From L to R: Agnes Dover, Anika Smith, Chris Carrara, Regina Jefferson, Jeff Puretz, and Julie Bowen

On September 14, 2018, the Board of Visitors wrapped up their most recent meeting at the Columbus School of Law. The Board heard from new CUA Law Dean Regina Jefferson regarding the state of the law school. Speakers also discussed bar passage and university advancement efforts.

Jeffrey S. Puretz '81, partner at Dechert LLP, will serve as the new chair for the Board of Visitors, and Julie A. Bowen '90, senior vice president at The MITRE Corporation, will serve as the new vice chair. At the meeting, the Board thanked outgoing chair Agnes Dover '81, partner at Hogan Lovells, for her service. The Board also had the pleasure of welcoming the following new members:

Kathleen Q. Abernathy '83
Special Counsel
Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP

Mark V. Holden '88
Senior Vice President & General Counsel
Koch Industries Inc.

Julie M. Kearney '98
Vice President, Regulatory Affairs
Consumer Technology Association

Andrew Palmieri '97
Co-Managing Partner
Saul Ewing, LLP

Following the meeting, the Board was invited to a luncheon with students and faculty members. Students thanked the Board for their contributions and discussed their law school experiences.

"What attracted me to CUA Law was the emphasis on community and service. I knew this was a place that where my faith, which is not Catholic, would be respected...I needed a place where other students saw me as a person rather than a competitor; a place where every one
of my professors knew my name," Anika Smith, 2L said.

"I spent the summer at the Veterans Advocacy and Estate Planning Clinic. The experience I gained there was invaluable. I prepared different estate planning instruments, conducted research, drafted memorandum, and prepared a complaint based on D.C.'s consumer protection law statute. By the end of the summer, I had done an extensive amount of research and writing," Chris Carrara, 3L said.

The Board of Visitors members serve as counselors to the Dean of the Law School, with particular focus on:

1) strengthening the academic program and educational goals of the law school and improving its visibility and image, nationally and internationally;

2) addressing the concerns of alumni, students, faculty, parents and friends of the law school; and, increasing and strengthening the financial resources of the law school.

The full Board convenes at least twice a year.