Zelda B. Harris, Dean of Western New England University School of Law, has been awarded the "Inspirations Award" by the African American Female Professors Award Association (AAFPA). This prestigious honor celebrates her exceptional contributions to legal education, her advocacy for diversity and inclusion, and her commitment to social justice.
Harris has made a profound impact throughout her career, particularly in advancing opportunities for underrepresented students and shaping future legal professionals. Her work exemplifies the values of the Inspirations Award, highlighting her dedication to equity in the legal field and her efforts to foster a more just society. Her experiences translate to the classroom and provide WNE students with insight and access to compelling global problems that can be applied locally, regionally, and nationally.
She arrived at WNE with a steep history of altruism and voluntarism. Harris began her career in legal services in southern Illinois, where she worked with clients who were unable to access legal representation due to income, race, gender, and other barriers. It was this experience that led Dean Harris to spend the following 25 years developing her expertise in representing victims of gender-based violence. Just weeks prior to beginning her tenure with the WNE School of Law, Dean Harris led a group of 60 inmate participants in Naivasha, Kenya, in trial advocacy training with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA), Jones Day, and Justice Defenders.
The award will be presented at the AAFPA's Annual College and University Presidents Ball on Thursday, October 24, 2024, at Our Lady of the Elms College in Springfield. The celebration will continue with the University and College Presidents Ball on Saturday, October 26, 2024, at the Sheraton Hotel in Springfield.
