The number of people who know of someone in the military is on the decline. In 1995, 40% of the youth market had a parent in service, but by 2017 that number has dwindled to just 15%. According to a 2011 study conducted by PEW Research, 77% of adults 50 years of age and older had an immediate family member in service, whereas only about one-third of adults age 18–29 reported having an immediate family member in service.

This is largely the result of longer stretches of peacetime and more diplomacy. One of the unintended consequences, however, is a widening civilian-veteran gap, creating a divide between those who have served and the communities they return home to.

A strong sense of community and belonging can act as a defense against mental health concerns and for veterans, who are among the highest at risk for mental health crises, this sense of community is essential. But with this widening gap of experience and understanding, how do we create inclusive communities for our veterans? Especially for student veterans looking to join the campus community.

Two Veterans, Two Perspectives

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It sucks to put anyone in a box.

It sucks to put anyone in a box,” says Neath Williams ’24, “just because of where they’ve been or what they’ve done.

Williams worked in the Navy from 1999 to 2009 as a combat medic, serving three tours in Iraq. When he left in 2009, he joined the Navy Reserves, travelling all over the country, until he retired in 2022. Now he’s working on his Master of Arts in Communications and Digital Media on the Westchester Campus and is one of the founding members of the Society of Artistic Veterans.

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It helped me feel like I had a place I belonged.

Avery Leider, PhD, ’15, ’22 says, “When I came to Pace, I went to the campus store and bought a bunch of Pace University t-shirts and I wore them every day to class, and it helped me feel like I had a place I belonged.”

Leider retired from the military as a Lieutenant-Colonel after more than 25 years of service. She received both a master’s and a PhD from Pace in computer science and now teaches coding to girls through the Saturday Academy, and she’s been outspoken about her struggles with mental health and suicidal ideation after her retirement from service.

Williams and Leider came to Pace, which the Military Times called one of the best colleges for veterans, and have been active in their efforts to build community, discuss mental health, and bridge the gap between veterans and civilians.

It’s all about building that new routine. It’s essential for our way of life.

Neath Williams: Service and the Arts

Neath Williams spent more than 20 years in service, between his time in the Navy and the Navy Reserve. His passion now is the arts, especially theater, but he still carries his years of service with him. “Anyone who has been in any job for a long time, it’s going to become part of them,” he explains. “Ten plus years of service, it’s going to be part of your exoskeleton. And I think it’s important for people to know that.”

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One of the things Williams appreciates most about his time in service is the scope of perspectives and backgrounds he came into contact with. He tells stories of someone he served with who swam from Cuba to Florida on a door and then immediately enlisted, and of a Venezuelan man whose last name was America and could speak fluent Arabic to the people they met. “It’s amazing to see the diversity,” he says. “It was a beautiful rainbow of people, and it felt like a reflection of the bigger scope of humanity. If I hadn't served, and just stayed in Kentucky, I don't think I would have gotten to experience that, and I very thankful for those experiences."

Ten plus years of service, it’s going to be part of your exoskeleton. And I think it’s important for people to know that.

And Williams believes this perspective in the classroom is powerful. He noticed, both in school and in previous roles in the film industry, that his military service made it easier for him to keep perspective and not sweat the small stuff. He also believes student veterans may have a more holistic view of the importance of their education. “Most have goals set for after school, and they’re focused on that,” he explains. “They may be more focused on learning the actual content rather than on passing the class. This is the stuff we came here for.”

During his time as an undergraduate student, Williams formed the Society of Artistic Veterans alongside fellow student veterans at Marymount Manhattan College, with the hopes of creating art that brought a veteran perspective, regardless of the content.

It hasn’t been lost on Williams that there are many preconceived notions about what a veteran is, and ‘artist’ is not often in that description. “Even my partner said she’d never met veterans in the arts. And then she met me and my friends who are in the arts and have a different point of view, not necessarily the view most people think of when they think of what a veteran might think. A lot of people might put veterans in a box.” He further explains, “There are a lot of groups that have appropriated military culture so a lot of us who don’t align with those want to show another version of who veterans can be. That’s important to us. And the arts are a big way to do that, especially theater.”

We need more of that in our society, more groups that are gathered to do good things for each other. Through theater, though, I think we can do that.

