NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW MAGAZINE

Kudos to the Honorable Delissa Ridgway ’79 (above left) and Deena Hurwitz ’96, who served as principal drafters of ABA Resolution 601, supporting recognition of the Equal Rights Amendment as the 28th Amendment to the US Constitution. The American Bar Association’s House of Delegates adopted the resolution by acclamation on August 6, 2024. Said Ridgway and Hurwitz in a joint statement, “Now let’s roll up our sleeves and get this done!”

The Honorable Raheem L. Mullins ’04 was nominated by Governor Ned Lamont as chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court in September and confirmed to an eight-year term in January 2025. Mullins, 46, is the youngest person to be appointed to the position of chief justice in state history. Mullins joined the Connecticut Supreme Court in 2017, after serving as a judge on the state’s appellate court and as a trial judge on the superior court.

In the fall of 2024, President Joe Biden nominated, and the US Senate confirmed, Mary Kay Lanthier ’96 as district court judge of the US District Court for the District of Vermont. Lanthier previously served as the supervising attorney at the Rutland County Public Defender’s Office, a position she had held since 2007. Before that, she worked in private practice and public defense. US Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Peter Welch (D-VT) recommended Lanthier for the position. Welch, speaking on the Senate floor prior to the 55–42 vote to confirm, said, “Mary Kay grew up in a small town and has small-town values of service, modesty, humility, and she’s incredibly accomplished as a person. I believe she will be an excellent judge.”

Avana Epperson- Temple ’15, president of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association and an associate with Peabody & Arnold, was honored in January with the 2025 Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Pinnacle Award in the Emerging Executive category. This prestigious award recognizes nine exceptional women leaders across Massachusetts for their achievements in management, business and government. Epperson-Temple was also recently recognized at the Northeast Black Law Students Association’s 57th Most Influential Black Attorneys in the Northeast Awards, which lauds outstanding contributions to the legal field, advocacy and leadership.

Governor Maura Healey ’98 recently appointed (above, from left) Ira Gant ’10, Keren Goldenberg ’03 and Sarah Hamilton ’08 to the Massachusetts Superior Court. Prior to joining the bench, Gant served as forensic services director for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, Goldenberg focused on criminal defense cases in her Belmont solo practice and Hamilton spent the entirety of her legal career with the Public Defender Division of the Committee for Public Counsel Services. Healey also appointed Amanda Ward ’06 (far right) to the Massachusetts District Court. Ward was previously an assistant clerk magistrate in the Dorchester Division of the Boston Municipal Court and the Middlesex County Superior Court.

Governor Maura Healey ’98 was recognized in October with the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts’ Lelia J. Robinson Award, a high honor for women who are pioneers in the legal profession and who have made a difference in the community. Earlier in 2024, Healey received the Equity and Social Justice Award from Northern Essex Commuity College, which recognized her administration’s historic investment in making higher education accessible.

This fall, Elyse Cherry ’83, CEO of BlueHub Capital, was named one of the Boston Business Journal’s Power 50: The Movement Makers of 2024. BlueHub Capital provides financing to build affordable housing and community development projects. According to the BBJ, “Cherry had a remarkable year in a challenging financial environment.”

Julius Halstead ’19, an associate in the litigation group at Goulston & Storrs in Boston, recently received the Denis Maguire Award from the Boston Bar Association’s Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the organization and outstanding service to its clients. Julius has been involved in VLP’s work since 2019, serving as a lead or co-counsel for multiple trials and volunteering in the Civil Appeals Clinic.

In July, Chief Judge David J. Barron of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit announced that Anastasia Dubrovsky ’08 had been selected as the next clerk of court, effective October 1, 2024. Dubrovsky previously served as chief deputy clerk of the Court of Appeals since 2018. Prior to that, she worked as an attorney in the Circuit Executive’s Office of the First Circuit and for several years at Hinckley, Allen & Snyder and at Scott & Bush.

