Alumni REUNION WEEKEND JUNE 23-25, 2022 Classes ending in 2 and 7 Special classes: 2021 (1-year anniversary) 1972 (50th anniversary)
Alumni REUNION WEEKEND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
THURSDAY, JUNE 23, 2022 5:00pm - 7:00pm 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Registration Check-In Open Opening Reception with special remarks by Dean Roger A. Fairfax, Jr.
FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 9:30am - 7:00pm Registration Check-In Open 10:00am - 11:00am Panel: War Crimes in Ukraine with Profs. Susana SáCouto, Diane Orentlicher, and Rebecca Hamilton 11:00am - 12:30pm Open House with Programs & Departments 12:00pm - 1:30pm WCL-NOW Faculty Big Ideas – join Dean Roger A. Fairfax, Jr. as he moderates a panel featuring surprise faculty guests making groundbreaking research in their fields 1:30pm - 2:00pm
Break
2:00pm - 3:30pm CLE: Environmental Social Governance (ESG) with Profs. David Hunter and Hilary Allen, and alumna Dalia Blass 3:30pm - 4:30pm 4:30pm - 5:00pm 5:00pm - 6:00pm 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Panel: Inside WCL. Join us for a conversation with faculty and students at WCL as they give you the “inside scoop” on our top ranked programs Break Reception (Claudio Grossman Hall) 2022 Alumni Awards Ceremony - Dinner & Program. This year’s reunion will culminate with the celebration of our alumni awardees from 2021 and 2022. Enjoy an open bar, review class and school photos and hear from Dean Roger A. Fairfax, Jr. on the current state of WCL and our exciting plans for the future.
Your 2022 Alumni Awards Honorees: • Herb Morgan (’60), Lifetime Philanthropy Award • The Honorable Jeannie Hong (’92), Distinguished Alumni Award • Ada Okafor, née Esedebe (’12), Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award Your 2021 Alumni Awards Honorees: • Ambassador Robert Frank Pence (‘71), Lifetime Philanthropy Award • Congresswoman Stacey E. Plaskett (’94), Distinguished Alumni Award • Andrew Kim (’12), Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award
Alumni REUNION WEEKEND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2022 8:00am - 11:00am Registration Check-In Open 8:30am - 9:30am Golden Legal-Eagles 50th Anniversary Breakfast (Class of 1972) Celebrating the Class of 1972, all reunion classes are invited to join us for an 8:30am breakfast to celebrate our 50th reunion class, honoring their achievements and ongoing commitment to WCL. 11:00am - 1:00pm Class Lunches 1:00pm - 6:00pm Class Outings (hosted by class leaders)
Alumni REUNION WEEKEND BIOGRAPHIES
2022 ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS • Lifetime Philanthropy Award: Herb Morgan (WCL 60) • Distinguished Alumni Award: The Honorable Jeannie J. Hong (WCL 1992) Judge Hong started her career as a staff attorney for the Department of Human Resources, Child Care Administration where she represented the State in administrative appeal hearings. From 1994-2002, Judge Hong worked as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore City where she prosecuted hundreds of cases from juvenile to homicide cases. On August 14, 2002, Governor Glendening appointed Jeannie Hong to be a Baltimore City District Court Judge. She is the first Asian Judge in the State of Maryland. While serving on Baltimore City District Court she was appointed Judge-in-Charge for North Avenue District Court in 2004. In 2006, Judge Hong created the “Integrated Domestic Violence Court” at North Avenue District Courthouse which handled all district court civil, domestic violence protective orders and peace orders for Baltimore City, as well as all criminal domestic violence proceedings. On October 19, 2011, Governor Martin O’Malley appointed Judge Hong to the Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge, where she presides over criminal, civil, juvenile and family law matters. Judge Hong has taught for many years at the Judicial Institute for the new and experienced judges in Maryland. Judge Hong was also a former Board Director, and teaches regularly at the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges. • Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award: Adanwimo “Ada” Okafor, née Esedebe (WCL 2012) Ada is first chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer at The American Board of Surgery (ABS). In addition to this exciting role, she serves as the Board’s associate general counsel. Prior to her current position, Okafor served as of counsel in the employee benefits and executive compensation practice group at Ballard Spahr LLP. A dynamic individual who is passionate about DEI, Okafor has contributed to a plethora of diversity efforts in her professional life. At Ballard Spahr, she served on the Leadership Committee of the Black Lawyers Group and helped curate a Race and Allyship Resource List consisting of books, articles, movies, and podcasts that provided information on the black experience in America. The List also included resources that explained what it means to be an ally and provided meaningful ways for her colleagues to support social justice organizations. She also collaborated with Ballard’s African Lawyers to spearhead the African Law Students Dinners and lay the groundwork for the African Lawyers Summit. In addition, she was an active member of the Women Lawyers Group.