Williams is quick to remind that, despite this view, “there’s a long history of the arts coming from military service,” citing Ancient Greece, where generals were often playwrights, soldiers’ training included theater, and plays often re-enacted military campaigns. And it certainly makes sense because, as he puts it, “Those kinds of situations lead to storytelling.”

That is one of the goals of the Society of Artistic Veterans, to tell stories that veterans have had a hand in bringing to life, and to open a dialogue with audiences. Their performances always include talkbacks, where audiences can ask questions and veterans can offer their perspectives, and perhaps do some healing. “Storytelling is a healing process itself. If you get men and women who served together, eventually they’ll start swapping stories. When you do a staged play or a reading, there’s some of that as well,” he explains. “We could bridge the gap after the play, by being in the room with the civilian actors and audience members where those conversations could happen.”

Now that the initial shock of the pandemic is settling and live performances are beginning to return, Williams is hoping to rebrand the Society of Artistic Veterans into a theater collective, with a veteran-forward mission that not only brings healing and stirs these important conversations but also helps bridge the civilian-veteran gap. “You miss that camaraderie you have in the units,” he says. “We need more of that in our society, more groups that are gathered to do good things for each other. Through theater, though, I think we can do that. Even if it’s just for a moment.”

Avery Leider: Sharing Her Story

Dr. Leider can’t seem to speak highly enough of her time at Pace, from the encouragement of her faculty, the exciting nature of the content in her program, to the support she received as she transitioned to student life after she retired from the Army as a Lieutenant-Colonel. “Pace has a very supportive environment. They have a veteran’s coordinator that makes sure you get your benefits and fill out your forms on time. And Career Services does a really good job of putting together a veteran job fair to connect veterans with employers specifically looking to hire veterans,” she explains. “That kind of support, and the Yellow Ribbon Program, makes you feel welcome.”

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She enjoyed her time so much as Pace that after completing her Master of Science in Computer Science in 2015, she returned for a doctorate in computer science, which she completed in 2022. With guidance from her doctoral advisor Pauline Mosley, DPS, she studied quantum computing and practiced grant-writing, and she’s now teaching coding to girls between the ages of 10 and 14 through the Saturday Academy, a job she secured with help from Mosley.

Before she got her degree, Leider was already entrenched in computer science in the military, where she served for more than 25 years. “Women are in the minority in most areas of the military, especially in the Army, so I was always trying to prove myself. And I loved it,” she says. “It was adrenaline, a fix, it was a constant need to prove myself, that I was better at computers, that I was smart. To prove that you needed me no matter how eager you were as a male soldier because I was better with computers.”

It was adrenaline, a fix, it was a constant need to prove myself, that I was better at computers, that I was smart.

But eventually, her time in service came to an end. “Eventually, you age out and you need to go, because the Army is all about young people,” she explains. “You have to retire and do something else, and that was so hard for me to see.”

Leider has recently opened up about just how hard it was for her to cope with this period of her life. “I couldn’t see my future anymore. I thought that the Army was the only place for me, and there was no place beyond the Army. I thought that was my whole life,” she explains. “When I started to look at retirement from the military, I started to get thoughts of suicide. They didn’t disturb me at first but when they did eventually, they caused me to have a suicide attempt.”

She credits the reason she is here to tell her story to the Veteran’s Hospital, where she was eventually transferred. “I got life-saving treatment. I’m still under their care, I still see VA doctors and therapists. It’ll be for the rest of my life, but I have no suicide ideas at all, and I get really good care.” Leider wishes more veterans would reach out and receive the services she did. “The Department of Veterans Affairs sees more veterans with suicidal ideations than any other healthcare system in the world. So, they know how to do it. They’ve stopped many a suicidal vet from carrying out their ideas.”

There’s also separation grief. There is a lot of friendship and camaraderie in service. When you hang up your uniform, you leave it behind.

Leider explains what the research shows—veterans are the majority of people attempting suicide, and 22 veterans succeed every day. She can empathize with that sense of hopelessness and the misguided certainty that suicide is the only option. More than anything, she thinks the reason veterans are so at risk for suicidal thoughts comes down to grief. “Grief that we’re not on the frontline fighting or contributing as much as we could. Only a small percentage of the active-duty soldiers are in the line of fire. So, all of those who are not feel tremendous survivor’s guilt. There’s also grief for those you know who are injured or killed.” She continues, “There’s also separation grief. There is a lot of friendship and camaraderie in service. When you hang up your uniform, you leave it behind.”

