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Kimberly Norwood
The 2019 Women’s Justice Awards selection committee has chosen Kimberly J. Norwood, the Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law at Washington University, as Missouri Lawyers Media’s Woman of the Year.
We previously honored Norwood in 2014 as a mentor to younger lawyers as part of our annual Up & Coming Awards. Now we recognize her for the scholarship and wisdom she brings to the world beyond the law-school classroom.
Norwood, who joined the university in 1990, writes extensively and lectures on colorism, social justice, civil rights and implicit and explicit bias issues. Her work ranges from the academic — she helped organize the first international conference on colorism to be held in the United States — to the practical — she advised Starbucks on its national implicit-bias training agenda.
In the aftermath of Ferguson, she has worked with organizations ranging from the Missouri Supreme Court to the American Bar Association to address issues in Missouri’s municipal courts and in the profession as a whole. She remains a member of the team appointed to monitor the U.S. v. Ferguson consent decree prompted by unrest after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown in 2014.
Norwood leads this year’s list of 51 honorees, which includes judges, in-house counsel, legal scholars and private practitioners from around the state, as well as outstanding students at Missouri law schools.
The 21st annual Women’s Justice Awards event is set for Thursday, April 25 at the Four Seasons Hotel St. Louis. Winners will be profiled in a special section of Missouri Lawyers Weekly on April 29.
Since 1999, the Women’s Justice Awards have celebrated extraordinary women lawyers, law students, rising stars, public officials and others in recognition of the standards of professional excellence they’ve set for their peers. For information on the event or to purchase tickets, click here.
The 2019 honorees are:
Woman of the Year
This woman truly stands out in making an extraordinary difference to improve the quality of justice or exemplify the highest ideals of the legal profession.
Kimberly J. Norwood, Henry H. Oberschelp Professor of Law, Washington University; St. Louis
Corporate Award
These women serve as general or in-house counsel, advising businesses on complex legal matters.
Kara Larson, assistant general counsel, KCP&L, Kansas City
Mary Nelson, general counsel and chief legal officer, St. Louis Community College, St. Louis
Jarica Oeltjen, assistant general counsel, BKD, Springfield
Anna Selby, assistant vice chancellor and associate general counsel, Washington University, St. Louis
Sarah Wilson, assistant general counsel, CoxHealth, Springfield
General Practitioner Award
These are the women who, as attorneys, do it all. They handle multiple practice areas with skill.
Susan Appelquist, Appelquist Law, Mount Vernon
Shanna Jacoby, The Jake Jacoby Law Firm, Independence
Kathy Kranitz Sadoun, Kranitz, Sadoun & Carpenter, St. Joseph
The late Kimberly McDermott, Lewis Rice, St. Louis
Jennifer R. Piper, Reinker, Hamilton & Piper, Richmond Heights
Elaine A. Pudlowski, Frankel, Rubin, Klein, Siegel, Payne & Pudlowski, Clayton
Randee Stemmons, Stemmons Law Firm, Mount Vernon
Lisa O. Stump, Lashly & Baer, St. Louis
Litigation Practitioner Award
These litigators have made their careers in the courtroom — criminal or civil, representing plaintiff or defense
Teresa D. Bartosiak, Sandberg Phoenix & von Gontard, St. Louis
Liz Blackwell, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, St. Louis
Dedra Brock-Moore, The Law Offices of Dedra Brock-Moore, Belleville, Illinois
Brandi Burke, Thompson Coburn, St. Louis
Amy Collignon Gunn, The Simon Law Firm, St. Louis
Michelle L. Corrigan Erikson, Stinson Leonard Street, Clayton
Denise Drake, Polsinelli, Kansas City
Nicole Fisher, Fisher Law, Kansas City
Kersten Holzhueter, Spencer Fane, Kansas City
Jennifer S. Kingston, Dowd Bennett, Clayton
Katherine Myers, Edelman, Liesen & Myers, Kansas City
Sonni Nolan, Husch Blackwell, St. Louis
Jennifer Oswald Brown, Oswald, Roam & Rew, Blue Springs
Abby Risner, Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, St. Louis
Cara Rose, Franke Schultz & Mullen, Springfield
Patricia Scaglia, Scaglia Law Firm, Independence
Allison Schreiber Lee, Paule, Camazine & Blumenthal, St. Louis
Rachel E. Schwartz, Stueve Siegel Hanson, Kansas City
Andrea Stanley, Brown & Crouppen, St. Louis
Kara T. Stubbs, Baker Sterchi Cowden & Rice, Kansas City
Public Service Award
These women work on behalf of a nonprofit organization, government agency or the judiciary; or have made their mark in education.
Kathleen Croker, staff attorney, Phelps County Family Crisis Services Inc., Rolla
Nasreen Esmail, deputy director/chief legal counsel, Missouri Division of Workers’ Compensation, Jefferson City
Associate Circuit Judge Ann Hansbrough, Platte County Circuit Court, Platte City
Suzanne Kissock, legal studies program director, chair and professor, Missouri Western State University, St. Joseph
Regi Martin, family court commissioner, Greene County Circuit Court, Springfield
Vickie Mauck, executive director, Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, Kansas City
Sara Parker Pauley, director, Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City
Judge Robin Ransom, Court of Appeals Eastern District, St. Louis
Pro Bono Award
These awards honor the women attorneys who have contributed significant effort and time to pro bono work.
Amy E. Garrett, Simmons Hanly Conroy, Alton, Illinois
Shannon Gordon, The Gordon Law Firm, Kansas City
Elizabeth Lenivy, The Simon Law Firm, St. Louis
Gaylin Rich Carver, Carver & Michael, Jefferson City
Larissa M. Whittingham, Husch Blackwell, Springfield
Leaders of Tomorrow Award
These law students demonstrate leadership, professionalism and a passion for making a difference in the justice system or legal profession.
Bola Adeniran, Saint Louis University School of Law
Kathleen Killen, University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law
Auriel Kirkland, Washington University School of Law
Rachel Renee Mitchell, University of Missouri School of Law
