Presidential Series: Raising The Bar of Hope

Raising the Bar of Hope: Black Women in Leadership at the City Bar – November 30, 2021

New York City Bar Association Executive Director Bret Parker moderates a panel of distinguished Black women who serve in leadership positions on the City Bar Board of Directors. In this third program in a Presidential Series highlighting issues concerning Black women, we celebrate the achievements of these impressive legal professionals who are leaders in the profession and at the City Bar. Learn about their professional journeys and why they joined the City Bar; in what ways participation in the City Bar has contributed positively to their professional and personal lives; their path to City Bar leadership; and their hopes for the City Bar as it continues on its path to be a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive institution.

Welcome/Introduction:
Sheila S. Boston, President, New York City Bar Association

Moderator:
Bret Parker, Executive Director, New York City Bar Association

Speakers:
Paula Edgar, CEO, PGE Consulting Group LLC
Hon. Tanya R. Kennedy, New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division First Department
Lorraine McGowen, Partner, Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Lesley Campbell, General Counsel & Senior Vice President, Talent Engagement & Office Relations, ICSC

Co-Sponsoring Committees:
Women in the Legal Profession, Judith Archer, Chair
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Matthew Morningstar and Robert Marchman, Co-Chairs
Minorities in the Profession, Johan Tatoy and Jonathan Waldauer, Co-Chairs

Co-Sponsoring Organization:
New York City Bar Office for Diversity and Inclusion, James A. Lewis, V, Executive Director

Raising the Bar of Hope: A Candid Conversation with Black Female Law School Deans – September 30, 2021

City Bar President Sheila S. Boston moderates a panel of distinguished law school deans. This panel is the second program of a presidential series which highlights issues concerning Black females. In this program, we celebrate the achievements of these impressive law professionals who are leaders at their respective institutions and in the profession, and we learn about their professional journeys — challenges, successes, concerns, and aspirations — as our profession strives to become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

Moderator:
Sheila S. Boston, President of the New York City Bar Association

Speakers:
Eboni S. Nelson, Dean and Professor of Law, University of Connecticut School of Law
Dayna Bowen Matthew, Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law, The George Washington University Law School
Kimberly Mutcherson, Dean and Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School
Danielle Holley-Walker, Dean and Professor of Law , Howard University School of Law

Sponsoring Committee:
Council on the Profession, Matthew Diller and Melissa Colon-Bosolet, Co-Chairs

Co-Sponsoring Committees:
Women in the Legal Profession, Judith Archer, Chair
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Matthew Morningstar and Robert Marchman, Co-Chairs
Minorities in the Profession, Johan Tatoy and Jonathan Waldauer, Co-Chairs

Co-Sponsoring Organization:
New York City Bar Office for Diversity and Inclusion, James A. Lewis, V, Executive Director

Raising The Bar of Hope: Ending The Over-Policing of Black Girls in Schools – March 4, 2021

A discussion on the policing of Black girls in schools, the consequences, and achievable equitable remedies. Panelists explore the historic lens of the treatment of Black girls and how they are viewed by society; the types of punishments and procedures they are subjected to; and the long and short term consequences of being pushed out of school. Also, Karen Aime, a former student of the Brooklyn public school system shares how her school’s preconceived notions of her as a Black girl affected her student experience.

Welcome: Sheila S. Boston, President of the New York City Bar Association

Speakers:

Karen Aime, is a 2019 graduate of the Brooklyn public school system and currently a student at Hunter College
Dr. Jamilia Blake, Professor, Department of Educational Psychology in the College of Education and Human Development Studies, Texas A&M University
Professor Alexis Karteron, Director, Rutgers Constitutional Rights Clinic Ashley C. Sawyer, Senior Director, Campaigns at Girls for Gender Equity (GGE)
Dr. India Thusi, Associate Professor of Law, Delaware Law School

Closing Remarks:

Jarienn James, Co-chair of the Education and the Law Committee

Co-Sponsoring Committees:
Children and the Law, Chair, Melissa Friedman
Civil Rights, Co-Chairs, Zoey Chenitz and Kevin Jason
Council on Children, Dawne Mitchell, Chair
Juvenile Justice, Co-Chairs, Jennifer Ruiz- Gilroy and Maura Keating
Office for Diversity and Inclusion, New York City Bar Association
Sex and the Law, Co-Chairs, Olympias Iliana Konidaris and Farah Diaz-Tello

Co-Sponsoring Organization:

New York Law School’s Impact Center for Public Interest Law