alumnae
Spotlight: Tara Desautels ’89 In recognition of an outstanding legal career, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appointed Tara Desautels ’89 to the Alameda Superior Court on April 8, 2010. At her official swearing-in ceremony, Alameda County Assistant Public Defender Brendon Woods said that he learned more from Tara when they were opposing counsel than he had in three years of law school. Tara’s proud family, including her sister Chanelle ’93, was present for the ceremony. Tara’s husband, Colin Kemp, presented her with her judicial robe. The Honorable Tara M. Desautels served almost eight years as an Alameda Deputy District Attorney after graduating from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. As a Deputy District Attorney Tara served as a member of the Child Sexual Assault felony prosecution team and was selected to be a Sexual Assault Mentor for the California District Attorney’s Association and a liaison to the multijurisdictional Sexual Assault Felony Enforcement taskforce. Tara joined Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP in 2005 as a civil litigator. According to Jim Rishwain, Pillsbury Firm Chair, Tara “is a highly polished litigator who has always had a deep commitment and passion for public service.” In addition to working with clients, Tara has devoted countless hours as a Board member and President of CALICO, a non-profit Alameda County children’s advocacy center.
Spotlight: Pamela Hawley ’87 By day, Pamela Hawley ’87 thrives as the CEO and Founder of UniversalGiving, an award-winning website that allows participants to give and volunteer with projects all over the world. In addition, she founded UniversalGiving Corporate (UGC), a customized service that helps Fortune 500 companies manage their global Corporate Social Responsibility Programs in more than 50 countries. This service helps the company’s bottom line by increasing corporate brand image, employee attraction/retention, and client attraction/retention. Pamela has been honored with a Jefferson Award for Public Service for her work with UniversalGiving and was named as a Finalist for this year’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. She was most recently called to the White House with 50 other young leaders for a meeting on next generation leadership and social innovation. By night, Pamela pursues another passion as a student of the art of improvisation and has performed in more than 100 shows in New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. She recently graduated from Amy Poehler’s Upright Citizen’s Brigade troupe, is Groundlings and Second City trained, and is a Bay Area Theatre Sports Sunday Player. Her Fosse Posse Improv Group is a reigning champion among improv groups throughout the Bay Area. Their shows can often be seen on stage at Bay Area Theatre Sports (BATS) located in San Francisco. winter 2011 | 27