Image

Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University honored the achievement of seven distinguished retiring faculty members at a celebration held at the law school on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. The honorees, including Karl S. Coplan, Linda C. Fentiman, Margaret M. Flint, Marie Stefanini Newman, John R. Nolon, Audrey Rogers, Merril Sobie, retired over the past three years. Fellow faculty, alumni, students and colleagues gathered together for the first time since the pandemic to thank them for their years of teaching, scholarship and service to the law school.

“These professors and scholars have contributed so much to our law school over the years,” said Haub Law Dean Horace Anderson. “Each of these professors have led at the law school, as directors of centers and clinics, leaders in their academic fields, and more. They have also been teachers and mentors to generations of students and faculty. The role each of these individuals have played over the years in helping those that they are working with and those that they are teaching to accomplish their goals is among their most important contribution they have made to our community and the legal community at large.”

The entire Haub Law community celebrates the legacy of the following seven faculty members and congratulates them on the next chapter in their lives. They have all be awarded titles as Emeriti Professors and many will continue to teach, conduct research or be involved at the law school.

Karl Coplan, Professor of Law and director of Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic, joined Haub Law in 1994. Professor Coplan is best known for teaching the Environmental Skills course and writing the problem for the Jeffrey G. Miller National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, one of the nation’s largest interschool moot court competitions. Professor Coplan recently published his book "Live Sustainably Now - A Low-Carbon Vision of the Good Life." He is now going to sail around the world!

Linda Fentiman became a Professor at Haub Law in 1996. She specializes in health law and criminal law, and has written extensively about bioethics, health care access, and mental disability, addressing the insanity defense, competency to stand trial, fetal protection, physician advocacy, organ transplantation, death and dying, telemedicine and Internet pharmacies. Her more recent work focused on women and addiction. She is the author of the book “Blaming Mothers - American Law and the Risks to Children’s Health.”

Margaret (Gretchen) Flint joined Haub Law in 1999 and retired in 2019 as Executive Director of John Jay Legal Services and faculty supervisor of the Equal Justice America Disability Rights/Health Law Clinic. She has taught Elder Law and the Legal Services/Public Interest/Health Law Externship seminar.

Marie Stefanini Newman was the associate director of the Haub Law Library from 1993 until 1998, when she became the acting director, and she was appointed the director of the Law Library in 1999. During her time at Haub Law, she was instrumental in designing and implementing innovative uses of technology to enhance library services. Professor Newman serves as the Database Editor for Pace’s award-winning database on the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).

John Nolon supervises student research and publications regarding land use, sustainable development, climate change, housing insecurity, racial inequity, and the COVID-19 viral pandemic. He is Counsel to the Law School's Land Use Law Center which he founded in 1993. Professor Nolon is co-author of the nation's oldest casebook on land use law "Land Use and Sustainable Development Law: Cases and Materials." In 2014, Professor Nolon was named a Distinguished Professor by Pace University, the highest honor the University can bestow upon a faculty member.

Audrey Rogers, who has been on the faculty since 1988, taught in the areas of Criminal Law, Family Law, and Cyber-Crime. She has written a number of articles, with a particular focus on crimes against children such a child pornography and cyber-bullying, leading the conversation in an area of the law rapidly growing in the digital age.

Merril Sobie joined the Haub Law faculty in 1978. He specializes in family and children’s law. Professor Sobie taught Jurisprudence, Children and the Law, Advanced Family Law, and Comparative Family Law. He has authored two books, “New York Family Court Practice” and “The Creation of Juvenile Justice: A History of Children’s Law,” has published the official McKinney’s Commentaries to the Family Court Act and the Domestic Relations Law, and has authored numerous articles concerning children’s laws. Professor Sobie was recently honored by the New York State Bar Association with a special lifetime achievement award for decades of contribution to family law and children’s law.

At Haub Law, these professors have taken pride on excelling in teaching, scholarship, and services. Students have benefit from their knowledge and experience in all three parts of their roles as full-time faculty members. They have been mentors to decade of graduates, providing practical advice, career guidance and opportunities to collaborate on research and advocacy projects that have enabled Haub Law Alumni to thrive in their careers.

