Six WCL Professors Honored for Outstanding Teaching and Service
American University Washington College of Law is proud to recognize six professors for their outstanding work in teaching and service. As a legal community that highly values teaching excellence and service, we celebrate and congratulate Professors Epperson, Hamilton, Pollak, Smith, Spratt, and Wermiel for their extraordinary commitment and achievements that led the Committee to select them from a very competitive pool of nominations. Thanks to this year’s selection committee—Dean Leiter and Professors Carroll, Miller, Newcombe, and Roberts—for their service in selecting our awardees. These recipients were recognized during a virtual ceremony on February 1, 2022.
Excellence in Teaching Award: Professors Lia Epperson and David Spratt
This award recognizes outstanding teaching, as reflected by thoughtful pedagogy, commitment to student mentoring and advising, institutional leadership focused on improving the variety, quality, and rigor of teaching at the Washington College of Law (e.g., development or revitalization of courses, mentoring of colleagues in teaching, etc.), and/or the creation of an intellectually challenging classroom environment.
Professor Lia Epperson, Professor of Law, is a nationally recognized expert in the areas of constitutional law, civil rights, and education policy. Published in leading journals, her scholarship centers on the constitutional dialogue between federal courts and the political branches, and its implications for educational equity.
One student who nominated Professor Epperson for this award said, “Professor Epperson is an incredible educator who makes it clear how much she cares about all of her students. She teaches her classes in a thoughtful, empathetic, and intellectually engaging way. She has been a highlight of my law school experience and deserves recognition.”
Professor David Spratt was awarded the Excellence in Teaching with glowing nominations and support from both colleagues and students. Professor Spratt specializes in legal research and writing, family law, and alternative dispute resolution. Professor Spratt is a member of the Virginia and District of Columbia bars, and he is an active participant in state, local, and national bar associations and organizations.
Professor Spratt is an outstanding teacher who not only takes considerable time and effort to instruct but also to mentor students. He is the Faculty Advisor for the WCL Family Law Society. Professor Spratt also supervises numerous upper-level writing requirements, conducts independent studies, and engages in moot sessions with 4-5 moot court teams each year. He acts as a faculty advisor to WCL students and holds exam review sessions, writing strategy workshops, and citation workshops.
Innovation in Pedagogy Award: professor rebecca hamilton
This award recognizes exceptional creativity and innovation in instruction, including but not limited to, the use of technology.
Professor Rebecca Hamilton is an Associate Professor Law whose research and teaching focus on national security law, international law, and criminal law. She is currently teaching international law, criminal law, and national security law.
Professor Hamilton showed outstanding initiative in turning her courses into an engaging and innovative experience when COVID-19 forced classes to be held virtually. One student said of her class experience, “This is by far the best course I have taken at WCL. The professor combined a multitude of teaching methods to ensure students received feedback and assimilated material in different ways. This professor clearly spends time thoughtfully planning each class. Professor Hamilton's teaching should serve as a model for all legal educators at WCL.”
Adjunct Teaching Award: professor richard pollack
This award recognizes outstanding teaching, thoughtful pedagogy, committed student mentoring, or exceptional creativity and innovation in instruction by a member of the adjunct faculty.
Professor Richard Pollack has been teaching at his alma mater for over five years, and continues to teach various business law courses at the highest level. He is a partner with the law firm Troutman Pepper, and received his JD from American University’s Washington College of Law in 1983, cum laude. He has extensive experience in representing a broad array of financial institutions and mezzanine lenders in sophisticated transactions in mezzanine financing, acquisition financing leveraged and asset based financing on transactions, including transactions where the lender is taking an equity position in the borrower.
Student feedback for his coursework included comments such as, "Professor Pollak's availability to help students outside of class really is a strong point of the class. Further, the real life exercises we use for drafting makes the learning experience completely more effective and constructive."
"Professor Pollack is very knowledgeable about this area of law and provided focus on things that will actually be useful after graduating. He also is willing to adapt the court to individual and overall student needs/response, which I greatly appreciated."
Outstanding Service Award: Professors brenda smith and stephen wermiel
This award recognizes a faculty member’s outstanding service either outside or within the law school or university. External service may include, but is not limited to, involvement with local or national organizations, professional associations and bodies, pro bono work, and volunteer work. Internal service may include, but is not limited to, involvement with faculty committees, support to student organizations, and collaborations with other offices at WCL.
Professor Brenda Smith is Professor of Law and Director of the Community Economic Development Law Clinic. During her more than 20 years of service at WCL, she has served in various leadership roles, including Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Interim Director of the Clinical Program, and chaired the Special Projects Committee, the Committee on Career Development, the Appointments Committee, and the Curriculum Committee.
Her reputation for excellence in leadership and service has led to recent recognition through awards and significant community appointments. In July 2021, the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division named her a Hidden Figure for her significant contributions to the legal profession. In addition, she was recently appointed the Vice-Chair of the United Church of Christ Building and Loan Fund.
Professor Stephen Wermiel is a Professor of Practice in Constitutional Law and part of the Program on Law and Government. Professor Wermiel takes on many roles both inside and outside the law school. He is currently a member of the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association (ABA) and also sits in the ABA House of Delegates.
At WCL, he serves as an adviser to and was past associate director of the Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project, in which Washington College of Law students teach constitutional law in the public high schools of Washington, D.C. He also is faculty adviser to the Moot Court Honor Society and serves on the advisory boards of the American University Law Review, Administrative Law Review and the Journal of Gender, Social Policy and Law.