Belonging Awards 2023 Program

Welcome

Chalak Richards (JD ’12)

Dean of Students, Diversity, and Belonging

J. Goosby Smith

Vice President for Community Belonging and Chief Diversity Officer, Pepperdine University

Invocation

Paul L. Caron Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean

Musical Entertainment

Isaac Agyeman (JD ’12)

Presentation of Alumnus Award

Paul L. Caron

Christopher Ng (JD ’01)

Managing Partner, Gibbs Giden

Presentation of Young Alumnus Award

Jason Jarvis (’95, JD ’03)

Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

Lavinia Osilesi (JD ’19)

Associate, Reed Smith

Alumnus Recognition

Ardy Pirnia (JD ’12)

Presentation of Larry Kimmons Award

Chalak Richards

Capri Maddox (JD ’01)

Executive Director and General Manager, City of Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department

Keynote Speaker

Robin Toma

Executive Director, Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations

Presentation of Faculty Award

Paul L. Caron

Finalists

Kristine Knaplund Professor of Law

Jennifer Koh Associate Professor of Law

Deanna Newton (JD ’17) Caruso Family Faculty Fellow

Presentation of Staff Award

Arnold Barba

Assistant Dean of Professional Formation and Chief of Staff

Finalists

Kristin Lyming Interim Events Manager

Hannah Neighbors Student Life and Advocacy Coordinator

Call to Action

Brittany Sorrentino (MA ’13) Assistant Vice Chancellor

Jeannie Ruse Administrator and Event Coordinator, Career Development Office

Presentation of Student Organization Award

Dominique Moye

Assistant Director of Diversity and Belonging

Finalists

Asian Pacific American Law Students Association

Presentation of Student Award

Kirtana Jasti

SBA Diversity Representative, 2L Student

Finalists

National Latinx Law Students Association OUTLaw Alayah

About Our Guests

Keynote Speaker | Robin Toma

Appointed in 2000, Robin S. Toma is the executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations. Toma has led the agency in transforming prejudice into acceptance, inequity into justice, and hostility into peace. Prior to working at the commission, Toma was a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California for almost seven years, where he litigated a wide range of human rights and civil liberties cases in federal and state courts. He received a BA in sociology and economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and his JD and MA in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Alumnus Award | Christopher Ng (JD ’01)

Christopher Ng is the managing partner of Gibbs Giden LLP, with offices in Las Vegas and throughout California. Ng is nationally recognized in the field of construction law and regularly pens articles and contributes to treatises for construction industry professionals and other lawyers. He also teaches business law at Pepperdine University and the Graduate Business Program at California State University, Northridge, and has been a guest lecturer of construction law at Loyola Law School Los Angeles. Since 2015 Ng has served on the American Bar Association Forum’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, dedicated to raising awareness and understanding of the vital role diversity plays in the industry. Ng earned a BS from California State University, Northridge, and is a 2001 graduate of the Caruso School of Law.

About Our Guests (continued)

Young Alumnus Award | Lavinia Osilesi (JD ’19)

Lavinia S. Osilesi is a litigation associate in Reed Smith LLP’s Downtown Los Angeles office. She has experience in all phases of litigation in state court, federal court, and arbitral tribunals. Osilesi regularly handles pro bono immigration cases and is currently leading the charge on a pro bono case where her client is suing the federal government under the Federal Tort Claims Act. Osilesi is the associate chair of the Reed Smith Los Angeles DEI Committee and recently coordinated, hosted, and spoke at an MCLE program focused on reducing bias and promoting bias-reducing strategies. Osilesi also co-created and co-facilitates the Legal Education Access Pipeline’s Pre-L curriculum, which is a preparatory course for diverse, prospective law students. Osilesi earned a BA from the University of California, San Diego, before graduating from Caruso Law.

Larry Kimmons Award | Capri Maddox (JD ’01)

Capri Maddox is the first executive director of the Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department, appointed by mayor Eric Garcetti in February 2020 to address systemic racism and bias in the areas of commerce, education, employment, and housing. Previously, Maddox served as senior advisor to city attorney Michael N. Feuer, creating the Foster Care Diversion Program, organizing the City Attorney Faith-Based Council, participating in criminal and civil cases, and more. Maddox earned a BS in criminal justice and an MS in public administration from California State University, Los Angeles, and a JD from the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law.

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Legend

Pirnia Law Group

Grand Champion

Gibbs Giden

KBLA 1580 am Talk Radio

Champion

City of Los Angeles Civil + Human Rights and Equity Department

In honor of Sebert Williams and Delores Creary

Pepperdine University Office for Community Belonging

Michael Quigley

Reed Smith

Gold Notable

Will Burrington

Silver Notable

Above the Bar Legal Recruiting

Ann Chang

Asha Madukhar

Notable

Italian American Lawyers Association

PIRNIA LAW

Pepperdine’s Office for Community Belonging congratulates Dean Chalak Richards and the Caruso School of Law on this third annual celebration of doing the things that matter!

Larry D. Kimmons Initiative

“True belonging is the spiritual practice of believing in and belonging to yourself so deeply that you can share your most authentic self with the world and find sacredness in both being a part of something and standing alone in the wilderness. True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are.”

—Brené Brown

We all belong at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. What an amazing privilege. Congrats Belonging Award winners!

Will Burrington Current Student, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution

We invite you to give to the Diversity Enhancement Fund, which supports our diversity programming at the Caruso School of Law. Join us as a Belonging Champion as we continue to grow these initiatives. Visit give.pepperdine.edu/law and select “Diversity Enhancement Fund” from the drop-down list.