Release: Immediate, July 17, 2002

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – As a faculty member at Pace Law School, Professor Varona will teach Sexuality Law, Intellectual Property, Communications Law, and Administrative and Criminal Law. Previously, Professor Varona was the general counsel and legal director for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest gay civil rights organization, based in Washington, DC . He built HRC’s legal department, directed its legislative, regulatory and amicus work, launched national law fellow and pro bono attorney programs, and served as counsel to their corporate, educational and media initiatives, including websites, publications, and special events like the HRC Equality Rocks Concert televised on VH-1 in 2000.

Professor Varona taught as an adjunct law professor for four years at Georgetown University, and served as a Wasserstein Fellow at Harvard Law School. He currently sits on the board of directors of the Alliance for Justice, is a member of the Judicial Selection Steering Committee of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and was founding chairperson of the AIDS Action Council’s Legal Advisory Board.

Before his work with HRC, Professor Varona practiced communications law at the Washington offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP, and Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, PC. He began his legal career as an honors program attorney for the Federal Communications Commission. He is an active member of the Hispanic National Bar Association and the National Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association.

Professor Varona’s scholarship has included articles concerning civil rights, employment discrimination, hate crimes, and communications law, appearing in law journals associated with such law schools as Stanford, Georgetown, William & Mary and Catholic Universities. He has lectured widely on these topics, and has appeared as a legal commentator on CNN, Headline News, Fox News Network, Court TV, MSNBC, and in a variety of major daily newspapers.

"We are delighted that Professor Varona is joining us this coming year," says Dean David Cohen. "His depth and breadth in teaching, scholarship and advocacy work are remarkable -- his background in telecommunications law and policy, his teaching experience at Georgetown, and his work with the Human Rights Campaign -- the leading gay and lesbian civil rights organization in the country -- will enhance our academic reputation across the United States and beyond."

Founded in 1976, Pace Law School is located in White Plains, New York, 20 miles north of New York City. The School offers the J.D. program for full-time and part-time day and evening, students. Its post-graduate program includes the LL.M. and S.J.D. degrees in environmental Law and the LL.M. in Comparative Legal Studies. Pace has one of the nation's top-rated environmental law programs and its Clinical Education Program also is nationally ranked, offering clinics in domestic violence prosecution, poverty law, environmental litigation, securities arbitration, and disability law. Pace Law School is part of Pace University, a comprehensive, independent and diversified University with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, and a Hudson Valley Center located at Stewart Airport in New Windsor.