROOKS BIOGRAPHY

Rakim H.D. Brooks is the president of Alliance for Justice and a public interest appellate lawyer. He is committed to a judiciary that reflects America’s diversity and the Constitution’s promise of a more perfect union.

Brooks garnered an outstanding reputation as an innovative strategist, policy thinker, and legal advocate in his previous role as Campaign Manager for the ACLU’s Systemic Equality Campaign. Prior to his work at the ACLU, Brooks was an associate attorney at Susman Godfrey. There, he sued opioid manufacturers, worked to free citizens incarcerated in Dallas prisons at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and filed a Supreme Court amicus brief defending the right of consumers to have an independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Brooks recently served as a member of the Biden-Harris transition team, after previously serving as a policy advisor for the Treasury Department during the Obama administration. He began his career as a C. Edwin Baker Fellow at the progressive think tank Demos, and currently serves on the advisory board for the Brown Center for Slavery and Justice and as a board member of Getting Out, Staying Out in his native East Harlem.

Brooks clerked for Justice Edwin Cameron on the Constitutional Court of South Africa and at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the D.C. Circuit. He has an A.B. from Brown University; a M.Phil in Politics from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar; and a J.D. and M.B.A. from Yale Law School and the Yale School of Management.

ALLY FOR

Justice AWARDS

ALLY FOR JUSTICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Sambhav

SANKAR BIOGRAPHY

Sam Sankar is Earthjustice’s Senior Vice President for Programs. Sam leads the Program Leadership Team, which develops Earthjustice’s strategy for carrying out their mission through litigation, communications, and lobbying and regulatory advocacy.

Sam has been working on environmental issues throughout his career, which has included service as a line attorney at the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, a senior executive at General Electric, and deputy chief counsel of a presidential commission formed to investigate the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

He has also worked as a boat captain, machinist, and senior advisor to The Nature Conservancy.

Sam received his B.S. in civil engineering from Cornell University, an M.S. in environmental engineering from Stanford University, and his law degree from the University of California, Berkeley. After law school, he clerked for Judge William Fletcher of the Ninth Circuit, Judge Louis Pollak of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Sam lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and two children.

Earthjustice is the premier nonprofit public interest environmental law organization. They wield the power of law and the strength of partnership to protect people’s health, to preserve magnificent places and wildlife, to advance clean energy, and to combat climate change.

ALLY FOR JUSTICE AWARD RECIPIENT

Megan J.

PETERSON BIOGRAPHY

Megan J. Peterson is the Executive Director of Gender Justice and Gender Justice Action and a seasoned leader in the gender equity and reproductive freedom movements. She was brought into Gender Justice by its founders in 2016 and in 2022 started the 501c4 sister organization, Gender Justice Action, to engage in political work. Under her leadership, Gender Justice has experienced significant growth and increased state, regional, and national impact. Previously, Megan was Deputy Director for the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF), where she expanded its network of grassroots abortion funds, led coalition campaigns to repeal the Hyde Amendment, and significantly increased its donor and foundation funding.

Prior to her nine years with NNAF, Megan served as Director of Development and Communications for Pro-Choice Resources (now called Our Justice) in Minneapolis and as a patient advocate at Planned Parenthood in St. Paul. In college, she worked with the National Organization for Women in Washington, DC, and the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund (now called Legal Momentum). Megan lives in the St. Paul part of Minneapolis (Longfellow) with her pre-teen son and two dogs.

Gender Justice envisions a world where everyone can thrive regardless of their gender, gender expression, or sexual orientation. Step by step, they’re creating that world by dismantling legal, structural, and cultural barriers that contribute to gender inequity.

The Robert Pennoyer CHAMPION OF JUSTICE AWARD

About the

AWARD AFJ is pleased to inaugurate the Robert Pennoyer Champion of Justice Award, presented to Wendy Davis, in honor of Robert Pennoyer. Robert was a brilliant lawyer, a member of the Greatest Generation, an accomplished author, and a staunch supporter of justice, fairness and, specifically, women's reproductive freedom. Robert was keenly attuned to the importance of a fair and balanced judiciary and was a long-time and generous supporter of AFJ. Robert passed away this year at the age of 98, having made a deep impact on all those lucky enough to know him and for the cause of justice. We are thrilled to honor his life and legacy with this award, which we plan to annually present to a person who exemplifies this same commitment to justice, freedom, and the rule of law.

Born on April 9, 1925, in his grandfather J.P. Morgan's house on Madison Avenue, Robert developed a strong commitment to service from a young age. In response to the Pearl Harbor attacks, he graduated from Harvard College in 18 months, joining the Navy at 19, where he served on the USS Pensacola and witnessed Pacific action during the Iwo Jima invasion. Post-war, he attended Columbia Law School, later becoming an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, where he collaborated with future Patterson Belknap partners, Harold R. Tyler, Jr. and Robert P. Patterson, Jr. His devotion to public and pro bono service was a hallmark of his career, marked by founding Exodus House in East Harlem, supporting various charities, and receiving the lifetime achievement award at The American Lawyer's Annual Awards dinner in October 2006.