The Honorable Drew Ketterer ’74 was given a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual meeting of the Maine State Bar Association last summer. Orphaned at the age of 13 and forced to live on Social Security survivor benefits of $90 a month, he managed to complete high school and played football for Fairfield University. He went on to a career that has included legal practice, serving as chair of the state ethics commission, as a complaint justice, two terms in the Maine House of Representatives and as a three-term elected attorney general of the State of Maine. Ketterer also served as a leader in several bar associations, including as president of the New England Bar Association.

In October, Nicole Robinson-Etienne ’96, senior director of external affairs at Intersection, was recognized by the Girl Scouts of Greater New York as a Woman of Distinction. Robinson-Etienne founded PS 276 Girl Scouts in 2003, and according to the organization, she is a role model, an influential leader in her industry and community and someone who, through her deeds and actions, exemplifies the leadership ideals inherent in Girl Scouting. Robinson-Etienne also received the Rising Star award at DPPA’s second annual Leading Women in Digital Media Awards, which recognize female leaders in various career and life stages who have demonstrated significant leadership in digital advertising and media.

April English ’00, chief secretary to Governor Maura Healey ’98, was honored with the Trailblazer Award from the Dinner Group at an event in September that brought together more than 1,000 professionals of color. This annual award is given to leaders who have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the growth and development of women and men of color in the Greater Boston community.

In September, Shalanda Baker ’05 joined the University of Michigan (U-M) as its first vice provost for sustainability and climate action. U-M is working to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and foster a universitywide culture of sustainability. In 2021, Baker became the nation’s first deputy director for energy justice at the US Department of Energy. Prior to serving in the Biden administration, she was a faculty member at Northeastern Law, where she co-founded the Initiative for Energy Justice.

Navjeet Bal ’89 became president and CEO of MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency, in December. Appointed by Governor Maura Healey ’98, Bal is leading the charge as the state implements a nearly $4 billion economic development law to help revitalize communities, expand housing and create jobs. Bal previously served as revenue commissioner during Governor Deval Patrick’s administration and for the past 10 years was the general counsel and chief compliance officer at Social Finance, a national nonprofit impact investment firm.

In November, State Senator Becca Rausch ’04 (left) and State Representative Tram Nguyen ’13 (right) were both elected to fourth terms in the Massachusetts Legislature. Rausch is the first woman and the first Jewish person to represent several of the communities in the Senate’s Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex District. Nguyen, who represents the 18th Essex District, which includes parts of Andover, Boxford, North Andover and Tewksbury, is the first Vietnamese American woman to hold elected office in the commonwealth and the first Vietnamese American elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

The Women’s Edge, together with its partner The Boston Globe, announced in December that Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), led by Sharon Scott-Chandler ’93, is one of the Top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts. Scott-Chandler, named ABCD president and CEO in 2022, is the first woman to lead the nonprofit human services community action organization, which provides low-income residents in the Boston and Mystic Valley areas with the tools, support and resources they need to transition from poverty to stability and from stability to success.

Rachel Sagan ’85, co-founder and co-director of the Metrowest Women’s Fund, was honored last summer as a 2024 Commonwealth Heroine for the creation and work of the fund, which invests in women and girls through community building, education and grant making. Kudos also to Sagan and Steve Gutherz ’85, who recently celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary.

In August, graduates on Cape Cod gathered at the Boathouse at Chatham Bars Inn to reconnect with classmates and meet members of the Northeastern Law community while enjoying the beautiful ocean view. Jennifer Huer, assistant dean for centers, programs and institutes, gave remarks about Northeastern Law’s nationally recognized programs and shared ways they are leveraging the law across disciplines to create positive change.

TOP WOMEN OF LAW HONOREES

Patrice Dixon ’12, Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete
Jill Havens ’09, Workplace Justice Law Group
Laura MacLellan ’09, Boston Consulting Group
Desiree Murphy ’13, CVS Health
Elizabeth Reinhardt ’88, Law Offices of Elizabeth S. Reinhardt and Associates
Andrea Zoia ’12, Morgan, Brown & Joy

HALL OF FAME HONOREES

Lawrence Cetrulo ’75, Cetrulo
Elaine Epstein ’76, Todd & Weld
Pauline Quirion ’81, Greater Boston Legal Services