Leider is certain of one thing—the right kind of intervention works. She explains, “I know in my case I was very irritable towards my family and friends who loved me because I wanted to distance myself from them so they would not interfere with my plans. However, I did get interference from the VA, who knew the right words to say to me to get me to accept treatment, and I can say I am grateful for each moment of my life today.”

To think that I was once in that place, because I couldn’t see my future—I can’t imagine now being that way.

Leider only first shared her experience with suicide in November 2022, when she was a guest on “The Greenburg Report” on WVOX. She shared her story, as well as information on the newly fully-funded federal suicide hotline, 988. Leider didn’t intend to tell the story, but “it just came out,” She admits. “But it felt good to share the number. The show’s host, Paul Feiner, later had a call-in from the veteran community there and they agreed it was good to share the number, to help get veterans in treatment.” She fully believes that the number of veterans lost to suicide is not because help isn’t available, but because they don’t seek help.

These days, Leider has a lot of hope. “To think that I was once in that place, because I couldn’t see my future—I can’t imagine now being that way.” And she’s excited about the opportunity to study the newest innovations in computer science and to be on the frontlines of future thinking. As she explains it, “Thinking about the future is an inoculation against suicidal ideations.”

One Pace, One Community

The way we treat our veterans has come a long way, but offering veterans a hearty welcome and a sense of community is just one necessary component of veteran inclusivity. Looking beyond a uniform and our preconceived notions of service creates space for different perspectives and a growth as a unified community—at Pace and beyond. As our world gets better at settling conflict, and that civilian-veteran divide continues to widen, creating veteran-inclusive communities can mean all the difference.

For information on Veteran’s services at Pace, visit the Veteran’s Office website.

If you want to learn more about the Student Veterans of America chapter at Pace, send an email to svanyc@pace.edu or join their Discord server.

Learn more about the Society of Artistic Veterans and check out archives of their work.

If you or someone you love is struggling with suicidal ideation, please utilize the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Veterans can press 1 to be connected to veteran-specific help and services.

Millions of people live in New York City, but few have done it better than Pace University’s own Tabi Haly ‘06. From the day Haly moved into her Pace downtown dorm room, she fell in love with the opportunities the city provided. In a metropolis like this, fortune favors the bold and if Haly is one thing, it’s bold. A singer-songwriter with a debut album under her belt, she’s performed at iconic venues like Mercury Lounge and Rockwood Music Hall. She’s dazzled audiences with her Mona Lisa smile and chic, blue-green evening gown during New York Fashion Week and was even highlighted in a Vogue article covering the show. She has even been featured by New York Times and still works as a software engineer. She has achieved, and continues to achieve, many successes, despite a major obstacle.

Before her first birthday, Haly was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare degenerative genetic disease that affects muscle movement and respiration. She’s never been able to walk, and her condition worsens as she ages, leaving her with very little mobility. However, she never let that slow her down.

Haly graduated Pace University summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science. She loved her time at Pace University and built friendships that last to this day. Just like with New York, Haly found love at first sight with Pace.

"Everyone was so welcoming and friendly—they looked at me without looking down at me and it felt nice.”

“I call it the moment of truth—when you observe something and take a mental note that impacts how you think or feel about it. My moment of truth at Pace was so positive. I remember being stopped by students saying things like 'are you going to go here? you should go here, girl!' Everyone was so welcoming and friendly—they looked at me without looking down at me and it felt nice.”

While studying at Pace, Haly loved singing in the choir. At the end of her freshman year, she excitedly prepared for the group’s annual performance at the Schimmel Center. When she arrived at the first rehearsal and looked around, her heart sank. The choir leadership forgot to see if their selected stage was accessible for all members.

While her peers joyfully sang on stage, Haly was in the audience cheering them on. The next day, however, she put herself to work. She became an active advocate and wrote letters, imploring those in power to make the theater accessible so everyone could get their shot in the spotlight. Because of her effort, Schimmel Center became fully accessible.

