Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif., April 11, 2011 --- The practical challenges of handing the reins of social-justice leadership from Baby Boomers to Gen X or Millennials is the topic of an April 15 symposium at Santa Clara University.

The event is the 2011 Social Justice Leadership Symposium entitled Cultivating Social Justice Leadership: An Intergenerational Conversation Examining the Social Justice Sector Leadership Challenge. It is taking place from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., April 15, at Santa Clara University School of Law’s Bannan Hall Room 142.

“Strong nonprofit organizations currently led by Baby Boomers are considering what a succession plan may look like,” said Deborah Moss-West, assistant director of the Center for Social Justice and Public Service at Santa Clara University School of Law. “They are realizing there’s a disconnect between how different generations view successful social-justice leadership, making it harder to identify future leaders. That leadership challenge is what this symposium is about.”

The Honorable Sidney Espinosa, Mayor of Palo Alto and director of corporate citizenship at Microsoft, will deliver the keynote address at noon entitled, “Social Justice, Real Leadership and Technology.”

The half-day symposium will gather several generations of leaders in fields like indigent defense, immigration rights, or health-care access, to discuss the coming dearth of social-justice leaders, as well as the tools that have been successful in cultivating, training, and retaining new leaders and supporters.  It will also explore the role new technologies will play in movements for social change and how leaders might tap into these technologies.

Other speakers:

•    Jennifer Lind Tse - Southern Poverty Law Center
•    Sarah Mercer - Santa Clara Law
•    Paula Nailon - University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
•    Joan Messing Graff -  Legal Aid Society, Employment Law Center

The event is open to lawyers and the general public, and qualifies for three hours of minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) credits. Learn more about the symposium and register at http://law.scu.edu/socialjustice/leadership.cfm.

About the Center for Social Justice and Public Service
The Center for Social Justice and Public Service provides students with a legal education that instills a commitment to social justice, public interest, and public service. While not all attorneys specialize in this area, the opportunity to serve others is an important experience in legal education. The Center builds a community for students, faculty, lawyers, and others who share a commitment to marginalized, subordinated, or underrepresented clients and causes.

Media Contact:

Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Relations | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121