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We can't wait to see you tonight!

Fifth Annual UDC Law Gala
November 17, 2022
UDC Student Center Ballroom

The UDC Law Gala, scheduled to take place on November 17, 2022 at 6:30 p.m., is a culminating event that celebrates leaders advancing the fight for justice and helps us to provide our students with an award-winning, social justice-focused legal education without the burden of unmanageable student debt.

UDC Law is committed to educating groups that are traditionally underrepresented at the Bar. Heralded as one of the best and most affordable schools for Black students, UDC Law is home to the largest female and one of the most diverse (law) student populations in the nation.

 

UDC Law’s clinical programs have provided life-saving legal services to the most vulnerable members of the broader DC community for the last 50 years. In the face of unprecedented challenges, our students consistently rise to meet the demands of a rigorous curriculum, adapted to a different style of life and learning and completed over 35,000 hours of clinical work and more than 4,400 hours of service to the D.C. community. We are steadfastly committed to community and dedicated to practicing law, promoting justice and changing lives.

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Honorary Committee title

2022 UDC Law Gala Honorary Committee*

Charles Allen, D.C. Councilmember, Ward 6

Omekongo Dibinga, Ph.D.

Vincent C. Gray, D.C. Councilmember, Ward 7

Christina Henderson, D.C. Councilmember, At-Large

Kenyan McDuffie, D.C. Councilmember, At-Large

 
 

Brianne Nadeau, D.C. Councilmember, Ward 1

Brooke Pinto, D.C. Councilmember, Ward 2

Robert White, D.C. Councilmember, At-Large

Trayon White, Sr., D.C. Councilmember, Ward 8

 

*committee in formation

Presenting the 2022 Charles J. Ogletree Jr. Champions for Justice Awards

Regina H. Shaw, Esq. is an Associate General Counsel in Freddie Mac’s Litigation Department, where she manages litigation involving single-family loans and properties owned by Freddie Mac and provides support and guidance to multiple business units, such as drafting policies and procedures and analyzing legislation. Before joining the Litigation Department, Ms. Shaw worked in Freddie Mac’s legislative and regulatory practice group. In this role, Ms. Shaw analyzed a wide range of financial services and consumer protection legislation and regulations.  As co-chair of the Legal Division’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, Ms. Shaw plays a key role in developing and implementing policies and programs designed to increase the recruitment and retention of diverse attorneys in Freddie Mac as well as the overall legal profession. Ms. Shaw joined Freddie Mac in 2007.    

Prior to joining Freddie Mac, Ms. Shaw worked for the Fannie Mae Foundation as an attorney handling contract and procurement matters; the D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities, and Banking as an Associate General Counsel where she focused on regulatory and legislative issues governing financial institutions and the Council of the District of Columbia where she drafted and analyzed legislation.

Ms. Shaw earned a Political Science degree from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a Juris Doctorate degree from the UDC School of Law and a Master of Laws in Securities and Financial Regulation from the Georgetown University Law Center. 

Freddie Mac’s Legal Division is committed to supporting the company’s mission of equity and sustainable housing by providing quality and effective legal advice responsive to client needs on all legal and corporate secretarial matters affecting Freddie Mac. Their commitment does not end here. 

Freddie Mac’s Legal Division also has a strong commitment to invest in its employees as well as the communities in which we live and work. The Legal Division’s commitment focuses on three key areas: diversity, equity and inclusion; community service and pro bono. The Legal Division offers various ways employees can serve our communities in ways that are meaningful to both the communities and employees.   

Below is a description of a few community service-related programs and initiatives undertaken by the Legal Division and its employees:

  • Recruiting and hiring recent diverse law school graduates for a two-year rotational program at Freddie Mac as well as recruiting diverse law students for summer internships.
  • Providing annual financial support to fund UDC Law students’ participation in the law school’s “Fellows” internship program.
  • Partnering with various nonprofit organizations to provide free legal assistance and services to local residents who cannot afford to pay for legal services. Immigration, juvenile & domestic relations, uncontested divorces, trust & estate planning, access to health benefits and name & gender changes are among the legal services we provide to our communities.
  • Partnering with community organizations in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia to deliver money, food, clothing, school supplies and toys to needy and disadvantaged families and children in the respective communities.

About Charles J. Ogletree Jr.

Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. is a prominent legal theorist who has made an international reputation by taking a hard look at complex issues of law and by working to secure the rights guaranteed by the Constitution for everyone equally under the law. The Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. Champions of Justice Awards are presented annually to individuals who are using their position and platform to promote social justice and equality throughout the United States and abroad. The recipients of the award exemplify the same values embodied by Professor Ogletree and UDC Law’s commitment to public service.  

Featuring

Don Calloway

Emcee

Donald Calloway is CEO and founder of Pine Street Strategies, where he leads the firm’s tax, general congressional advocacy and media production practices. Previously, Don led federal regulatory and congressional affairs at Anheuser-Busch in Washington, D.C. and was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives while also a senior associate in the business litigation practice of Thompson Coburn LLP. Don is a frequent contributor to news and public affairs programs on national networks including MSNBC, Fox News and SIRIUS XM Radio.

Yolanda F. Johnson

Musical Guest

Yolanda F. Johnson, Soprano and Philanthropy Expert, has crafted a life as a successful performing artist, as a composer, as an educator, and as a supporter of the arts and of women’s equity.

She ties her artistic life to philanthropy through events, projects and special initiatives.

 

UDC Chorale

Musical Guest

Founded in 1969, the UDC Chorale’s repertoire covers a broad spectrum of choral literature that includes the music of African-American composers. In addition to the regularly scheduled concert engagements, the UDC Chorale performs at University events and has appeared with the HBCU Concert Choir Consortium and at the National U.S. Veterans Day Concert in Washington, D.C.

Nija Bastfield

Student Speaker

Nija Bastfield is pursuing a legal career dedicated to addressing injustice and providing opportunity by becoming a federal prosecutor and a judge. She hopes to stay committed to advancing diversity in the profession through several mentoring and assistance projects, including serving as a mentor to UDC Law students, establishing a scholarship to assist minority women in the evening program and creating a nonprofit to increase opportunity for evening law students. Bastfield has been active in the Baltimore City community since 2014 with an emphasis on helping residents prepare resumes and job documents through her resume and grant writing business All Things Paper. She will continue serving the community by providing pro bono legal services in at-risk neighborhoods in Baltimore City, where she has worked as Head Law Clerk in the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City for the past seven years.

Bastfield is a Writing Mentor for the UDC Writing Hub, Student Bar Association Student Senate Minority Leader, Themis Student Representative, member of the National Black Prosecutors Association and UDC’s Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. She graduated from University of Baltimore in 2018 with a master’s in Public Administration and in 2012 with a master’s in Legal and Ethical Studies. She received her Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies in 2008 from Stevenson University. She has worked as a Legal Intern with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., Legal Intern with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, a Management Assistant with the Federal Aviation Administration, and a Law Clerk with the Law Office of Barry R. Glazer, P.C. Bastfield was a 2022 Summer Law Fellow for the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.

Toast the inaugural inductees of the UDC Law Alumni Hall of Fame!

To celebrate 50 Years of UDC Law, we’ve established a Hall of Fame to honor alumni (living or deceased) whose exemplary careers, extraordinary service or outstanding contributions to UDC Law have significantly impacted our community and beyond.

Nominated by you, the inaugural Hall of Fame class will be recognized at the Gala, and a virtual Hall of Fame will live permanently on the UDC Law website.

Karen Newton Cole

Class of 1987

Rochanda Hiligh-Thomas

Class of 1996

Saleema Snow

Class of 1997

LaRuby May

Class of 2006

Sponsors

Partners

Supporters

Friends

Shelley Broderick ’82

Delali Dagadu ’22

Twinette Johnson

Robert Newman ’14

Thorn Pozen

William Robinson

The Woodbury Fund (Daniel Solomon)

Contributors

Genet Amare ’17

Jack J. Casciato ’11

Class of 1997

Debra R. Cohen

Relman Colfax PLLC

Raymond Covington ’99

Three Crowns LLP

Bill Ehrlich ’87

Peggy Gleason ’82

Lindsay M. Harris

Renée Hutchins

Ellen M. Jakovic

Allen Johnson

Law Office of Emeka Njoku

Charles Lowery

Kelly Maurer

LaRuby May ’06

John F. McCabe

Heather Molina ’07

Andrew Ringwood

Richard Rubenstein

Inez Smith Reid

Saleema Snow ’97

Darrin P. Sobin ’92

David Stern

Tzedek DC

Leonel Vasquez