VISITING PROFESSOR OF LAW BRINGS EXPERTISE IN BLOCKCHAIN AND CRYPTO ASSETS, INFORMATION PRIVACY AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
June 2020 — Penn State Dickinson Law is pleased to welcome leading scholar Tonya M. Evans to its faculty roster as visiting professor of law for the 2020-21 academic year. Evans will teach Administrative Law; Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, and the Law; Entertainment Law; and Information Privacy Law.
“I share Dickinson Law's core values of intellectual discovery, excellence in teaching and learning, and community,” said Evans. “The outstanding and enduring reputation of the Law School to prepare engaged and accomplished lawyers, the esteemed faculty and the strong leadership of Dean Danielle Conway all led to my interest in joining the Dickinson Law community.”
Evans is associate dean of academic affairs and professor of law at the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law. In these roles, she created and directs the law school’s Blockchain, Cryptocurrency and Law online professional certificate program and developed its world-class instructor pool and curriculum. She is also the former Chair of the Intellectual Property & Technology Online Programs.
“A thought-leader, innovator and advocate in the fields of law, business and technology, Professor Evans will be a great asset to Dickinson Law,” said Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway. “I am confident that our Law School community will benefit greatly from her interdisciplinary work, global outreach, and outstanding record of teaching and mentorship.”
Evans has expertise in the areas of intellectual property, new technologies (including blockchain and distributed ledger technology), entrepreneurship and innovation (including advisor to startups), entertainment law, trusts and estates, and municipal finance. She writes, speaks, and teaches primarily about the intersections of copyright and new technologies, blockchain and the law, and trusts and estates. Evans speaks and consults regularly in the United States and abroad about the legal implications of new technologies and innovation for startups, entrepreneurs and creatives.
“I am most looking forward to continuing and expanding my work in law and technology, particularly in the areas of blockchain and crypto assets, information privacy law, and intellectual property,” said Evans. “I am also exhilarated by the opportunity to use my expertise to further Dickinson Law's goals to achieve inclusion, equity and social justice in the tech sector.”
Evans earned her juris doctor from Howard University School of Law cum laude, where she served as editor in chief of the Howard Law Journal. She is a graduate of Northwestern University (Dean’s List). She is licensed to practice law in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Evans is the newly installed chairperson of the Maker DAO's Maker Ecosystem Growth Foundation, advisor to Emerging Impact, and a member of Consensys Grants Advisory Board, Bermuda Global FinTech Advisory Board, International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Focus Group on Digital Currency including Digital Fiat Currency, and the ITU Focus Group on Application of Distributed Ledger Technology. She serves on the Intellectual Property Committee of the Advisory Council to the Court of Federal Claims. Evans received the inaugural Enterprise Blockchain Award in the category of Governance and Policy Leadership during the 2019 Blockchain Revolution Global Conference in Toronto. She also hosts the weekly Tech Intersect Podcast, and owns Advantage Evans, an online education platform devoted primarily to empowering and preparing women and people of color for the future of money, entrepreneurship and work.