Haly learned how to use her voice to advocate for herself. Her strength stemmed from necessity but has now grown into so much more. Haly’s second album, Stance, will explore her experience living with SMA but, her paramount goal is to inspire others to stand up for themselves.

“When I say ‘Stance,’ I mean standing up for yourself. I’m excited for people to hear it and listen to what I’ve been through the last few years because singing is what got me through [the] tough times. My goal is to have people hear my music and feel like they can stand up for themselves and feel better.”

Learn more about this trailblazing Pace alumna or to listen to her music.

“There’s something really magical about supporting people through growth,” says Katie Todd (she/they) ’15, ’24, director of Communications and Strategic Operations at the Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems. “I get to do that every day, whether it’s with students, faculty, or staff. Being there as students enter the classroom for the first time all the way through to when they graduate is a gift. You never forget your first set of students you’re present for their entire four-year journey.”

Todd, who originally hails from Scotland, came to Pace as part of the MS in Publishing program and eventually landed a role within Seidenberg as a copywriter. After meeting with then-Associate Dean Jonathan Hill, DPS, Todd says she was hired on the spot for $8.25 an hour (still her hourly rate! she kids).

Since then, her role has expanded within Seidenberg. As Director of Communications and Strategic Operations, she not only makes sure that things in Seidenberg are running smoothly but she gets to talk about how outstanding the programs and the people who bring them to life really are. They’ve also got a very unique perspective to add to the mix: they are currently a grad student working on her second master’s in Seidenberg’s Human-Centered Design program.

“The folks I get to work at Seidenberg with are a phenomenal bunch. The faculty and staff both are from all over the world and it’s so cool to work with such a mix of people,” she says. “My staff team is the best at keeping the humor going as we work through all kinds of challenges in a flexible, dynamic way where there’s a lot of trust. I’m very grateful for that.”

Outside of Pace, Todd’s got a lot on their plate and their work is getting noticed. This past year, they were selected as an INvolve 2022 OUTstanding LGBT+ Future Leader and, recently, they have been added to NASA’s roster of diversity, equity, and inclusion professionals to participate on inclusion panels in the future.

“I have my own executive and life coaching practice, Pride Coaching, through which I support LGBTQ+ leaders and our allies in creating a better world,” says Todd. “It’s vocational work for me that takes my skills and passion in people development and applies them to a community looking, not just to be accepted, but to be seen and celebrated as they are.”

In addition to coaching, Todd works to educate people on various aspects of the queer community, including workplace development sessions that focus on inclusion and respect. “A lot of people mean well but just don’t have the knowledge or understanding to feel comfortable speaking to or about queer people—especially trans and non-binary people,” Todd explains. “I give them the opportunity to ask questions in a way that feels safe and welcoming. I’ve run sessions at Pace and worked with some really wonderful companies, too.”

So, where do they see these paths taking them?

“That’s a good question! My personal mission is to make coaching accessible to as many people as possible and to make the world a safer place for queer people to live authentically,” says Todd. “I can’t do that alone, so a big part of what I’m up to at the moment is just finding like-minded people and growing my vision of what’s possible. It’s a really exciting time.”

Want to get connected with Katie? Reach out to her on LinkedIn.

Welcome to the New, Digital Edition of Pace Magazine.

As we continue to position the University for the future and think about the ways to be most relevant to the students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends in our community, we’ve realized that nearly all important communication today happens online. So that’s where we’re putting the compelling and thoughtful content you’ve come to expect from Pace Magazine. Starting now, you’ll be able to read the profiles, features, updates, and class notes contained in every issue at your convenience—and without having more paper pile up.

This digital edition of Pace Magazine, like the issue itself, looks to that future.

In our feature stories, you’ll learn about student veterans at Pace who are finding new ways to serve by working to support the mental health of their fellow veterans, both in and out of college. You’ll also find out how researchers from the School of Education have partnered with a major urban school district to improve training of substitute teachers, a critical need as schools rebound from the pandemic.

