Faculty and Staff Accomplishments

Heather Abraham, associate professor and director of the Civil Rights and Housing Clinic, was appointed to Neighbor­hood Legal Services’ board of directors.

Elizabeth Adelman, SUNY Distinguished Librarian and vice dean for legal information services, received the Frederick Charles Hicks Award for Outstanding Contributions to Academic Law Librarianship from the American Association of Law Libraries. The AALL also presented Adelman with its ALL-SIS (Special Interest Session) Book Award for her edited work, Organizational Structures of Academic Law Libraries: Past, Present, and Future, Volume 2 (2024).

Christine Pedigo Bartholomew, William J. Magavern Faculty Scholar and vice dean for student achievement, was elected to membership in the prestigious American Law Institute.

Irus Braverman, Dr. Teresa A. Miller Professor of Law, was named a SUNY Distinguished Professor, recognizing the scope and impact of her scholarship.

David Coombs, lecturer in law and director of the Veterans Law Practicum, earned Defense Personnel Records Information Retrieval System certification through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and received accreditation granting authorization to prepare, present and prosecute claims and appeals on behalf of the New York State Department of Veterans’ Services.

Bernadette Gargano, clinical professor, vice dean for experiential education and social justice initiatives, and director of clinical legal education, received a 2025 Pro Bono Award presented by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of New York.

Kristen Kelly, director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging, received the Minority Bar Foundation’s 2025 Education Award.

Meredith Kolsky Lewis, professor and vice dean for international and graduate programs, received a faculty grant from UB’s Office of International Education to support her project “Omnilateralism and its Discontents: Reconceptualizing the Multilateral Trading System.”

Patrick J. Long ’00, assistant dean for professional development, was elected to the Bar Association of Erie County’s board of directors.

Manoj Mate, professor, was recognized by the Legal Theory Blog, which “highly recommended” his forthcoming article “Voids of Constitutional Law.” The piece also earned distinction as one of the Top 10 Downloads in the Law & Society: Public Law—Courts eJournal on the Social Science Research Network. Alongside another forthcoming article, “Constitutional Structure and Election Law,” it was likewise listed among the Top 10 Downloads in the Election Law & Voting Rights eJournal.

Tanya Monestier, Hon. Dawn B. Girard Faculty Scholar, received a 2025 University at Buffalo Teaching Innovation Award, honoring faculty whose pedagogy exemplifies creativity, rigor and measurable impact on student learning.

Makau Mutua, SUNY Distinguished Professor and Margaret W. Wong Professor, was appointed Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs to the President of Kenya.

Katrin Rowan, professor of skills and assistant dean for international and graduate programs, was selected to join the editorial board of the new Innovations in Learning: A SUNY-Focused Teaching Journal.

Carina Schoenberger, professor of skills, was appointed to Neighborhood Legal Services’ board of directors.

The Office of Communications received the 2025 Best Integrated Marketing Campaign Award presented at the University at Buffalo’s Annual Communicators Conference.