Pace University President Marvin Krislov, who spoke at the event via video, said these professors have been integral in making the Elisabeth Haub School of Law what it is today. “Whether in seminars or lecture halls, running law clinics or a law library, helping build our top ranked environmental law program, or supervising ground-breaking environmental research, [they] have helped us build our reputation, educate generations of attorneys, and advocate for positive change in our region and our world,” said President Krislov.

View photos from the faculty retirement celebration

Nursing student Kalin Tang '22 traveled around the world and found herself at Pace University’s Lienhard School of Nursing (LSN). Kalin and her family lived in countries like Hong Kong, Korea, and Thailand, and also in several states throughout the United States.

Image

These world-wide experiences are what inspired her to become a nurse. While living in Thailand, Kalin was involved in an organization called Kids Action for Kids, working as a main supporter during humanitarian missions in northern Thailand. The organization raises awareness and funds for children who have cleft lips and cleft palates and cannot afford surgery. The volunteering surgeons and nurses on the missions were primarily from the United States. “Through these humanitarian missions, I realized my passion of caring for and helping others. I have had experience with language barriers and realized that despite the differences, I am still able to provide the best patient care and well-being for the client by using various resources,” said Kalin.

Kalin started her college experience at Florida State University and applied to their nursing program after her first two years. Although she was saddened to find out she was not admitted, she was not going to let it stop her. “I knew nursing was my passion and this obstacle was not going to stop me,” said Kalin.

“I knew nursing was my passion and this obstacle was not going to stop me."
—Kalin Tang

As a dedicated and driven young woman, Kalin decided she wanted to take her career and education to New York City. After learning about LSN’s exceptional NCLEX pass rates and numerous clinical placement opportunities, she applied to Pace.

The clinical sites that LSN offers allow students to grow their education in a wide range of different medical fields. LSN nursing students gain a deeper understanding of efficiency and proactive nursing by working at Level I trauma centers and Magnet status hospitals throughout the Metropolitan Area. “I completed my preceptorship at NewYork Presbyterian Hospital where I was a second-assist nurse in the operating room. As a student nurse, I was able to advance my clinical skills and had an opportunity to assist in a surgical procedure. Having this unique experience gave me a glimpse of what it is like being a perioperative nurse and opened my perspective to different nursing fields.”

Kalin’s real world experiences did not end there; in Fall 2021 she was accepted to the White Plains Hospital Nurse Externship Program and became a per diem nurse technician at an ICU/Step-Down unit. Working at a Magnet Status Hospital like White Plains Hospital allowed her to learn the importance of effective communication, prioritizing tasks efficiently, and being a team player while providing quality primary care to patients and clients.

Through hands-on experience provided by LSN, Kalin learned more about public health in nursing, which gave her the opportunity to gain a different perspective outside of a hospital setting. Kalin was inspired by LSN’s course, NURS 476: Community and Environmental Health Nursing. In this course students partner with community-based organizations to apply concepts of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in creating health promotion, early intervention, and disease management strategies for individuals, families, and populations. Kalin's participation in this course grew her passion for helping underdeveloped countries and communities and aiding those in need of proper medical care.

Her goal after graduating in May 2022 is to work at an ICU nurse residency program in New York City. She plans to further her education and become a nurse practitioner in critical care. “My clinical experience at Pace University allows me to understand the importance of therapeutic communication, trust, and providing quality care to patients. Throughout my time at Pace, I utilized my experiences and implemented them into my young career,” said Kalin.

"You're empowered to create your own experience, to tailor it around the impact that you want to make here on campus," says Film and Screen Studies student Justin Winley. "I'm building a community that I can draw on even after I graduate."

Jennifer Kelly-Kennedy knew that she wanted to be a lawyer from an early age. After graduating from Catholic University and majoring in politics, Jennifer spent a few years gaining work experience before studying for the LSAT and applying to law school. Set on focusing on environmental law, she knew that Haub Law was the best option for her. Haub Law did not disappoint, as she experienced a variety of positive internship placements throughout her three years. Now, a soon to be graduate, we asked Jennifer to discuss her Haub Law experience and post-graduation plans with us in this Q+A.