2021 ALUMNI AWARD RECIPIENTS • Lifetime Philanthropy Award: Ambassador Robert Frank Pence (WCL 1971) Ambassador Pence has long been dedicated to American University, where he received his JD (1971), an M.A. in Renaissance Literature and Art (1997), and an M.A. in Literature (1999). He served as a member of the Board of Trustees of American University from 198998, and a member of the Washington College of Law Dean’s Advisory Council from 2004-18. Ambassador Pence received the American University President’s Award in 2007. Together with his wife, Suzy, Ambassador Pence endowed the naming gift to American University for the Washington College of Law Library in 2004. Today, the Pence Law Library at the Washington College of Law’s Tenley Campus location occupies 2 ½ floors of the Warren Building and contains nearly 850 seats, a rare book room, and views of the AUWCL Courtyard and Tenleytown. Ambassador Pence served as Ambassador to the Republic of Finland since 2018 after being nominated to the position by President Donald J. Trump. In addition, Ambassador Pence is the founder and chairman of the Board of The Pence Group, a full-service development company founded in 1977, known for developing and managing world-class shopping centers, hotels, and office buildings throughout the United States, and dedicated to sustainable development practices. For over 30 years, the company and its affiliates have consistently been honored for the quality and vision of their projects. Ambassador Pence is actively engaged as a board member of the Gary Sinise Foundation which supports our nation’s veterans, first responders, and their families. He has also served on the boards of The World Affairs Council, Washington D.C, George Mason University, The Kennedy Center, and the Wolf Trap Foundation. • Distinguished Alumni Award: Representative Stacey E. Plaskett (WCL 1994) Congresswoman Plaskett represents the United States Virgin Islands’ at-large Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. In the 117th session of Congress, the members of the House Steering and Policy Committee unanimously appointed Congresswoman Plaskett to serve on the House Committee on Ways and Means, the oldest and one of the most exclusive committees in Congress. In true historic fashion, Ms. Plaskett is the first Member from a U.S. territory and the fourth AfricanAmerican woman to serve on this committee. Currently serving her fourth term on the House Committee on Agriculture Congresswoman Plaskett previously served as the Chair of the Subcommittee on Biotechnology, Horticulture and Research. Ms. Plaskett is also a new member of the House Committee on Budget. Ms. Plaskett earned her undergraduate degree from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, and her JD from American University’s Washington College of Law. Congresswoman Plaskett has a long history of public service having started as an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx DA’s office as well as having worked as a political appointee at the Department of Justice where she served as Senior Counsel under both Deputy Attorney General Larry Thompson and his successor James Comey. In the Virgin Islands, she served as General Counsel for the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, charged with the economic development of the U.S. territory and also worked in private practice as counsel and transactional attorney for numerous companies.
