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Law School Faculty, Administration, and Services
Law School Administrators
Susan B. Erwin
Senior Assistant Dean, Student Services
Susan Erwin was raised on various Air Force bases in Germany and the United States. She received her bachelor’s degree in education, training, and development from Southern Illinois University and her M.A. in the administration of higher education from Santa Clara University.
Prior to Santa Clara University, Erwin served as the program representative for one of Southern Illinois University’s military education programs. She began her career with SCU as the program manager for the law school’s Institute for Paralegal Education and eventually became the director. Erwin also taught for the Institute. In 1997, she was named registrar for the law school and a few years later was promoted to assistant dean, and is now the senior assistant dean for student services.
Susan was voted Staff Person of the Year by the law school student body eight times in the last nine years, winning the award in 1999, 2000, and every year from 2002-2007.
Erwin lives in San Jose with her husband, David, and her two kids, Joshua and Madison. She spends her free time working on art projects or assisting her husband with his professional bass fishing career.
Jacqueline Wender
Senior Assistant Dean, Administration
Jacqueline B. Wender was born and raised in Palo Alto, not including 3 years of her childhood spent traveling around the world. She received her B.A. in Drama from Stanford University. She completed the ARETE Leadership Development Program in 2005 and the Stanford University Management Development Program in 1986-87.
From 1980 to 2002 she served in various capacities at Stanford, including the positions of Assistant to the President, Associate Provost, and Executive Director of the Overseas Studies Program. In 2003 Wender joined the School of Engineering at Santa Clara University as Assistant Dean, and in 2007 she joined the Law School as senior assistant dean for administration. In this capacity she oversees finance, human resources, facilities, and technology services. She has served on numerous review panels and committees for the National Science Foundation, the National Resource Council, and the Society for College and University Planning. In 2006 she was appointed to the Santa Clara University Staff Affairs Committee, serving as Chair in 2007-08.
Wender continues to travel with her husband Paul, and enjoys reading, cooking, gardening, and the fine and performing arts.
Julia A. Yaffee
Senior Assistant Dean, External Relations
Julia Yaffee grew up in Toledo, Ohio, and received her B.A. from the University of Colorado, when she was named Outstanding Woman Graduate of the Year. She was also made a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Theta Sigma Chi, Journalism Honorary. She earned her M.A. in the administration of higher education from Santa Clara University in 1988, and her M.A. in counseling in 1997.
Yaffee oversaw the admissions and recruiting efforts of the School of Law from 1984 to 2005. She became head of student services in 1997. Yaffee has served as a trustee of the Law School Admission Council, and a director of the National Network of Law School Officers. She is currently active in ABA activities. She has also served as treasurer of Santa Clara University’s chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. In 2004 she received an Innovative Program Development Award from Santa Clara University for her work on the team that revamped the University’s Web page. She was a member of the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury from 2002-2004 and served as foreperson in 2003 -2004.
Prior to joining the School of Law, Yaffee taught for three years at the North Solomons International School on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. She was also a Peace Corps volunteer in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where she trained radio and television producers from over 23 countries. She has worked with numerous international organizations.
An avid runner, Yaffee enjoys competing in road races with her husband, Jerry.
Allan Chen
Assistant Dean, Law Technology and Academic Computing
Allan Chen was born in New Jersey, and spent most of his childhood in parts of Texas before returning to his home state. He received his B.A. from Stanford University, where he graduated with honors. From 2000 to 2007 Allan served in a number of roles at Stanford University's Academic Computing department. He has worked in business development, project management, served the university's community of students with disabilities and, prior to coming to Santa Clara, was involved in designing technology-driven learning spaces for students.
In his spare time, Allan is also a professional photographer and can often be seen around Santa Clara, where he also lives with his wife, with a camera in hand.
Lawrence E. “Larry” Donatoni
Assistant Dean, Law Alumni and Development
Larry Donatoni has over 30 years of experience in a wide range of development and community relations activities.
Prior to joining the Law School in the spring of 2008, Larry served as Senior Associate Director for Major Gifts at Santa Clara University, working closely with the Dean of the Leavey School of Business as they completed a $48 million capital campaign for a new business school building. During his nine years at Santa Clara, he held a variety of leadership roles related to the successful completion, in 2006, of a $410 million campaign, the largest in the University’s history. Over the years, his management and fundraising responsibilities have included: major and planned gifts, stewardship, corporate and foundation relations, development events, research, gift reporting, and prospect management.
During his career, Larry served as the founding Executive Director of the United Way of Santa Cruz County along with several years at the Monterey Peninsula United Way. Nine years were spent in healthcare philanthropy with Catholic Healthcare West at Dominican Santa Cruz Hospital and Mercy Healthcare Arizona. Larry also served as a consultant to the Pajaro Valley Unified School District responsible for securing State funding in Sacramento for local school construction.
Larry remains active in a variety of professional organizations including: CASE, Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), and the Jesuit Advancement Administrators (JAA). Currently, he is active in various community groups including serving as co-chair of the Advancement Committee for Santa Cruz County Community Foundation, Board member and Development Committee Chair for St. Francis Central Coast Catholic High School – Watsonville, and as an active member of the San Jose Rotary Club. Other leadership roles included serving as a founding Board member of the Santa Cruz County Community Foundation, 1988 president of the Watsonville Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture, and treasurer for Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Monterey.
Larry has a BSC in Business Management from Santa Clara University. He resides in Aptos with his wife of 37 years, Mary. They have three children: Elisa Marie, Dominic, and Matthew.
Marina Hsieh
Assistant Dean, Academic & Professional Development ("APD")
and Senior Fellow
Marina Hsieh has been a member of the law faculties of the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Maryland, and has taught at Columbia, New York University, the University of San Francisco and UC Davis law schools. Prior to entering academia, she was an Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. in New York City. She clerked for the Honorable Louis Pollak on the U.S. District Court, E.D. PA and for Associate Justice John Paul Stevens on the Supreme Court of the United States.
Hsieh received her A.B. from Harvard University and her J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley “Boalt Hall” School of Law, where she was Senior Articles Editor of the California Law Review. She is a member of the State Bar of California Council on Access and Fairness, and a national board member of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Vicki Huebner
Assistant Dean, Law Career Services
Vicki Huebner is a seasoned career services professional with more than a decade of experience assisting students and graduates with all phases of career advising. Vicki is an active member of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) and is currently serving as NALP’s liaison to the American Bar Association’s General Practice Solo and Small Firm Division.
Vicki earned both her J.D., cum laude, and B.A. degrees from Brigham Young University in Utah. As a student she participated in the Appellate Moot Court program and the Jessup Moot Court competition.
Prior to entering the career services profession, Vicki practiced law in Huntington Beach, California and served as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable Ronald M. Holdaway of the United States Court of Veterans Appeals in Washington, DC. She has been active in several bar associations, and held leadership positions within the Orange County Bar Association and the Ferguson Inn of Court. She is licensed to practice law in California.
Jeanette Leach
Assistant Dean, Admissions
Jeanette Leach is originally from Oklahoma but has lived in California since 1985. She has been part of the Santa Clara University community for 19 years.
As the assistant dean for admissions and financial aid, Ms Leach is responsible for recruiting prospective students and the daily operations of a very busy admissions office. For the last four years she has been the director of the PLUS Program (Pre-law Undergraduate Scholars Program), an intensive four-week summer pre-law program meant to prepare undergraduate students for the law admissions process and law school experience.
Dean Leach has three adult daughters and two grandchildren. She enjoys reading, cooking, and traveling.