Assistant Dean Valerie D. James appointed member of LSAC Mission & Impact Committee

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.—Senior Assistant Dean of Academic & Student Services Valerie D. James has been appointed a member of the LSAC Mission & Impact Committee (MIC) and chair of the Pathways Initiative Workgroup, a subcommittee of MIC.

She recently attended the first MIC meeting in Los Angeles. Committee members are appointed for a one-year term, with an option to return for a second year.

Valerie D. James is the Senior Assistant Dean of Academic and Student Services at Penn State Dickinson Law. She previously served as the assistant dean for student affairs University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law and as assistant dean of admissions and scholarships at the University of North Texas at Dallas College of Law. She was the assistant dean of student affairs at University of California, Davis, Graduate School of Management and senior assistant dean of admissions, financial aid, and diversity initiatives at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law. She is the 2025-2026 chair of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Pre-Law Education and Admission to Law School (PLEALS) Section.