August 14, 2017

Announcement of Recognition, Leadership, and new Academic Support Colleagues

Southwestern is proud to announce some recognition and leadership changes, as well as a significant augmentation to our Academic Success and Bar Preparation efforts:

Natalie Rodriguez '12: Promoted to Assistant Dean of Academic Success and Associate Professor of Law for Academic Success and Bar Preparation.  Congratulations Natalie! Your work ethic, commitment, and judgment are unequaled.

Jackie Rogers '15: Promoted to Associate Professor for Academic Success and Bar Preparation.  Jackie has been a highly active and productive addition to our academic success and bar passage efforts. Congratulations Jackie!

We are delighted that these two Southwestern graduates will have more recognition for the important work they already are doing.  

Rebecca Simon:  Now dividing her time between her Academic Success efforts in SCALE and expanding, through outside funding, her growing local and national efforts in mindfulness and peak performance. Rebecca very much looks forward to bringing, even more, attention to Southwestern through this important work. 

Mary Basick:  With over ten years of experience preparing law students for the California Bar Exam, joins us as Assistant Dean of Bar Preparation and Associate Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation.  After leading Whittier to an 84% passage rate on the July 2008 bar exam, Mary practiced law and established an academic success and bar education consulting company.  Mary is a nationally recognized expert on all three bar test methodologies, with a teaching style characterized by a blend of making demands on students and getting them onboard through sheer enthusiasm.  

Bryce Woolley:  One of Mary’s deputies at Whittier this past year, joins us as Associate Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation. He graduated from UCLA Law School where he played a leadership role in the Williams Institute and worked in the academic support effort. Before joining Mary's team at Whittier, Bryce practiced civil litigation in Los Angeles.  

These appointments/promotions are well deserved and a sign of great things to come in the Academic Success and Bar Preparation department. 

Be sure to congratulate these amazing faculty members next time you see them!