LAURA H. WILLIAMS TO RECEIVE DAUPHIN COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION’S CLARENCE C. MORRISON AWARD
January 2023 — Penn State Dickinson Law’s Associate Dean for Administration, Career Services, and Policy & Planning Laura H. Williams will receive the Dauphin County Bar Association’s (DCBA) Honorable Clarence C. Morrison Award at the DCBA annual meeting scheduled for February 1, 2023, in Harrisburg, PA. This award is presented annually to an individual or entity for their commitment to promoting diversity and their contribution to the advancement of equal professional opportunities in the local bar and the Central Pennsylvania community.
Dean Williams was nominated for the Clarence C. Morrison Award for her commitment to advancing the educational advancement and careers of women and minority law students, and for her exemplary service as a committee member on the DCBA’s Equal Professional Opportunity Committee (EPOC). In the nomination by EPOC Chair LaToya Winfield Bellamy, Bellamy shared “[Laura’s] support goes beyond showing up at meetings including calls, talks, planning, doing whatever is asked, and offering her own ideas and suggestions.” Another EPOC committee member responded that Williams’ nomination for this award was a “no-brainer” saying “Laura is very deserving of the honor and award.”
Dean Williams shared that she is humbled and honored to receive this award. “I’m proud to be part of a community that is committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in our profession. I look forward to continuing the work within our community to find additional ways to be antiracist lawyers.” In addition to her work as associate dean, Williams is a 1990 graduate of Dickinson Law.
Judge Morrison was the first African American judge elected to serve on the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas, beginning in 1980, and served for two decades before his passing in 2012. He diligently served many community organizations throughout his lifetime and made an immeasurable impact on the legal profession and community surrounding him.
Among prior recipients of this prestigious award are Dickinson Law alumni including David E. Lehman ’67 (2011), Dianne I. Nichols ’76 (2013), and Trent Hargrove ’80 (2020 recipient).
Associate Dean Williams joins a growing cohort of Dickinson Law faculty and staff who have been recognized for their DEI work and their commitment to antiracism. Director of Development and Alumni Affairs Kelly Rimmer received the 2022 Diversity and Inclusion Award from Penn State’s Division of Development and Alumni Relations for her commitment to the value of diversity and for facilitating a climate of inclusiveness. Professor of Law and Harvey A. Feldman Distinguished Faculty Scholar Dermot Groome was awarded the 2022 President’s Award for Excellence in Academic Integration for his work establishing programs, projects, and a curriculum at Dickinson Law including the “Race and the Equal Protection of the Laws” program for first-year law students. Associate Dean Bekah Saidman-Krauss ’12 received the AALS Section on Pre-Law and Admission to Law School’s Spotlight Award for, among other accomplishments, working to create structural and systemic change in an effort to increase access to legal education and diversify the legal profession. And Dean Danielle M. Conway accepted, on behalf of Penn State Dickinson Law, the coveted 2020 Council on Legal Education Opportunity Inc. (CLEO) EDGE Award which recognized Dickinson Law’s significant commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in legal education.