ASU Law honors faculty, students with graduation awards

The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University gathered for a graduation dinner at the Beus Center for Law and Society on April 18, 2023. The annual event is part of our Spring 2023 graduation season and aims to recognize and honor our outstanding faculty members and students.

ASU Law is home to a Graduation Awards Committee, chaired by Jennifer Barnes, associate dean of experiential education and public interest, that meets each spring. The committee gathers nominations, collects input, considers all candidates and selects a winner for each award, which comes with its own specific criteria the winners exemplify. 

Read below for the award winners in each degree program. 

Faculty Award Winners

Master of Legal Studies faculty of the year: Jennifer Ward
Master of Sports Law and Business faculty of the year: Don Gibson
Juris Doctor faculty of the year: Jon Kappes
Juris Doctor adjunct faculty of the year: Christopher Miner

Juris Doctor Award Winners

Alan A. Matheson Service Award: Abigail Knox
American Board Of Trial Advocates Bill Jones Trial Advocacy Award: Chad G. Edwards
Benson Immigration Public Interest Award: Samantha L. Pfaff-Goldstein
International Academy of Trial Lawyers Award: Matthew Brian Adler
Janet S. Mueller Oral Advocacy Award: Gianluigi Nardoni and Shelby N. Respicio
John J. Ross Award: Zachary H. Levy
John S. Armstrong Award: Kristin Leaptrott
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Award: Noah Goldenberg
Judge Mary M. Schroeder Federal Practice Award: Alicia Jean Curti
Liburdi Family Public Policy Award: Kristen Iteen
The Mary M. Schroeder Public Interest Prize: Maria A. McCabe
National Association of Women Lawyers Outstanding Graduate Award: Savannah Camille Wix
Nick M. Patel & Bob Dauber Excellence in Negotiation Award: Leah Renae Hansen
Paul Holloway Trial Advocacy Award: George Dewey Warner
The Strouse Prize: Matthew Lutz
W. P. Carey/Armstrong Prize for Achievement in Public Service: Taylor M. Fogg

Master of Human Resources and Employment Law, Master of Sports Law and Business, and Master of Legal Studies Award Winners

Outstanding Master of Human Resources and Employment Law Graduate Award: Benjamin Kalahar

Master of Legal Studies Emphasis Awards: 

Business Law | Travis Adam Schuelka
Conflict Resolution | Jasmine Nicole Bell
Conflict Resolution | Samuel Yung-Min Zacharia 
Construction | Elizabeth Paige Mukai
Contract Management | Travis Adam Schuelka
Corporate and Healthcare Compliance | Jordyn A. Clark
Criminal Law | Sherrie Nicole Scott
HR & Employment Law | Kathleen M. Fraze
Intellectual Property | Barbara Boguslawa Goral
Legal Paraprofessional | Heather I. Ashworth
Sports Law Online | David Brown Brookbank
Sustainability Law | Hannah Nichole Barkley
Indian Gaming and Tribal Self-Governance| Kenwanic ahee (Kenwa) Kravitz
Outstanding Master of Legal Studies Graduate Award: Heather I. Ashworth
Rodney K. Smith Founders Award: Trevor Alex Goodwin

Written by Lindsay Walker