The American Bar Association Section of Taxation is proud to announce the 2022-2025 Loretta Collins Argrett Fellows:
- Jamal Aquil, KPMG, Washington National Tax
- Gurnaina Chawla, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett
- Fatima Garcia, Polsinelli
- Jessica Harris, Legal Services of Northern Virginia
- Christopher Lincoln, C.S. Lincoln Attorney at Law, LLC
- Jalisa Mathis, IRS Office of Chief Counsel (Income Tax & Accounting)
- Chardea Murray, IRS Office of Chief Counsel (SBSE)
- Alice Thomas, Howard University School of Law
Loretta Collins Argrett was the first African American staff member of the U.S. Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation. In 1993, she became the first African American woman in Justice Department history to hold a position that required Senate confirmation and was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Assistant Attorney General of the U.S. Justice Department’s Tax Division.
The Loretta Collins Argrett Fellowship seeks to create a more accessible and equitable pipeline into the Section and the tax bar. The goal of the Fellowship is to identify, engage, and infuse historically underrepresented individuals into the Section, create a more accessible, equitable, and inclusive pathway into Section leadership, and support the expansion, diversification, and inclusiveness of the tax profession to create a space and sense of belonging for those looking to become involved with the Section.
The Fellowship is a three-year program. Applicants need not be members of the Section or ABA to apply. Fellows receive complimentary ABA and Section membership, waiver of registration fees for the Section’s meetings, and, to the extent permitted, reimbursement for travel and lodging. Fellows will be paired with two Section member mentors for the duration of their Fellowship and will participate in monthly educational webinars. Additionally, special Fellows-only events will allow Fellows to learn more about the Section and its leadership. For more information on the Argrett Fellowship and the Fellows, please click here.
“Creating a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable Tax Section and tax bar is critical to the future of the Tax Section and fundamental to the Section’s mission to advance a more fair and equitable tax system. The Loretta Collins Argrett Fellowship, which attracted nearly 100 applicants, demonstrates the importance of being intentional and taking concrete actions. The eight Fellows represent a wide range of tax law practice areas and backgrounds. I’m excited to see how the Fellowship helps advance these already successful individuals, as well as the goals of the Section. Please help us celebrate this inaugural class of Fellows at the 2022 Fall Tax Meeting in Dallas.”
- Julie Divola, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, Chair, Tax Section
“We are thrilled to welcome our first Argrett Fellows and look forward to working closely with them and others in the Section to improve diversity in the tax bar and expand its leadership pipeline to include a wider variety of opinions and experiences. These efforts will include other Section initiatives such as the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Scholarships offered for each Section meeting, opportunities to engage with Section members and get involved in Section activities, and the establishment and promotion of various affinity groups. It is my fervent hope that these initiatives will help to erode, and eventually eliminate, the institutional and implicit biases in our profession.”
- Caroline Ciraolo, Kostelanetz & Fink, LLP, Vice-Chair, Membership, Diversity, & Inclusion
The Loretta Collins Argrett Fellowships are funded through the Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Endowment fund (JDEI). For more information on the JDEI Endowment fund, including how to contribute and support the Fellows, please click here.
Please join us in welcoming and celebrating the inaugural Fellows at the 2022 Fall Tax Meeting in October in Dallas.