Welcome Letter
On behalf of Regional Chair Nia Anderson, Vice Chair Jayla Simone Meeks, and the 59th Regional Executive Board, thank you for the many ways you continue to advance the legal profession and create opportunities for the generations that follow.
As MABLSA enters its 59th year, we are creating a distinguished body of attorneys and legal leaders who will help shape the institution’s next era. The MABLSA Alumni Advisory Committee will play a meaningful role in reconnecting the alumni who helped build MABLSA with the students who will carry its legacy forward.
As a founding member, you will have the opportunity to:
The Alumni Advisory Committee will meet once each month to provide strategic guidance, review key regional initiatives, support alumni engagement efforts, and help advance projects aligned with MABLSA’s mission. Members may also be invited to participate in mentorship, regional programming, advocacy competitions, fundraising, and other initiatives based on their availability and areas of expertise.
Committee members will also serve as leaders in our $50,000 Capital Growth Campaign. Every member of our 29-person Regional Executive Board has committed to raising $500, and we have already surpassed $15,000. We ask each Alumni Advisory Committee member to make or secure a minimum contribution of $1,000. These investments will directly support scholarships, leadership development, student programming, advocacy competitions, convention experiences, and MABLSA’s long-term sustainability.
History remembers those who answer the call during moments of transformation. We hope you will help us shape the next era of MABLSA as a founding member of the Alumni Advisory Committee.
With gratitude,
Jaya Bruce & Odao Ogbonmwan
Mid-Atlantic Managing & Associate Directors of Alumni Affairs | 2026-2027
As MABLSA enters its 59th year, we are creating a distinguished body of attorneys and legal leaders who will help shape the institution’s next era. The MABLSA Alumni Advisory Committee will play a meaningful role in reconnecting the alumni who helped build MABLSA with the students who will carry its legacy forward.
As a founding member, you will have the opportunity to:
- Leave a lasting legacy by helping shape the strategic direction and long-term growth of one of the nation’s most influential BLSA regions;
- Develop the next generation of Black legal leaders through mentorship, career guidance, and meaningful engagement with law students preparing to enter the profession;
- Influence regional initiatives by advising the Regional Executive Board on programming, fundraising, strategic partnerships, and organizational development;
- Strengthen MABLSA’s institutional foundation by preserving its history, traditions, and alumni network for future generations; and
- Elevate your professional profile through speaking engagements, alumni features, publications, and regional programming that highlights your leadership, accomplishments, and expertise.
The Alumni Advisory Committee will meet once each month to provide strategic guidance, review key regional initiatives, support alumni engagement efforts, and help advance projects aligned with MABLSA’s mission. Members may also be invited to participate in mentorship, regional programming, advocacy competitions, fundraising, and other initiatives based on their availability and areas of expertise.
Committee members will also serve as leaders in our $50,000 Capital Growth Campaign. Every member of our 29-person Regional Executive Board has committed to raising $500, and we have already surpassed $15,000. We ask each Alumni Advisory Committee member to make or secure a minimum contribution of $1,000. These investments will directly support scholarships, leadership development, student programming, advocacy competitions, convention experiences, and MABLSA’s long-term sustainability.
History remembers those who answer the call during moments of transformation. We hope you will help us shape the next era of MABLSA as a founding member of the Alumni Advisory Committee.
With gratitude,
Jaya Bruce & Odao Ogbonmwan
Mid-Atlantic Managing & Associate Directors of Alumni Affairs | 2026-2027
The MABLSA Alumni Advisory Board
Stacey Anderson
Citizens Police Oversight Commission Widener University School of Law (J.D.) MABLSA Regional Chair 2019-2020 Philadelphia, PA |
|
|
|
|
|
Kristen Clarke
General Counsel of NAACP and Earl C. and Anna H. Broady Chair at Howard University School of Law Former 19th Assistant Attorney General for U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division Columbia Law School (J.D.) Washington, DC |
Theresa Cropper
Former Dean of Students at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law American University Washington College of Law (J.D.) 1st Female Chair of NBLSA 1978-1979 Chicago, IL |
David "Tre" Edgerton
Founder and Executive Chairman of Brothers in Law, Inc. Howard University School of Law (J.D.) Washington, DC |
Kwambina Coker
Assistant United States Attorney, Eastern District of Pennsylvania Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (J.D.) MABLSA Moot Court Director 2017-2018 Philadelphia, PA |
|