What brought you to law school and Pace in particular?

I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer, from an early age. Neither of my parents nor any of my grandparents were lawyers, but for some reason or another I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. My mom was a nurse and my dad an accountant, and they just wanted the best for me. Growing up, my mom always told me “If you have the ability to help other people, then you have the responsibility to help other people.” And this has always been the mantra I’ve tried to follow in my career, which is why I love environmental law.

My cousin is a successful Haub Law graduate, and she too specialized in environmental law, so it was an easy decision when I chose the #1 ranked Environmental Law program in the country.

You are now a 3L, what experiences from your time at Pace were most impactful?

I enjoyed all of my law school internships and clinic experiences. The spring of my 1L year, I was a research assistant in the Land Use Law Center for Professor John Nolon. There, I assisted Professor Nolon with research for a law review article that had been accepted for publication. During my 1L summer, I was the Environmental Law Clerk at PSEG, where I assisted attorneys in Superfund litigation work. I was also a judicial intern for a Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of New York in the spring of my 2L year, where I performed citation checks, case law research, and helped draft a Report and Recommendation regarding a federal habeas corpus petition. I was also the Vice-Chair of the Judges Committee for NELMCC as a 2L, where I learned the importance of patience when helping organize a large, virtual event.

My 2L summer I interned at the EPA Region 2 in their NJ Superfund Division, where I did a lot of legal research on a variety of issues, including CERCLA’s petroleum exclusion, as well as corporate liability under the Office of Alien Property Custodian. The fall semester of my 3L year, I was a student attorney in the Food and Beverage Law Clinic, where I provided transactional legal services for a beginning farmer project in upstate New York, as well as performed legal research and analysis on U.S. Trademarks, preparing applications for trademark filings, all under the guidance of Professor Jonathan Brown.

Additionally, I’ve been a member of Pace Environmental Law Review for the past two years, as a Junior Associate as a 2L, and Managing Editor as a 3L. This year, PELR hosted a symposium, in which we invited eight panelists to speak on the topic of Labor and Environment: Envisioning a Green New Deal.

I say all this to drive the point home that, I am proud of all of these experiences and grateful to have had so many opportunities at Haub Law, as I’ve learned something different from each one, and made great connections along the way.

I have also been very fortunate to have had many professors at Pace that have made an impact on me, but two specifically stick out: Professor Katrina Kuh, who I had as a 1L for Torts, as well as being just a great mentor to me in the environmental program and as I wrote my law review note; and Professor Alissa Bauer, my 1L Legal Skills and AAA professor, who taught me to be the best legal writer I can and have more confidence in my skills. I am truly very thankful for their kindness and guidance.

I am proud of all of these experiences and grateful to have had so many opportunities at Haub Law, as I’ve learned something different from each one, and made great connections along the way.

What are your plans post-graduation?

I have accepted a post-grad position as an Honors Attorney at the Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C. I am beyond thrilled to be working for the federal government again, this time as an attorney. It is a two-year position, where the Honors Attorneys rotate between the different Administrations (FAA, FTA, Office of General Counsel, etc.) every few months, in order to get a better sense of what each division does. I am excited to incorporate all of my environmental law experience and knowledge in with my future work at the DOT. Environmental issues and DOT projects go hand-in-hand, and after the recently passed Infrastructure Bill, the DOT is going to be busier than ever! For me, this is a dream job, and I cannot be more thankful to the many people that have helped me along the way. I’m not sure if I would have been as competitive of a candidate if I weren’t a Pace environmental law student.

What is your advice for future law students?

Be kind, we’re all in this together, and the law community, especially the environmental law community is smaller than you think, so maintaining positive relationships with colleagues is crucial. Stay humble, everyone has good days as well as bad. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a Haub Law alum and learn from their experiences. Take advantage of opportunities presented to you, even if you don’t think it’s what you’re interested in, and don’t be discouraged if setbacks happen. Trust the process!

