February 25, 2026
Legal Education Leadership 2026: Dean Conway's Monthly AALS Presidential Update for February
Speaking engagements in Boston and Houston as well as two significant media mentions
Penn State Dickinson Law and School of International Affairs Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway with University of Houston Law Center Dean and Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Chair Leonard M. Baynes.
Credit: University of Houston Law CenterA monthly look at Penn State Dickinson Law and School of International Affairs Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway’s year of intellectual inquiry as president of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).
During her second month as AALS president, Penn State Dickinson Law and School of International Affairs Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway spoke to law students in Boston and Houston, was featured in high-profile media stories, and shared the full transcript of her speech from the AALS Annual Meeting.
Additionally, Conway supported students and colleagues at Penn State Dickinson Law, welcoming faculty, staff, and law students to the Law School’s Seventh Annual Diversity Mentorship Networking Night and engaging in a stimulating exchange of ideas with Professor and Dean Emeritus Gary S. Gildin during his faculty research workshop.
Penn State Dickinson Law and School of International Affairs Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway speaks at the University of Houston Law Center Deans Colloquium.
Credit: University of Houston Law CenterUniversity of Houston Law Center Deans Colloquium
Conway served as the University of Houston Law Center Deans Colloquium speaker on February 2, presenting “A Look Back on the Foundations of Government Procurement of Intellectual Property in the New Era of America-First IP Ideology, Policy, and Legislation.”
“Dean Conway was engaging, animated, and got the students and faculty in the audience to think about something—government procurement—that they probably don’t regularly think about,” said University of Houston Law Center Dean and Hugh Roy and Lillie Cranz Cullen Distinguished Chair Leonard M. Baynes.
The other presenters in the series are:
- University of Tulsa College of Law Interim Dean Marc L. Roark
- Boston University School of Law Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig
- Washington University School of Law Dean Stefanie A. Lindquist
- University of Pennsylvania Penn Carey Law Dean and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law Dean Sophia Z. Lee
- University of Texas at Austin School of Law G. Rollie White Teaching Excellence Chair in Law Rachel Rebouche (formerly dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law)
- UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law Dean Leah Chan Grinvald
- University of Colorado Law School Dean Lolita Buckner Innis
- University of Wyoming College of Law Dean Julie Hill
- University of Michigan Law School Dean Neel Sukhatme
Boston University School of Law
Conway spent February 12–13 in Boston, where she attended two events at the Boston University School of Law: the Women's Law Association (WLA) and Women of Color Collaborative (WOCC) Fireside Chat and the AALS Women in Legal Education Conference.
Conway’s speech at the Fireside Chat was titled “On Leadership, Success, and Stewardship,” and her conference talk was titled “Gender and Status in the Legal Academy and Profession.”
Following her prepared remarks, Conway answered students’ questions about leadership and her own career path, sharing her experiences and offering additional insights on women in the legal academy and profession.
Penn State Dickinson Law and School of International Affairs Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway with Boston University School of Law Dean and Ryan Roth Gallo Professor of Law Angela Onwuachi-Willig and three of her students.
Credit: Boston University School of LawAALS speech transcript
AALS published the transcript from Conway’s president’s message to the House of Representatives following her election as president at the AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans. You can read the full transcript here.
Conway in the media
Law.com recently profiled Conway and provided an opportunity for her to further discuss her AALS presidential theme, “Emancipate. Academic. Freedom.”
“I thought deeply about this theme because of the political landscape that higher education is in, with pundits having so much to say about the ills of higher education without acknowledging that higher education is one of the primary organs for practicing democratic principles,” said Conway in the article.
She was also quoted by TaxProf Blog about a new AALS partnership with West Academic that focuses on artificial intelligence. “Law schools across the nation have differing capacities with AI,” Conway said in the story. “The partnership between AALS and West Academic will create and strengthen opportunities for leveraging AI to support and enhance our educational mission.”