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David Weiner JD’72 joined Jordan Ramis PC in Portland in October 2022 as of counsel. His practice focuses on complex commercial real estate transactions, including IRC Section 1031 Exchanges. Andy Miller JD’79 retired as Washington’s longest-serving prosecutor in December 2022 after serving Benton County since 1980. He joined the county as a deputy prosecutor, working for six years, and then he spent 36 years as an elected prosecutor. He was known for
being “victim-first,” advocating for therapeutic courts, and finding alternatives to the criminal justice system. Clark B. Williams JD’79 received the De Muniz Award from the Marion County Bar Association in 2023. The award recognizes a member who best exemplifies the pursuit of the practice of law as a profession, demonstrating a spirit of public service and the highest possible level of competence, integrity and ethical conduct, and who serves as a role model for other attorneys.
A trailblazer for women Sitting in a 1980s-era conference room with 12 males looking back at her, 31-year-old JoAnne Brandes JD’78 spelled it out to her boss, Sam Johnson, leader of global company, SC Johnson. They were going to open a childcare center for employees — and they were going to do it in four months, at a location she’d found, with space for 200 children. The men turned to see Johnson’s reaction — and to Brandes’ surprise, he began to laugh. “This better work, JoAnne,” he said. As a young attorney and a new mom, she was stunned at how unaccommodating the work world was for those with children. Obsessed with her concerns about the availability of quality childcare, she wanted to do something about it. “I thought, ‘I can hire someone to come into my house, but what do others do?’ I got very concerned about that,” Brandes explains. “I’m a firm believer that you don’t break any
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glass ceiling unless you’re pulling other women up with you.”
secretary of JohnsonDiversey, Inc., responsible
Becoming a mother wasn’t Brandes’ first experience feeling undervalued as a woman. There weren’t many women in her law school class. As she interviewed with firms, she remembers a partner who explained that she was very nice and academically qualified — but she wasn’t going to get a job at any practice — simply because she was a woman.
communications, public affairs and
Realizing she was on her own, she and her spouse left Oregon and went back to her home state of Wisconsin. She quickly got a job at a large firm. Being evaluated on the quality of her work, rather than her gender, was gratifying. When she got a call from SC Johnson, she wasn’t initially interested. After reevaluating, she accepted SC Johnson’s offer to join the company’s law department, focusing on litigation and international corporate transactions. There for over 25 years, she absolutely loved the global work, fast pace and diversity. As a woman, she broke down barriers. “I was the only woman in that law department, one of very few women in any type of leadership at that large company,” she says. “But it was a great career.” Brandes retired as the executive vice president, CAO, general counsel and
for all legal matters, human resources, administration for the company and its more than 65 subsidiaries. That conversation in the boardroom led to SC Johnson being named to the list of the 10 Best Companies for Working Mothers. At the end of its first year, the childcare grew from 78 to 250 children served. Eventually, it began caring for more than 500 annually. “It may seem like a small accomplishment in my career, but for me, it was one of my most significant contributions,” Brandes says. “It felt better than completing billion-dollar acquisitions.” In her retirement, Brandes has stayed engaged at the highest level of business, serving on several large corporate and college boards. “One of my greatest learnings … is that the true success came from doing the right thing on the way to reaching those goals, helping others, keeping my responsibilities and using my potential, while fighting off arrogance, greed and apathy,” Brandes says. “It’s all about the depth of your character, not about the achievement of goals.”