The PaceDocs Team focuses its film on the remarkable journey of oysters, their farmers, and their role in cleaning the water

Pace University’s documentary film team – PaceDocs – is set to premiere Tide to Table: The Remarkable Journey of Oysters at 7:00 p.m. on May 10 at the Jacob Burns Film Center.

It will be the first in-person premiere for the program since 2019, before the pandemic, and continues a distinguished tradition of producing documentaries that shine a light on important environmental issues. Free tickets for the reception and screening are available, though space is limited.

Tide to Table documents how oysters rely on the ebb and flow of the tide for flavor. One oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day; their survival is determined by their farmers, deeply rooted in their tradition and connection to the sea. The documentary, filmed on-location across the flats of Cape Cod, the shores of Connecticut’s Long Island Sound, and the urban waterways of New York City, features scientists, historians, shellfish constables, and farmers. It explores the serendipitous relationship between nature, oyster farmers, modern aquaculture technology, and a movement to better understand their ecological value, while showing how oysters are thriving in areas such as Cape Cod and being restored in once depleted regions such as Connecticut and New York City as a means of improving water quality.

“The PaceDocs team, under the leadership of Professor Maria Luskay, has once again produced an extraordinary, meaningful, and professional film,” said Marvin Krislov, president of Pace University. “ ‘Tide to Table’ is another great example of the hands-on experience and valuable environmental lessons that Pace students receive when they take this course. I marvel at the consistent excellence and talent in this program and am incredibly impressed by this group of budding filmmakers.”

Image

The documentary is produced by Professors Luskay and Lou Guarneri. The popular class, ‘Producing the Documentary,’ is part of the Dyson College of Arts and Sciences at Pace University’s highly regarded film program that requires students complete a full-length environmentally themed documentary within 14 weeks. During the process, they learn teamwork, problem-solving, research, and organization, along with technical skills such as lighting, sound, camera work, interviewing, and other real-life lessons necessary to complete a film.

“It’s gratifying to be filming with students on location and sharing this experience with them once again,” said Professor Luskay. “Throughout it all, we brought together a diverse group of students with a full schedule of work. In the process, we not only learned first-hand about the plight of the oyster farmer braving the elements, but also the grit and determination required to complete the film on a tight deadline. It was an incredibly rewarding experience for us.”

Students, a mix of graduate and undergraduate students, marveled at what it was like to work on and produce a professional-caliber film.

“One of the great things about this course is that it was the first time in my life where I’ve done consecutives days, even weeks, in a real film environment,” said Diego Mallens, a junior cinema and filmmaking major from Miami, Fla. “It was interesting to learn about the topic, and it was great to learn from professionals. Within days of meeting the team members, we bonded over a common goal and produced a film we can all be proud of.”

“This was great hands-on experience,” said Nicole Manning, a digital cinema and filmmaking major from New Fairfield, Conn. who is exploring careers in film and television production. “This is the most practical and productive class you can take because you have to think like a professional and apply skills you’ve learned in class. This was a great experience and something I’m putting on my resume and showing potential employers.”

In recent years, Pace filmmakers have produced documentaries around the globe focusing on a number of topics, including the importance of bees as pollinators in our food supply (2021); the impact of earthquakes in Hawaii (2019); the endurance of the people of Puerto Rico in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria (2018); Cuba at a cultural crossroads (2016); reviving Curacao’s coral reefs (2015); as well as many other poignant films.

“Dyson College’s student filmmakers have produced another moving documentary that delves into an important ecological issue,” said Tresmaine R. Grimes, dean, Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education. “The students learn and perfect their craft while educating us all. I am so moved by the talents of this team and the compelling film they have made. Congratulations to them and Professors Luskay and Guarneri for another impressive PaceDocs production.”

About Pace University

Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains. Follow us on Twitter or on the Pace News website.

About Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Pace University’s liberal arts college, Dyson College, offers more than 50 programs, spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and pre-professional programs (including pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and pre-law), as well as many courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements. The College offers access to numerous opportunities for internships, cooperative education and other hands-on learning experiences that complement in-class learning in preparing graduates for career and graduate/professional education choices.

