Law Alumni Board

The Law Alumni Board is a group of dedicated alumni who support the College of Law’s alumni relations efforts.

The Board is actively involved in promoting alumni events, developing opportunities for student-alumni interaction, providing alumni services, and encouraging alumni giving to the College of Law.

The Alumni Board is composed of approximately 40 alumni, each serving a two-year term. The Board meets quarterly, including one annual meeting on campus either during Homecoming or the Alumni-Student Career Conference, and its committees conduct business between full board meetings.

About the Law Alumni Board

 The Law Alumni Board is a group of dedicated alumni who provide input to and facilitate engagement with the College of Law on issues relating to alumni and students. The mission of the Board is to: 

  • Encourage outstanding men and women of diverse backgrounds to apply to and attend the College of Law; 
  • Advise and mentor students of the College of Law on academic and professional topics; 
  • Promote the professional work done by College of Law alumni; 
  • Promote the College of Law’s ongoing mission to study the law and expand the knowledge and professionalism of practicing attorneys; 
  • Promote professional and social relationships among alumni; 
  • Deliver current news to alumni of the College of Law; 
  • Cooperate with the College of Law and interested alumni to strengthen the Law Alumni Association; and 
  • Encourage philanthropy to benefit the College of Law community. 

Board Committees

 The Law Alumni Board maintains the following committees, which oversee various areas of the Board: 

  • Executive: manages the business of the Board and acts on behalf of the Board in certain circumstances. This committee consists of the President, Vice-President, and Secretary. 
  • Admissions: advises and assists the Office of Admissions with issues related to the recruiting and admission of new students 
  • Advancement: assists the College with its fundraising and alumni relations efforts by promoting alumni giving and involvement 
  • Alumni Events & Services: assists the College in planning alumni events, including networking events and continuing legal education, and advises on services that should be provided to alumni 
  • Nominating: oversees the election of new board members and board leaders, including the application/nomination process 
  • Student-Alumni Relations: develops opportunities for meaningful interaction between students and alumni. This committee provides significant assistance with the annual Alumni/Student Career Conference. 

Expectations of Board Members

 In order to ensure that the Board is able to fulfill its mission, each Board Member is expected to: 

  • Serve on one committee of the Board 
  • Attend quarterly Board meetings, including an annual meeting on campus coinciding with Homecoming or the Alumni-Student Career Conference. (Members who are unable to participate in person, due to geographic location or unavoidable work/family commitments, may participate in meetings via teleconference.)
  • Attend alumni events occurring near the Board Member’s home or office 
  • Invite Illinois law alumni friends and colleagues to alumni events 
  • Be a member of the University of Illinois Alumni Association 
  • Make an annual gift to the College of Law 
  • Nominate at least one alum per year to the Law Alumni Board 

Apply for the Law Alumni Board

Law Alumni Board members serve 2-year staggered terms, which begin on July 1 of each year. Applications for new members are due on March 15th of each year. If you have additional questions about the Law Alumni Board, please contact Heather Ball, Director of Events and Alumni Programming, at hball@illinois.edu or (217) 244-0689.

Law Alumni Board Member Application

Law Alumni Board Members

Executive Committee

President

Lindsey Lusk, ’17
Jenner & Block
Chicago, IL

Vice President

Matt Loar, ’17
CBRE
Chicago, IL

Secretary 

Michael Kozlowski, ’15 
Esbrook Law, LLC
Chicago, IL

Board Members

Hannah Badmus, ’12
Upwork, Inc.
Chicago, IL

Sara Brener, ’12

Jason Briesemeister, ’11
Claim Toolkit
Wheaton, IL

Laura Buecker, ’17
Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen
Chicago, IL

Sara Crook, ’20
Jenner & Block
Chicago, IL

Hon. Barbara Crowder (Ret.), ’81
State of Illinois Circuit Court, Third Judicial Circuit
Edwardsville, IL

Yao Dinizulu, ’97
Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd.
Chicago, IL

Tracy Douglas, ’10
Bet Tzedek Legal Services
Chicago, IL

Sean Farris, ’20
U.S. Department of Justice
Arlington, VA

Matthew Goldman, ’17
Champaign County Public Defenders Office
Urbana, IL

Robine Morrison Grant, ’11
Winston & Strawn
Houston, TX

Aaron Harris, ’11
Michael Best Strategies LLC and Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
Chicago, IL

Brooke Hinman, ’17
Champaign County State’s Attorney’s Office
Champaign, IL

Cheryl Kahn, ’88
Cardinal Health
Waukegan, IL

Alice Keane, ’93
Governors State University, College of Business
Chicago, IL

Ashley Kennedy, ’19
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner
St. Louis, MO

Vytenis Kirvelaitis, ’88
Cenveo
Park Ridge, IL

Susanna Lee, ’14
TransUnion
Chicago, IL

Var Lordahl, ’09
Dawson & Lordahl, PLLC
Las Vegas, NV

Megan McKisson, ’17
Sheppard Mullin
Los Angeles, CA

Vincent Meyer, ’18
Knox County State’s Attorney’s Office
Galesburg, IL

Vaughn Olson, ’19
Jenner & Block
Chicago, IL

Prabha Parameswaran, ’93
Accenture
Chicago, IL

Aayushi Patel, ’17
Holland & Knight
Chicago, IL

Larry Perlman, ’88
Wolters Kluwer
Arlington Heights, IL

Manuel Placencia ’97
Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone
Chicago, IL

Andrew Rudolph, ’20
Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr
Chicago, IL

Maria Saez Tatman, ’04
University of Tennessee – Knoxville
Knoxville, TN

Benjamin Sardinas, ’18
State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor
Springfield, IL

Anne Sklare, ’09
Baxter Healthcare Corporation
Deerfield, IL

Lawrence Taliana, ’81
Taliana, Buckley & Asa (ret.)
Edwardsville, IL

Steven Tinetti, ’20
Jenner & Block
Chicago, IL

Jeff Wakolbinger, ’08
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
Chicago, IL

Brittany Wiegand, ’20
Jones Day
Chicago, Illinois