In his law practice, Robert specialized in tax-exempt organizations, trusts, and estates, serving as an advisor to high-net worth individuals and trustee for numerous charitable organizations, including Union Theological Seminary, Carnegie Institution, Columbia University, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Morgan Library and Museum. Bob's enduring connection with Patterson Belknap continued even in retirement. He will be remembered not only for his legal acumen but also for exemplifying a life of service and commitment to the greater good. He is survived by his children, Christy, Russell, Tracy, and Peter, their spouses, grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. His legacy lives on through his impactful work and enduring influence.

ROBERT PENNOYER AWARD RECIPIENT

Wendy

DAVIS

BIOGRAPHY

Wendy Davis served as a Texas state senator from 2009 to 2015. She was the 2014 Democratic nominee for Texas governor and the 2020 Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives for Texas' 21st District.

Davis was born on May 16, 1963 in West Warwick, Rhode Island. Her family moved to Texas when she was 11 years old. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Texas Christian University and a law degree from Harvard Law School.

Davis served a federal clerkship from 1993 to 1994, then joined the Fort Worth office of Haynes & Boone in 1994. In 1999, she became part owner of Safeco Title Co., which was later acquired by Republic Title. She became chief executive officer of Republic Title's Fort Worth Division in 2004, where she served until 2009. Davis now partners with Brian Newby in Newby Davis, PLLC, and holds an of counsel position at Cantey Hanger LLP. Her current practice includes federal and local governmental affairs, litigation, economic development, contract compliance, and real estate matters.

Davis served on the Fort Worth City Council from May 1999 to January 2008, when she assumed office as a Texas state senator, representing District 10. In the Senate, she was the vice-chair on the Senate Select Committee on Open Government, and a member of the Senate Committee on Economic Development, the Senate Committee on Transportation, and the Veteran Affairs and Military Installations Committee. She previously served on the Senate Committee for Education and as vice-chair on the Senate Committee on International Relations and Trade.

On June 25, 2013, Davis's eleven-hour-long filibuster in the Texas Senate helped to delay passage of Senate Bill 5, which included restrictive abortion regulations, beyond the deadline for the legislative session and gave Davis considerable national attention.

Event

SPONSORS STUART & JESSICA TREVELYAN CHUCK WARREN CLAY HILES

Event

SPONSORS CAROL BARGER

NORMAN ROSENBERG & TANYA GEORGE

Featured

ARTISTS

FEATURED ARTIST

Sherwin

THWAITES BIOGRAPHY

An American of Trinidadian heritage, Sherwin was born into steelpan culture and has lived the art form his entire life. A native of Hyattsville, Maryland, he was exposed to a variety of musical styles at an early age: go-go, jazz, and gospel through his friends and calypso, soul, and reggae at home. Sherwin’s passion for steelpan eventually took him to one of the top five music conservatories in the United States, where formal training augmented his innate predilection for music. He has toured internationally, performing throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, bringing the steelpan to new horizons.

Sherwin is a resident steelpan musician with Native Deen and has accompanied Grammy award winning artist Esperanza Spalding. Thwaites has also performed alongside steelpan icons, including Len “Boogsie” Sharpe, Robert Greenidge, Ray Holman, Ken “Professor” Philmore, and Andy Narell. He currently serves as Musical Director and Arranger for Oasis Youth Steel Orchestra in Newark, NJ and Assistant Musical Director for Pan United Youth Movement, based in Washington, DC.

FEATURED ARTIST

Jerard “Lucky”

LUCK BIOGRAPHY

ArtiCuLuck Designs began as a freelance business for a young sophomore by the name of Jerard “Lucky” Luck attending the college of Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, NC in the fall of 2000.

Filled with creativity and aspiring to get his ideas out, a young “Lucky” (or Luck, as his peers would call him) explored his creativity as a fashion designer and exhibiting artist. He began designing airbrush t-shirts, hats, tennis shoes, and jeans for the student body as well as creating promotional backdrops for picture taking at local nightclubs. After his classmates took notice of all the new fashion that was appearing on campus, Lucky was encouraged to join the campus modeling troupe.

Lucky worked as a set designer, fashion coordinator, and a model for the Mozik Modeling Troupe for one semester before focusing his talents on designing the articles of clothing each model would showcase during various runway sets. Lucky has been working for 20 years and is still actively creating.

Lucky designed and created this year’s beautiful Ally for Justice awards.

OUR EVENT PLANNER

A Special

THANK YOU JANA ROBINSON Jana Robinson, Founder and Principal Event Strategist of Defined by Design Events, has turned her passion for event planning into a successful business that serves the Washington metro area. A graduate of the University of Virginia, Jana started planning events for a variety of social clubs and organizations. Later on, she entered the fashion industry, where she planned events for more than 80 department stores throughout the east coast. She then transitioned to a nonprofit organization, where she built their events department and helped grow their largest fundraiser to one of the top tasting events in the Washington metro area.

Defined by Design Events is a boutique style Events Company that specializes in virtual as well as live Weddings, Social, Philanthropic and Corporate events. The company has worked with couples and organizational leaders to transform both small and large-scale events into unforgettable experiences. DBD Events is also passionate about working with organizations that are positively impacting the communities in which they operate, advancing social justice and women/minority issues. Defined by Design Events has been exceptionally prosperous since its inception in 2013, with coverage in numerous media outlets.

As a wife and mom of three amazing small boys, she is continuously inspired to take Defined by Design Events to new heights. The love she has for her family is the root of her passion, which drives her to build long lasting relationships with her clients and create unforgettable memories one event at a time.

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