The UW School of Law has hired Michele Storms
as the William H. Gates Public Service Law (PSL) Scholarship Program Executive
Director.
"When I first learned that Bill Gates had
honored his father by creating the scholarship program, I was thrilled for the
students, the law school, and the future of public interest practice," said
Storms. "It is an amazing opportunity to run such a program."
Storms currently serves as a Statewide Advocacy
Coordinator for the Northwest Justice Project which provides free civil legal
aid to low-income people. She also provides advocacy, leadership and
communications training to members of the Alliance for Equal Justice.
"Michele has broad experience in public interest and higher education and will be an excellent addition to our
community," said Dean W.H. Knight,
Jr. (Joe).
Prior to her current position, she was a
faculty member and the founding director of the UW School of Law Child and Youth
Advocacy Clinic (1993-2001). She has also served as a staff attorney with
Evergreen Legal Services. Michele was a member of the Washington State Access
to Justice Board from 1998 to 2004 and served as chair of that Board for one
year. She has been recognized as the Outstanding Young Lawyer of the Year by
the King County Bar Association (1992) and for Special Contribution to the
Judiciary by the Washington Women Lawyers (1998). She is a cum laude
graduate of Gonzaga University School of Law and a former Managing Editor of the
Gonzaga Law Review.
The Gates PSL Program is named in honor of
William H. Gates and his commitment to public service. Bill Gates has had a
distinguished career in law and many years of public service and presently
serves as Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Scholarship
Program was announced on the occasion of his eightieth birthday.
The inaugural
five recipients of the PSL Scholarship for 2006-07 are Emily Alvarado, Vanessa
Torres Hernandez, Illana Mantell, Colleen Melody, and Michael Peters.
Gates PSL Scholars have the opportunity to attend the UW School of Law and then pursue
public interest law without the burden of educational debt. The scholarship
program covers all cost of tuition, books, room and board and incidental
expenses during law school. In exchange, students dedicate five years to public
service.
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