You’ll also see snapshots of life across our campuses and our alumni community. Lubin faculty unveil two major initiatives: the Pace Entrepreneurship Studio, and a new focus on ESG practices for small business at the Pace Center for Sustainability. Haub Law launches a partnership for a call-in legal clinic in White Plains. In Pleasantville, professors Jane Collins and Emilio Fernandez, the outgoing and incoming faculty-in-residence, talk about the benefits of living and learning together. Plus news about Setter athletes’ successes, big new faculty research grants, and the amazing accomplishments of our alumni.

It’s a really exciting time at Pace, and we’re glad you’re a part of it.

Marvin Krislov
President

Rob Sands, JD ’84
Chair, Board of Trustees

Meet Tasha Darbes, PhD, a Pace School of Education professor with a passion for the transformative power of education. “I’m an educator that is all about creating a space where people can find their own voice,” she says. “Where people can think through problem and issues, express themselves, and have an impact on communities that are facing a lot of difficulties and be a part of that process of social change.”

The Lubin Link Podcast

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Julia Melissinos '20 talks about how her interest in advertising and social media helped her land a job at a digital agency, where she handles strategy, insights, and measurements for social media clients.

This episode was recorded on January 17, 2023.

• Listen to Julia on Spotify
• Listen to Julia on Apple Podcasts
• Listen to Julia on Anchor

Tune into the Lubin Link podcast to hear how guests went from go-getting Lubin students to successful entrepreneurs, social media mavens, directors, CEOs, and beyond. They offer their best tips to students and share how you can make the most out of your #LubinLife.

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is pleased to announce that Professor Uché Ewelukwa Ofodile will be a Visiting Professor with the Law School for the Spring 2023 semester. While at Haub Law, she will be teaching Corporations and International Business Transactions.

Professor Ofodile is the E.J. Ball Professor of Law at the University of Arkansas School of Law (Arkansas Law) in Fayetteville, AR where she teaches in the intellectual property law, international law, food law, and business law fields. Additionally, she is an affiliated Professor of African and African-American Studies and with the Department of Political Science at the University of Arkansas William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Professor Ofodile is a lifetime member of the Council of Foreign Relations and an Honorary Fellow of the Asian Institute of Financial Law in Hong Kong. From 2021–2022 she was a Senior Fellow of the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School and a Scholar-in-Residence at NYU Law’s Center for Human Rights and Global Justice. Professor Ofodile also held the Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor at Arkansas Law from 2014 to 2016.

“We are thrilled to welcome Uché Ewelukwa Ofodile to Haub Law as a Visiting Professor,” said Horace E. Anderson, Jr., Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. “Professor Ofodile’s expertise in the law of international business will bring a unique and broadened perspective to our students at Haub Law. When we have a Visiting Professor with diverse experience like that of Professor Ofodile, the entire law school community benefits from it.”

Professor Ofodile has published widely in top journals where her scholarship focuses on international law and human rights, intellectual property law, as well as business, corporate and commercial law. She is currently completing two books under contract: Legal Aspects of China-Africa Trade and Investment (OUP) and Business and Human Rights in Africa (Routledge). Professor Ofodile has advised numerous governments, international organizations, and businesses on issues relating to international trade and investment, artificial intelligence, intellectual property, food security and corporate social responsibility.

An active member in the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law, Professor Ofodile has held numerous leadership positions and also in the American Society of International Law. She is currently a member of the Editorial Advisory Committee of International Legal Materials, a publication of the American Society of International Law, is a book review editor for The Law & Practice of International Courts and Tribunals, a leading peer-reviewed journal on international adjudication, and is the Deputy Head of Research & Documentation Committee of the Nigeria Bar Association Women Forum. She also serves as a Blog Moderator for the African Arbitration Association and from 2013 – 2016 served as the Secretary General of the African Society of International Law.

Professor Ofodile has been featured in Law360 (‘Breaking IP Barriers’) and is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards including awards from the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, the American Bar Association Section of International Law, the Academy on Human Rights and Humanitarian Law at American University Washington College of Law, Harvard University, the Albert Einstein Institution, the Women’s Giving Circle (University of Arkansas), the British Council, and the International Federation of Women Lawyers (Nigeria).

Professor Ofodile earned her LLB at the University of Nigeria, her LLM in International Business Law at the University College London, an LLM at Harvard Law School, and her SJD at Harvard Law School.

We are one of just 30 design factories in the world working to find what’s needed for the workforce of tomorrow.