Image

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University is pleased to announce that U.S. Congresswoman Grace Meng will deliver the law school’s commencement address and receive a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa at its 2022 Commencement, to be held on May 16, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens. This is the first year that the law school will join Pace University for a university-wide commencement celebration of all Pace graduates. The ceremony will also include recognition of the Classes of 2020 and 2021, who were not able to have a traditional celebration due to pandemic-related restrictions.

Additionally, New York City Mayor Eric Adams will address all graduates at the University’s main ceremony to be held prior to the law school’s commencement ceremony, where he will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa. Finance and philanthropy leader Baroness Ariane de Rothschild, a Pace alumna, will also be recognized with a Doctor of Humane Letters degree, honoris causa.

“Congresswoman Meng is a dedicated public servant with a long and accomplished career as a lawyer and legislator. Among her outstanding work, she he has tirelessly advocated for justice and equality for people of all backgrounds and genders,” said Horace E. Anderson Jr., Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. “She is an incredible role model to our students and recent graduates and we are pleased to welcome her to deliver the Law School’s Commencement Ceremony address.”

U.S. Representative Meng is serving her fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives and represents the borough of Queens in the Sixth Congressional District of New York. She is the first and only Asian American Member of Congress from New York State, and the first female member from Queens since former Vice Presidential nominee Geraldine Ferraro.

She is a member of the House Appropriations Committee and is Vice Chair of its Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations. She also sits on the Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies, as well as the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. She is a founder and Co-Chair of Kids’ Safety Caucus, which promotes child-safety issues.

Rep. Meng has been responsible for several pieces of legislation including bills protecting religious freedom, making Queens historic sites part of the National Park Service, striking “Oriental” from federal law, and protecting public housing residents from the cold. Also signed into law were her measures to assist veterans, and to improve consumer protections for children.

As a second-generation Chinese American, she has spoken out against anti-Asian violence, and she has been a tireless advocate of immigrants’ rights and immigration reform. She has also made a bold public stand against sexual assault and harassment of women, and in support of the #MeToo movement.

Parts of her Menstrual Equity for All Act have led to legislation making menstrual products available for incarcerated and detained individuals, allowing FEMA funds to be used to purchase menstrual products for those in need after natural disasters, and making menstrual products eligible for Flexible Spending Account purchases. Her work has served as an example to faculty and students at Haub Law, and last year the law school’s Women’s Association of Law Students recognized her with its annual Pioneer of Justice Award.

Born and raised in Queens, Rep. Meng attended local schools and graduated from Stuyvesant High School and the University of Michigan. She then earned a law degree from Yeshiva University’s Benjamin Cardozo School of Law. She worked as a public-interest lawyer before entering public service as a member of the New York State Assembly, then Congress.

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University Commencement Ceremony will be live-streamed at 12:00 p.m. EST on Monday, May 16, 2022.

Image

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University awarded Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office with the 2022 Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence at an award ceremony held at the law school on Tuesday, April 26. The event brought together District Attorneys and Assistant District Attorneys from across the region and state, civic leaders, members of the judiciary, and the Haub Law community to recognize the outstanding contributions of the Bronx District Attorney’s Office in the field of criminal prosecution and excellence in prosecutorial practice.

“District Attorney Clark and the Office of the Bronx District Attorney embody the true meaning of public service and have dedicated their careers to pursuing a fair and just criminal justice system for all people of the Bronx, with an emphasis on criminal justice reform,” said Dean Horace E. Anderson Jr. “We are pleased to recognize her with the Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence, along with the entire Bronx DA’s office, many of whose member we are proud to call Haub Law alumni.”

The award was presented by Robert S. Tucker, Chairman and CEO of T&M, whose generous gift has endowed the annual prize. “District Attorney Clark’s remarkable career has been a testament to the values and commitment to equal justice that we seek to honor with this award,” said Robert S. Tucker. “DA Clark’s push to crack down on gun crimes and gang violence has been matched only by her tireless efforts to achieve true criminal justice reform and fairness for residents of the Bronx. She has fought for the rights of the mentally ill to ensure that the system seeks treatment whenever possible before jail. She has been a steadfast champion of ethics and integrity and has worked hard to give our prosecutors the resources and support they need to keep our city safe. We are so grateful to present her with this award as recognition of her extraordinary achievements in public service.”

