2024 All Rise Committee
Event Chair
Susan M. Myers, JD' 91
Members
Tamela E. Bailey, JD '04
Alexis C. Brooks, JD '03
Kendalle Burlin O'Connell, JD '06
Sarah N. A. Camougis, JD '92
Tierney Chadwick, JD '03
Kayla R. Kassim, JD '24
Paulette R. Marie, JD '88
Genie Massey, JD '03
Divya A. Mathew, JD '24
The Honorable Amy Nechtem, JD '85 (Ret.)
Carol A. Starkey, JD '88
Regina C. Sullivan, JD '88
Cara Thompson, JD '10
Professor Kathy Elliot Vinson, JD '95
Chayla C. White, JD '13
The Honorable Mary Dacey White, JD '78 (Ret.)
Cherina D. Wright, MBA '17, JD '17
2024 All Rise Awardees
The Catherine T. Judge Teaching and Service Award
Ragini Shah
Clinical Professor of Law, Suffolk University Law School
Ragini Shah is a Clinical Professor of Law. Professor Shah joined Suffolk in 2007, founding Suffolk's first Immigration Clinic. The Immigration Clinic represents detained immigrants and unaccompanied minors in removal proceedings focusing on cases at the intersection of criminal, family law and immigration law. In addition to direct representation, the Clinic has also worked with local, state and national immigrants' rights advocacy groups helping to publish policy papers, training manuals and legislative proposals aimed at these intersections. Professor Shah also teaches Immigration Law and has supervised a number of students conducting internships with law offices working on immigration issues. Her scholarship examines the effectiveness of enforcement in the immigration context focusing on rights for undocumented youth, and the connections between international trade and migration. In 2012, she was granted a Fulbright award to deepen her research into these connections and from 2012-2013 conducted over 70 interviews with former migrants and their families in Mexico. In 2017, Professor Shah returned to Mexico to examine the impact of the Trump administration's heightened border enforcement measures on unauthorized migrants' decision making. This research, combined with the research from 2012-2013 forms the basis for Shah's forthcoming book tentatively titled, Constructed Movements, Migration, Racial Capitalism and Neoliberalism through the Eyes of Mexican Migrants. Constructed Movements argues that the asymmetric U.S.-Mexico relationship which includes the extraction of human and other natural resources from Mexico is responsible for displacing people from Mexico to the U.S., underlies seemingly contradictory U.S. border enforcement policies and creates a barrier to sustainable development in Mexico. The book highlights the work of two grassroots organizations fighting for a return of resources to migrant communities and improved treatment of migrant workers in the U.S. and Mexico.
Prior to joining Suffolk, Professor Shah was a Lecturer in Law and Clinical Staff Attorney in the Child Advocacy and Immigration Law Clinic at Columbia University School of Law. Before joining Columbia in 2003, Professor Shah was a staff attorney in a number of legal services organizations in the New York area serving low income tenants, immigrant detainees and immigrant youth.
Education:
- Northwestern University, undergraduate degree
- Northeastern University School of Law, JD
Marian Archer "Trailblazer" Award
Kristen A. Kuliga JD'94,
Senior Vice President of Business Development, Vanguard Sports Group LLC
Founder, K Sports & Entertainment, LLC
Founder & Managing Director, K Capital Partners, LLC
Kristen has 30 years of experience in the sports marketing/management and venture capital industries. Kristen is an entrepreneur and pioneer for women in professional athlete representation having been the first woman to negotiate an NFL quarterback's contract. She has extensive experience in athlete representation, corporate consulting, business development, licensing, sponsorship sales, and event management. In 2017, Kristen merged K Sports & Entertainment, her nationally recognized sports marketing and athlete representation agency, with Vanguard Sports Group where she oversees business development for the nationally recognized sports agency. From 2001-2017, as the founder and CEO of K Sports & Entertainment, Kristen led a national sports management and marketing firm where she represented NFL players and sold endorsements and sponsorships on behalf of professional athletes and Fortune 500 companies.
Kristen founded K Capital Partners where she provides advisory services, business development and raises capital for emerging companies in sports, entertainment, technology, media, wellness and consumer product sectors. She is on the Board of Advisors for The Players' Impact, an angel investor syndicate of over 800+ athletes investors as well as is on the Athlete Advisory Board of NanoDx, a medical device company. Her venture capital experience includes business development, raising capital and incubating portfolio companies.
Kristen graduated Cum Laude from University of Massachusetts Amherst and Suffolk University Law School and is a former adjunct professor of sports law at the university and law school levels. She currently holds her FINRA Series 82 and 63 licenses through Stonehaven LLC.
All Rise Rising Star Award
Laury Lucien, JD '15
Founder & CEO @ CamiFlower | Founder & CLO @ 67 Degress Brewing | Attorney | Professor | Motivational Speaker
Laury C. Lucien is a Boston business attorney with experience in healthcare and life sciences matters as well as business licensing, corporate services, and mergers and acquisitions. She obtained her Juris Doctorate degree from Suffolk University Law School and a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Massachusetts.
Laury is a partner in, and advisor to, a marijuana-infused products manufacturing company in California. She is also an adjunct professor at Suffolk University Law School, where she teaches Cannabis Law.
Laury has advised pharmacies regarding the healthcare regulatory and licensing components of multi-billion dollar acquisitions of privately held pharmacies. She has helped clients apply for, and renew, the following licenses in all 50 states: pharmacy, third-party administrator, utilization review, and collection agency. She is also experienced in helping international businesses obtain licenses necessary to operate in the United States.
Laury is passionate about giving back to underserved communities. While attending law school, Laury participated in Suffolk University Law School's Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Clinic, where she represented clients, on a pro bono basis, in a wide range of business disputes and intellectual property matters. She also worked with the Housing Unit of Greater Boston Legal Services, where she advocated for clients facing foreclosure. Laury currently provides pro bono services to emerging entrepreneurs by helping them draft their business formation documents and filings.
She was appointed by the State Treasurer to the Massachusetts Cannabis Advisory Board, where she serves as Chair of the Public Safety and Community Mitigation subcommittee and serves on the Market Participation subcommittee. She is an adjunct professor at both Suffolk University Law School and Clark University where she teaches Cannabis Law. She is a board member of Equal Opportunities Now, a non-profit working to create an equitable marijuana industry. She is the Education Director for the Parabola Center, a nonpartisan think tank of legal professionals and drug policy experts with a mission to provide everyone with access and tools to participate in the drug policy arena.
She is the host of the Legally Great Podcast, a podcast that connects business with spirituality.
She is a co-founder of 67 Degrees Brewing, a craft brewery and taste room in Franklin, MA.
She is the founder of the Legally Great Academy, a consulting and education company that helps cannabis entrepreneurs navigate the startup process through education, coaching, and mentorship.
Education:
- University of Massachusetts, Amherst, BS '11
- Suffolk University Law School, JD '15
About the Awards
The Catherine T. Judge Teaching and Service Award recognizes a distinguished female faculty member who exemplifies Professor Judge's unwavering commitment to student mentorship and thoughtful pedagogy. Nominees exemplify Professor Judge's dedication to the students of Suffolk University Law School.
The Marian Archer Trailblazer Award honors an alumna who, through her work and contributions to the profession, captures the pioneering spirit of Marian Archer. Nominees break barriers for women, helping to elevate their status in the legal profession and inspiring the next generation of women in law.
All Rise Rising Star Award recognizes an alumna who has made significant contributions to the field of law in the first 15 years of her career following graduation from law school. The Rising Star is an up-and-coming change maker in the spirit of the women who came before her.