For Seidenberg professor Andreea Cotoranu, Pace feels like home (for her even more than for most). “I have a long history here. I started as an undergrad, earned my degree in information systems, got a position with the University, went on to get my master’s, and have moved between different roles in the Seidenberg School of CSIS. Now, I work in the same department that I graduated from.”

Cotoranu came to Pace from Romania as an international student and volleyball player. At the time, her priority was making sure she could go to a college where she could study as well as continue to play as an athlete. Once she arrived at Pace, she started to focus on her academic and career interests—and a love of IT and cybersecurity took hold. “My interest in cybersecurity started in grad school. I had great professors and hands-on lab work. It was exciting. I’ve always been interested in science and technology, and I saw opportunities to develop the programs here. I’ve used my own experience to build out programs for other students.”

“We use design thinking, systems thinking, and futures thinking. They are designing solutions for 2030.”

Since those days, Cotoranu has had a big presence in Seidenberg. She’s served as assistant dean for academic innovation, is the principal investigator on an NSA-funded grant aiming to expand cybersecurity education at the high school level, and she’s the director of the New York City Design Factory at Pace—an innovation hub for students, faculty, international collaborators, and industry partners, one that designs solutions to modern challenges and promotes innovative teaching and learning. “In the Design Factory, we bring the process and the context for learning to the forefront. It’s interdisciplinary and involves undergrads, grads, and international students. We are one of just 30 design factories in the world working to find what’s needed for the workforce of tomorrow.”

Pace’s NYC Design Factory is part of the Design Factory Global Network, a consortium of innovation hubs at universities around the world. Through this network, student teams work together on global issues. “Our staple programs are the field studies with international collaborators. We travel to their institutions, and they come to us. Right now, our host is CERN in Switzerland, and our focus is on health.”

Students participating in the field study conducted research on health and healthcare in New York and in the US, and then went to CERN to trade information with the CERN students who were studying health and healthcare in Switzerland. “Connecting with other teams is an important part of the process—we call it a two-week intensive. And it is really intense: 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. every day, including Saturdays. Pace students pitch ideas to the CERN students, get feedback, go back and refine—and vice versa.”

Students are also pushed to think beyond the current moment and design for problems of the future. “We use design thinking, systems thinking, and futures thinking. They are designing solutions for 2030.” Pace students have developed, pitched, and prototyped ideas like noise-pollution-absorbing drones and cooling systems that can preserve fresh food supplies at a massive scale. “Forcing students to think about what’s needed in the future creates a safe space for them to experiment, to explore, and to let their imaginations go wild.” And for Cotoranu, that’s the best part—seeing her students learn and grow. “It’s the typical educator answer, but having the opportunity to have an impact on a student’s life, to help them grow, and to build them up, it is genuinely the most fulfilling.”

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Umair Saleem is a practicing advocate of High Courts in Pakistan. He handles advisory and transactional work, arbitrations, and litigation pertaining to diverse areas of laws for commercial clients and government sector entities. After receiving degrees from prestigious universities in Pakistan and then Belgium, Umair decided to pursue a second LLM at Haub Law and follow his growing passion for environmental law. Despite completing his LLM during the COVID-19 pandemic, Umair left Pace having fulfilled his goal to acquire the tools and vision to actively work towards establishing a strong foundation of environmental law within Pakistan.

What was your path to law school?

I have always been a keen learner and an astute observer of the systemic injustices prevalent in the society I grew up within and that has fostered my desire to pursue many educational pathways. I always envisioned a future where human rights were not violated, and society offered its best to all individuals equally. Once I had avowed to set on this journey towards bringing a change in the oppressive structures of the society, law arrived as an easy conclusion. I completed my college education at Government College Lahore and had a stellar academic record, which eventually led me to receive a scholarship at one of the most prestigious universities in Pakistan—Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). After graduating with a degree in law, I was fortunate to find the right opportunities to work in corporate law firms and with prominent legal minds in Pakistan for five years. This helped me discover my passion for different fields of law. At this point, I decided to undertake an LLM from KU Leuven in Belgium in International and European Public Law. After that, I began my second LLM program in Energy and Climate Change Law from Pace University’s Elisabeth Haub School of Law because of my true passion for environmental justice. My time at Haub Law radically shaped my career pursuits and my vision for the future.

