The Nominating Committee, chaired by Joseph K. West, Partner and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, Duane Morris LLP, presents the following slate to the Council and the Section for election in August 2025. To read the full announcement and nominee bios, click here.
Chair (automatic under Section Bylaws)
Daniel R. Thies
Shareholder
Webber & Thies PC
Urbana, IL.
Chair-Elect (Election to a One-Year Term)
Melissa Hart
Justice
Colorado Supreme Court
Denver, CO
Vice Chair (Election to a One-Year Term)
Carla D. Pratt
Ada Lois Sipuel Fisher Chair in Civil Rights and Justice in Law
The University of Oklahoma College of Law
Norman, OK
Secretary (Election to a Two-Year Term)
Mary Lu Bilek
Dean (Retired)
City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law
Brooklyn, NY
Members-at-Large
Renee Knake Jefferson (Election to a Two-Year Term)
Professor of Law & The Doherty Chair in Legal Ethics
Assistant Dean of Outcomes, Assessments & Strategy
University of Houston Law Center
Houston, TX
Meagan Aileen Flynn (Election to a Three-Year Term)
Chief Justice
Oregon Supreme Court
Salem, OR
Deidré A. Keller (Election to a Three-Year Term)
Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law
Stetson Law
Gulfport, FL
David R. Anderson (Re-election to a Three-Year Term)
President Emeritus
St. Olaf College
Northfield, MN
(Public Member)
Josephine M. Bahn (Re-election to a Three-Year Term)
Associate
Cozen O’Connor
Washington, DC
Law Student Division Member (Election to a One-Year Term)
Uniqua S. Smith
Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
JD Expected May 2026
Houston, TX
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The election of Council officers and members will take place at the Section’s Annual Business Meeting, Saturday, August 9, during the ABA Annual Meeting in Toronto.
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Article IX, Section 2 of the Bylaws of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar provides that one or more additional nominations may be made for any designated seat on the Council, including officers of the Council (except Chairperson, Immediate Past Chairperson, and representative of the Young Lawyers Division), by petition signed by not less than 50 members of the Section in good standing, not more than 10 of whom are residents of any one state. A person so nominated shall be called the "petitioner". The petition shall specify which nominee the petitioner is challenging and shall state that the petitioner has agreed to the nomination and meets the criteria for the position being sought. The petition shall be delivered in person or by mail to the Section Office at the Association headquarters and must be received no later than June 1. The Secretary shall thereupon confirm that such individual is eligible to serve if elected.