Margaret Montoya, Legal Scholar and Haywood Burns Chair for Civil Rights, to Speak at CUNY School of Law Commencement
Professor Margaret E. Montoya, a pioneer among women in the legal profession, will speak at the CUNY School of Law's commencement exercises, to be held on Friday, May 15th, beginning at 12 Noon.
The ceremony will take place at Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Colden Auditorium, Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Boulevard, Flushing, Queens.
Professor Montoya teaches torts, employment law and constitutional rights at the University of New Mexico law school, where she has been a faculty member since 1992. Since 2005 she has been a regular commentator on The Line, a weekly PBS show airing in central and northern New Mexico analyzing current news and cultural events. Professor Montoya was named a 2005 "Elite Latina" by Hispanic Business Magazine and is featured in the American Bar Association’s book Pioneering Women Lawyers: From Kate Stoneman to the Present.
"Professor Montoya is a leader in the legal academy on issues of diversity and social justice. We are honored to have her at CUNY Law this semester," said Dean Michelle Anderson. "CUNY Law sends a greater percentage of its student body into public interest and public service work than any other law school in the nation. This year's graduating class is no exception. They will continue the tradition of practicing, in the words of our motto, 'Law in the service of human needs," she added.
Professor Montoya has been a member of the UNM School of Medicine's admission committee for its Combined BA/MD Degree program. She has also served as interim director of UNM’s Southwest Hispanic Research Institute where she spearheaded the development of an educational pipeline collaboration to increase the number of students graduating from high school and continuing through post-secondary studies. Professor Montoya was named to the Haywood Burns Chair in Civil Rights for 2008-09 by CUNY School of Law, and is in residence during the Spring 2009.
CUNY School of Law will also award an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree to Wing Lam, Executive Director and Program Director of the Chinese Staff and Workers Association. In addition, the Hon. Doris Ling-Cohan, who was elected to the New York County Supreme Court in 2002 and is a founding member of the Asian American Bar Association, will receive the School’s Distinguished Public Service Award; and Lois Whitman, Director and Founder of Human Rights Watch's children's rights division, will be awarded the Dean's Medal.
For additional information about commencement at CUNY School of Law, please contact: Carol Kozo at (718) 340-4207.
