NIU Law Dean Rosato Perea named to 2015 Lawyers of Color Power List
Northern Illinois University College of Law Dean Jennifer Rosato Perea has been named to the 2015 Lawyers of Color Fourth Annual Power List, a comprehensive catalog of the nation's most influential minority attorneys and nonminority diversity advocates.
Rosato Perea was honored at the awards ceremony on March 18 in Washington, D.C. Winners also were acknowledged in the 2015 Lawyers of Color Power List magazine.
"I am deeply honored to be included with such a remarkable group of honorees," Rosato Perea said. "This award underscores my personal commitment to our NIU Law students to encourage diversity and access by providing students a high-quality affordable legal education, and by instilling in them a commitment to give back to their communities through public service."
Rosato Perea, one of only four Latina law school deans in the country, has been routinely spotlighted for her contributions to legal education and commitment to diversity.
In 2014, she was honored as a Woman of Distinction, by the Suburban Life Magazine and as a Remarkable Woman, by the Chicago Tribune. Both attest to her efforts at making the law and legal profession more accessible to and more reflective of the communities served.
She has been similarly recognized with a Vanguard Award from the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois, a Distinguished Leadership Award from Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, and named among the Hispanic 50 nationally by Hispanic Executive Magazine.
Since taking the helm at the law school in 2009, Dean Rosato Perea has enacted numerous initiatives to advance the school's mission of promoting diversity, professionalism, and academic excellence. As a result, the school has received recent recognition from The National Jurist as one of the most diverse law schools in the country.
At the awards ceremony, special Legacy Awards also were presented to Tom Sager, Ballard Spahr partner and former DuPont Company General Counsel, and John W. Daniels Jr., Quarles & Brady partner and chairman emeritus, for their exceptional careers and efforts to advance diversity in the legal profession.
Also, as part of the proceedings, the magazine hosted the first Power Summit at George Washington Law School. Co-sponsored by George Washington's Asian/Pacific American Law Student Association (APALSA), Black Law Students Association (BLSA), Hispanic Law Student Association (HLSA), and the South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA), the summit consists of a series of round-table discussions with law school deans, general counsel, social justice attorneys, and law firm partners.
About NIU Law
As the only public law school in Northern Illinois, NIU Law has been named a top law school nationally for diversity, value, and careers in public interest/government service. NIU Law provides unique opportunities for its students, beginning with its highly accomplished faculty who are personally invested in the success of every student throughout their professional lives. Many alumni serve as public interest attorneys, prosecutors, defenders, elected officials, and judges, but graduates are equally prepared for careers as solo practitioners or lawyers in multinational law firms.
For more information on Dean Rosato Perea and NIU Law, visit www.niu.edu/law.