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law has had the privilege to enjoy a long history with District Attorney Clark and the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. In 2016, DA Clark was honored by Haub Law with the Pioneer of Justice Award which recognizes the achievement of phenomenal women in our society who are breaking glass ceilings and laying down foundations for a more equal future. Additionally, DA Clark has participated in several events at the law school, including a prosecution roundtable sponsored by Haub Law’s Criminal Law Society. Throughout the years, dozens of Haub Law alumni have worked at the Bronx County District Attorney’s office, with 64 currently employed in every capacity from Line Assistant to Chief of Staff.

“It’s not easy being a prosecutor,” said the Bronx DA’s Chief of Staff Odalys Alonso, a Haub Law Alumnus, who accepted the award along with DA Clark and Derek Lynton, Chief Assistant DA. She attributed their success to the mission that DA Clark has established as a guiding principal for the Office: Pursuing Justice with Integrity. “We look to Pace to bring us the brightest, the smartest and the most creative to help us achieve this,” she added.

DA Clark acknowledged the challenges of the past two years with rising crime rates throughout New York City and limited staff to meet the demand. The pandemic has especially impacted the Bronx, a county that has been historically underserved.

“I am so blessed to run an office full of attorneys and professional staff who really love the work that we do for the people of the Bronx. [They] strive every day to do what is right for public safety and for a fair justice system,” said DA Clark. “Our priority has always been to make sure we give a voice to our victims and their families. We know we have to be tough on those who are causing the harm in our community. But we also seek alternatives for those who suffer from afflictions that cause them to come into the criminal justice system and give second chances to those who really need them.”

Image

Darcel Clark became District Attorney for Bronx County on January 1, 2016. She is the first woman in that position and the first African-American woman to be elected a District Attorney in New York State. Since serving as District Attorney, Clark has enacted a vertical prosecution model to streamline the criminal charging process, while also implementing reforms to address wrongful convictions and administrative case backlogs. Since becoming elected, she has opened the Rikers Island Prosecution Bureau focused on investigating crimes committed by inmates and visitors, the Public Integrity Bureau which investigates corruption and crimes by public servants, government employees and elected officials, and the Conviction Integrity Bureau. The Conviction Integrity Bureau was created when DA Clark took office and, in addition to handling wrongful convictions, it recently moved to dismiss 500 old convictions that relied on a detective who was later charged with perjury. She has also pioneered initiatives focused on drug avoidance and recovery, a Bronx Community Justice program, and focused many of her efforts on positively engaging the Bronx community, such as the Saturday Night Lights program, where kids can play basketball and soccer or engage in other activities in a free, safe place.

Clark is co-chair of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, and a Board Member of both the National District Attorneys Association and the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York. Before her election as District Attorney, Clark served as an Associate Justice for the New York State Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department; a New York State Supreme Court Justice in Bronx County; and a Criminal Court Judge in Bronx and New York Counties. She begin her legal career at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office, where she prosecuted drug felonies, violent crimes and homicides, and eventually served as a Supervising Assistant District Attorney in the Narcotics Bureau and the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Court Bureau. A lifelong Bronx resident, Clark was raised in public housing and educated in public schools. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Boston College, where she serves as a member of the Board of Trustees, and her law degree from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

The Robert S. Tucker Prize for Prosecutorial Excellence is awarded annually to an individual or a group of individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of criminal prosecution and who demonstrate excellence in prosecutorial practice. Honorees are selected each year by a jury comprised of former prosecutors and faculty members from the Elisabeth Haub School of Law. The award ceremony brings together Assistant District Attorneys from across the region and state, civic leaders, members of the judiciary, New York City government and the Haub Law community to recognize these distinguished individuals for their work. The prize is made possible by the generous support of Haub Law alumnus and Pace University Board of Trustees member Robert S. Tucker. Past Award Recipients include, Eric Gonzalez, Brooklyn District Attorney, Barbara Underwood, New York Attorney General, and Richard Brown, Queens District Attorney.