Alumni Relations

Minority Alumni Society

Leadership Board | Society Highlights
Society Events | Book Scholarship Fund | Mentoring Program

The Minority Alumni Society of the Villanova Law Alumni Association is an organization dedicated to supporting and promoting diversity at Villanova University School of Law and within the legal profession.

The goals of the organization are: (1) to assist the law school in recruitment of minority students, (2) to provide mentoring opportunities for minority students and alumni, (3) to foster personal and professional relationships with and among minority alumni and the law school, and (4) to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas relative to the interests of minority law student and lawyers.

Leadership Board, 2007-2008

President

Bryant D. Lim ’96
Merck & Co., Inc.
Box 1000
Mail Stop: UG-4A-50
North Wales, PA 19454-1099
267-305-2095
bryant_lim@merck.com

President-Elect

TBA

Secretary

DaQuana L. Carter ’03
Pepper Hamilton LLP
3000 Two Logan Square
Eighteenth & Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2799
215-981-4582
carterd@pepperlaw.com

Immediate Past President

Marilou E. Watson ’94
Fox Rothschild LLP
10 Sentry Parkway, Suite 200
P.O. Box 3001
Blue Bell, PA 19422
610-397-6517
mwatson@foxrothschild.com

Advisors

April M. Byrd ’95
Pepper Hamilton LLP
3000 Two Logan Square
Eighteenth & Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2799
215-981-4866
byrdam@pepperlaw.com

Isabel Lopez Duffy ’97
Merck & Co., Inc.
Box 1000
Mail Stop: UG-4A-60
North Wales, PA 19454-1099
267-305-2094
isabel_duffy@merck.com

John P. Encarnacion ’99
White & Williams LLP
1800 One Liberty Place              
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-864-6354
encarnacionj@whiteandwilliams.com

Israel J. Floyd ’73
Hercules Incorporated
Hercules Plaza
1313 North Market Street
Wilmington, DE 19894-0001
302-594-5128
ifloyd@herc.com

Frank E. Gilbert ’60
432 Hortter Street
Philadelphia, PA 19119
215-849-2227

Prof. Ruth E. Gordon
Villanova University School of Law
299 North Spring Mill Road
Villanova, PA 19085
610-519-6413
gordon@law.villanova.edu

Gisselle D. Guerrero ’04
Reed Smith LLP
2500 One Liberty Place
1650 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-7301
215-851-8164
gguerrero@reedsmith.com

Hon. Kathryn Streeter Lewis ’76
Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas
429 City Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19107
215-686-9532
Kathryn.Lewis@courts.phila.gov

Sheldon K. Rennie ’97
Fox Rothschild LLP
919 North Market Street, Suite 1300
P.O. Box 2323
Wilmington, DE 19899-2323
302-622-4202
srennie@foxrothschild.com

Geraldine K. Richardson ’95
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Immigration & Customs Enforcement
1600 Callowhill Street, Room 535
Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-656-7146
Geraldine.Richardson@dhs.gov

Paul D. Weller ’89
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
1701 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-963-5530
pweller@morganlewis.com

Jeffery W. Whitt ’76
United States Attorney's Office
Eastern District of Pennsylvania
615 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19106
215-861-8404
jeff.whitt@usdoj.gov

Gregory B. Williams ’95
Fox Rothschild LLP
2000 Market Street, Tenth Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103-3291
215-299-2792
gwilliams@foxrothschild.com

Victor A. Young ’74
Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippell LLP
1617 JFK Boulevard, 19th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-665-3114
victor.young@obermayer.com

Society Highlights

Panelists Kenneth C. Frazier, Charisse R. Lillie and
Roderick A. Palmore with Minority Alumni Society
Officers Marilou E. Watson ’94 and Bryant D. Lim ’96

On February 22, 2007, the Villanova Law Minority Alumni Society presented “The Call to Action: Have We Met the Challenge?” at the National Constitution Center.  The Call to Action pledge, which has been signed by the chief legal officers of over 100 of America’s largest corporations, encourages companies to “make decisions regarding which law firms represent their companies based in significant part on the diversity performance of the firms.”  Leaders from local companies, including Roderick A. Palmore, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary of Sara Lee Corporation and the author of The Call to Action, addressed the impact the pledge has had on corporations’ choice of legal representation. Other panelists included Kenneth C. Frazier, Executive Vice President & General Counsel Merck & Co., Inc., and Charisse R. Lillie, Vice President of Human Resources Comcast Corporation. Over 200 people were in attendance, and the Society Board raised $70,000 in sponsorships to support the event and the Minority Alumni Society Book Scholarship Fund.

Click Here to view photos from the event.

The Villanova Law Minority Alumni Society greatly appreciates the support of the Call to Action Sponsors.

EVENT: $7,500
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Pepper Hamilton LLP

GOLD: $5,000
Blank Rome LLP
DLA Piper US LLP
Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
Duane Morris LLP
Fox Rothschild LLP
Saul Ewing LLP

SILVER: $3,000
Archer & Greiner, P.C.
Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP
Reed Smith LLP
Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP
Synnestvedt & Lechner LLP

BRONZE: $1,000
Abelson Legal Search
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC
Cozen O’Connor
Dechert LLP
Philadelphia Intellectual Property Law Association
Rawle & Henderson
Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis LLP
Volpe and Koenig, P.C.
White and Williams LLP
WolfBlock LLP

FRIEND: $500
Assigned Counsel, Inc.

Society Events

March 6, 2008
Why Diversity Matters: It's Your Turn
Top of the Tower
1717 Arch Street, 50th Floor
Philadelphia, PA
6:00 p.m. Presentation
7:15 p.m. Networking Reception

Click here to download the invitation.

Click here to download the sponsorship form and ad specifications.

The Villanova Law Minority Alumni Association will present the third installment in the Why Diversity Matters series on March 6 at the Top of the Tower located on the 50th floor of the Bell Atlantic Tower in Philadelphia, PA. Guests will be able to pose questions to leaders in diversity.

Panelists include Michael J. Holston 86, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Hewlett-Packard; Wanda E. Flowers, Management Attorney, Sunoco, Inc.; Tom H. Milch, Chair, Arnold & Porter LLP; A. Michael Pratt, Chancellor of the Philadelphia Bar Association, Partner, Pepper Hamilton LLP; and The Honorable Gregory Sleet, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware.

Space is limited, reserve your tickets today by contacting Erin Muhly.

Click Here to see the full events calendar.

Minority Alumni Society Book Scholarship Fund

The Minority Alumni Society Book Scholarship Fund helps to defray the cost of a minority student's legal education beyond the cost of tuition. Each year $1,000 book scholarships are awarded to minority students.

Click Here to learn more about the Book Fund.

To donate, contact the Law School's Development Office.

Minority Alumni Society Mentoring Program

Through the Minority Alumni Society Mentoring Program, minority alumni serve as mentors to minority students, providing valuable knowledge and insight into the legal and business professions, while also sharing practical advice concerning the challenges of law school. For more information or to register as a mentor or mentee, Click Here.

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