What inspired you to choose Pace to pursue an LLM?

After graduating from LUMS, I worked with two prominent environmentalists in Pakistan, Justice Jawad Hassan and Dr. Parvez Hassan, who fueled my passion for environmental law. Justice Jawad Hassan is also an alumnus of Pace and played a significant role in my decision to choose Pace for furthering my vision and goals. Pace is also the top environmental law institute in the United States. For all of these reasons and more, I enthusiastically decided to attend Pace to complete my LLM, which became a formative step in my vision to actively work towards establishing a strong foundation of environmental law within Pakistan.

What experiences stick with you from your time at Pace?

When I joined Pace, the COVID-19 pandemic was on the rise so there was no on-campus interaction at the time. However, the positive school ethos of the institute became evident to me in the way my distant learning experience was mediated and encouraged through facilitated interaction and understanding among not just peers but also professors. It proved equally fortifying to my growth not just as an academic but also as an individual and lawyer in Pakistan. The professors at Pace were always eager to help me work towards my goals and this became one of the most exciting parts of my journey and still proves invaluable to my growth in the field. In particular, Professors Nicholas Robinson and Katrina Kuh had the most defining impact on my growth and shaping my direction and passion for environmental laws.

How did your experience at Pace influence your outlook on environmental law?

Pace had a life changing impact on me—before completing my LLM, I only possessed a fleeting understanding of the environment, but it shaped my in-depth understanding of environmental and legal issues embedded within our everyday lives and practices. Furthermore, my understanding was further enriched when I engaged with legal aspects and approaches globally through my interaction with a diverse group of people from all over the world. My time at Pace instilled even more passion and optimism within me. Upon my return, I approached it with newfound vigour and environmental law took a precedence over other facets of my practice. I continue to draw and utilize insights from my experience at Pace during professionally challenging situations even today.

Can you speak a bit about your current career?

I am a practicing advocate of High Courts in Pakistan and handling advisory and transactional work, arbitrations, and litigation pertaining to diverse areas of laws for commercial clients and government sector entities. A typical day in my life starts early morning with court hearings, drafting for matters I am working upon, meetings with current and prospective clients and managing my associates.

What benefit does an LLM degree hold in today’s world?

The growing impetus of change demands that you broaden your horizons and are open to learning from people belonging to various social strata and cultural backgrounds as it would enhance your understanding of legal issues in the future. It also enhances your understanding as you get a comparative outlook of different legal systems and their handling of various issues.

What are some of your future goals?

I am thrilled to share that I aspire towards contributing to policymaking and eventually enforcement through judicial work and to become one of the future green judges in Pakistan. I want to give a multiplying effect to the environmental training that I have received at Pace by leading environmental litigation, teaching, writing books and articles and pave way for a greener future within Pakistan.

What are some of your passions aside from the law?

Since my initial motivation of studying the law was also to change the existing imbalances within society, I always strive towards changing that through other arenas of my life. I engage in volunteer and community work to try to give back to society largely and specifically my local community where people lack an awareness of career prospects to be able to change their futures. It gives me true joy to be able to make a difference within my community. When I am not working or researching, I also enjoy hiking, traveling and exploring new sites and places. I enjoy interacting with people from diverse cultures and communities and learning from their unique experiences.

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Jessica Bacher, Executive Director of the Land Use Law Center at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, was one of 28 members named to the Stakeholder Advisory Committee for New York State’s Master Plan for Aging. Governor Kathy Hochul announced the stakeholder committee in December, which will be tasked with advising the Master Plan for Aging Council – the group responsible for developing the state's first-ever Master Plan for Aging, a guiding document to help ensure older New Yorkers can live healthy, fulfilling lives while aging with dignity and independence.

The Stakeholder Advisory Committee will provide expertise on age-friendly policies, supports and health services to guide the Master Plan for Aging Council as it develops a comprehensive roadmap for meeting the socioeconomic needs of all generations of New Yorkers as they age. Ms. Bacher will provide a valuable role sharing her perspective in land use and local government to support a more holistic Master Plan that takes into consideration topics like Smart Growth, affordable housing, open space and transportation.

Read the Governor’s Release