Alumni REUNION WEEKEND BIOGRAPHIES
• Outstanding Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award: Andrew Kim (WCL 2012) Since his graduation in 2012, Mr. Kim has remained heavily engaged with AUWCL, mentoring countless students and taking time out of his schedule to participate in extracurricular activities like Moot Court. Mr. Kim has also been an active supporter of AUWCL’s students by contributing to initiatives that ensure student access to education. Mr. Kim is an Associate at Goodwin Proctor LLP, focusing on the company’s Appellate Litigation Practice. Since 2014, Andrew has focused his work on appellate matters and complex civil litigation in federal and state courts. Mr. Kim has experience in a wide range of areas including administrative law, consumer financial services, disability law, gaming and gambling law, intellectual property (patent and copyright), labor and employment law, and white collar defense. Prior to joining Goodwin, Mr. Kim served as a law clerk to the Honorable Janice Rogers Brown of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and as a law clerk to the Honorable Bernice B. Donald of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Mr. Kim has an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University in International Politics and received his JD from American University Washington College of Law. PANEL: WAR CRIMES IN UKRAINE Join WCL Professors Orentlicher, Hamilton, and SáCouto as they unpack the complex legal labyrinth of pursuing the documentation, investigation, and prosecution options available against the Crimes of Aggression, Crimes Against Humanity, and War Crimes in Ukraine. Diane Orentlicher, Professor of International Law at American University, is a leading expert on international justice and war crimes tribunals. She has lectured and published widely on issues of transitional justice, international criminal law and other areas of public international law, and has testified before the United States Senate and House on a range of issues relating to both domestic human rights laws and U.S. foreign policy. Professor Orentlicher has served in various public positions, including as the Deputy for War Crimes Issues in the U.S. Department of State (2009-2011); United Nations Independent Expert on Combating Impunity (on appointment by the UN Secretary-General) and Special Advisor to the High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (on secondment from the U.S. Department of State). Rebecca Hamilton is an Associate Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law (WCL), and has spent her career working on atrocity prevention. She is the author of Fighting For Darfur: Public Action and the Struggle to Stop Genocide, which analyzes citizen activism and the effort to stop mass atrocities. Her scholarship draws on her experience in the prosecution of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, as well as her work in conflict zones as a foreign correspondent. Hamilton previously served as a lawyer in the prosecutorial division of the International Criminal Court. Prior to entering academia, Hamilton worked as a journalist for the Washington Post, and Reuters. She is an Executive Editor of Just Security. She is also a member of the New York Bar, the American Society of International Law and the Council on Foreign Relations.
Susana SáCouto directs the War Crimes Research Office and the Summer Law Program in The Hague at WCL, where she teaches courses on international criminal law and procedure, including an experiential learning course where students work on projects in partnership with tribunals and other organizations dedicated to accountability for atrocity crimes. Prof. SáCouto has advised and provided legal assistance on ICL issues to international, regional and domestic courts, and has published widely on variety of ICL issues, including a forthcoming book on Gender and International Criminal Law co-edited with Valerie Oosterveld and Indira Rosenthal. She is cofounder of the Latin American Network for Gender-based Strategic Litigation, an Advisory Council Member of the International Association of Prosecutors’ Prosecuting Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Network, and former cochair of the American Society for International Law’s Women in International Law Interest Group. CLE: ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL & CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Join an esteemed panel of WCL Professors and experts in the expansive field of ESG as they discuss their unique professional experiences in areas ranging from climate change as a systemic risk to our financial system, to the fiduciary rules surrounding the growth of ESG in the asset management space, and the regulatory response thereto. Professor Hilary J. Allen teaches courses in Banking Law, Securities Regulation, Financial Regulation, and Business Associations at WCL. She is a nationally recognized expert on financial stability regulation, having authored more than 15 law review articles on the subject. Her recent work has focused on threats arising from climate change and the increasing prevalence of fintech, as well as adapting the structure and scientific/technological capacity of financial regulatory agencies. She has testified before the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee, and is the author of the book Driverless Finance: Fintech’s Impact on Financial Stability (2022, Oxford University Press). Prior to entering the academy, Professor Allen spent seven years working in the financial services groups of prominent law firms in London, Sydney and New York. In 2010, she worked with the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which was appointed by Congress to study the causes of the ’07-’08 financial crisis. David Hunter is Professor of international and comparative environmental law at American University’s Washington College of Law. He currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Accountability Counsel, the Environmental Law Alliance Worldwide-US, and the Project on Government Oversight. He is a Member Scholar of the Center for Progressive Reform and a member of the Organization of American States’ Expert Group on Environmental Law, the InterAmerican Network for Environmental Law’s Advisory Board, and the Strategic Advisors Group for the International Finance Corporation’s Compliance Advisor/Ombudsman. He is co-author of International Environmental Law & Policy (5th ed.) and Climate Change Law (2nd ed.). His research interests include human rights and the environment, environmental standards and accountability mechanisms in international finance, and climate change litigation, law and policy. Dalia Osman Blass Senior Managing Director, Head of External Affairs, BlackRock