April Dawson

Associate Dean and Professor of Law, NCCU

April Dawson is the inaugural Associate Dean of Technology and Innovation and a Professor of Law at North Carolina Central University School of Law, where she leads the NCCU Technology Law & Policy Center. She is the author of Artificial Intelligence and Academic Integrity (Aspen, 2023) and the co-author of the forthcoming coursebook AI and Legal Reasoning: Principles and Practices (Aspen, 2026). Before law school, Dawson earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and worked as a computer programmer at Los Alamos National Laboratory. She began her legal career in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice through the Attorney General’s Honor Program. A law professor for twenty years, Dawson teaches AI Governance (among the first such courses offered in law schools), AI and Legal Reasoning, and Legal Technology, Equity & Leadership, and has also taught Constitutional Law, Administrative Law, Torts, and Supreme Court Seminar. Dawson has chaired the North Carolina Bar Association’s Future of Law Committee and the AALS Section on Technology Law and Legal Education, and served on the Governing Council of the ABA Center for Innovation. She was named a 2026 ABA Legal Rebel, a 2024 vLex Fastcase 50 Honoree, and a 2022 ABA Women of Legal Tech Honoree.

Erika Harold

Executive Director, Commission on Professionalism

Erika Harold is Executive Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. Most recently, Erika was a commercial litigation attorney at Meyer Capel, P.C. in Champaign, Illinois, where she represented clients at both the trial and appellate levels and advised clients on matters of statutory and constitutional interpretation. Earlier in her career, she was a litigation attorney at the Chicago offices of Sidley Austin LLP and Burke, Warren, MacKay & Serritella, P.C., representing businesses in commercial disputes and advising religious institutions in matters involving First Amendment protections. She has served on the Illinois Supreme Court Committee on Equality since 2015. Erika is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where she won a Boykin C. Wright Memorial Award for appellate advocacy in Harvard Law School’s prestigious Ames Moot Court Competition. She funded her legal education through the scholarships and appearance fees she earned as Miss America 2003. Ms. Harold has been active in Illinois politics, most recently running a statewide race for Attorney General. Erika has taught students about the U.S. legal system as part of the Lawyers in the Classroom program, coached students in city-wide mock trial competitions, and served on the teaching faculty of Harvard Law School’s Trial Advocacy Workshop. She is a nationally recognized advocate of bullying prevention efforts and has spoken to more than 100,000 students about combating peer-to-peer harassment. Erika is licensed to practice by the Supreme Court of Illinois and the United States District Courts for the Northern and Central Districts of Illinois. She served on the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism as a Commissioner from 2017 to 2022.

John Kim

Chair, Commission on Professionalism

John Kim serves as Associate General Counsel at Edward Jones where he counsels on labor and employment matters. Previously, John worked as in-house counsel at State Farm and was in private practice in Central Illinois. He received his J.D. from the American University’s Washington College of Law and a B.A. from Wheaton College (IL). Before attending law school, John worked as a refugee and asylee caseworker in Nairobi, Kenya, and for a faith-based organization in Washington, D.C. John is active in legal organizations at the national, state, and local levels. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation and on the state-wide boards of legal services providers Prairie State Legal Services and the Immigration Project. As a member of the McLean County Bar Association, he serves on the Underwood Committee on Professionalism. In his community, John is a long-time volunteer at the only free and charitable clinic in McLean County, called the Community Health Care Clinic. Also, he serves on the board of the Children’s Discovery Museum Foundation. John joined the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism in 2019. He was appointed Vice-Chair in 2022 and Chair in 2024.

Shermin Kruse

Law Professor and Author of "Stoic Empathy"

Shermin Kruse is a law professor at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, where she teaches global transactions, complex negotiation, and tactical empathy. A former equity partner at a major Chicago law firm, she spent nearly two decades representing international and Fortune 500 companies in high-stakes cross-border matters. She is the author of Stoic Empathy: The Road Map to a Life of Influence, Self-Leadership, and Integrity (Hay House/Penguin Random House), which blends classical Stoic philosophy, neuroscience, and modern negotiation science into a practical framework for ethical leadership. Her work explores how emotional regulation and principled empathy can coexist — and how that balance strengthens professionalism in law and beyond. Shermin is also a TEDx speaker and producer of more than 80 TEDx talks. Through her writing, speaking, and teaching, she equips leaders and lawyers to navigate conflict, pressure, and moral complexity with resilience and integrity. She is an Iranian-American and lives in Chicago with her four children.

Joshua Lenon

Lawyer in Residence, Clio

Joshua Lenon serves as the Lawyer in Residence at Clio, where he plays a pivotal role as a liaison between the company and the legal community. As the presenter of Clio's Annual Legal Trends Report and a key member of the Legal Trends research team—composed of data scientists and legal experts—Joshua contributes to generating the industry's most prominent annual legal research publication. This report caters to broad and segmented audiences across the legal industry. In his role, Joshua travels globally, engaging with lawyers and law firms of all sizes and specialties. He shares valuable insights and best practices on leveraging cloud technology and AI to enhance practice efficiency, security, and profitability. Additionally, Joshua develops educational resources and webinars for legal professionals, as well as contributing to legal scholarship and research on critical topics such as legal ethics, innovation, and access to justice. An attorney admitted to the New York Bar, Joshua brings his legal scholarship to both internal conversations at Clio and interactions with customers, ensuring that Clio’s initiatives are informed by deep legal expertise and a commitment to advancing the legal profession.

Mark Palmer

Chief Counsel, Commission on Professionalism

Mark C. Palmer has served as Chief Counsel of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism since 2015, always dedicated to advancing the quality of justice and upholding the rule of law across Illinois. In this role, Mark supports efforts to promote professionalism, civility, and integrity within the legal and judicial systems. His work includes spearheading statewide initiatives such a statewide lawyer mentoring program, courthouse professionalism trainings, and other educational programming for lawyers, judges, and law students. Mark’s commitment to innovation in the legal profession extends to serving on the Illinois Supreme Court’s E-Business Policy Board and Illinois Judicial Conference’s AI Task Force. His thought leadership in legal technology areas earned him recognition as a 2023 vLex Fastcase 50 honoree for his contributions as one of “the law’s smartest, most courageous innovators.” Before joining the Commission, Mark was in private practice at Evans, Froehlich, Beth & Chamley in Champaign. His practice spanned litigation and transactional matters with a focus on commercial disputes, banking law, municipal law, and appellate advocacy in state and federal courts. He also served on the federal Criminal Justice Act (CJA) panel, representing indigent defendants in federal courts.

J. Ryann Peyton

Director of the Colorado Office of Attorney Professional Excellence

Ryann serves as the Director of the Colorado Office of Attorney Professional Excellence (APEX), an office of the Colorado Supreme Court. Through APEX’s nationally recognized mentoring program, small business incubator, and lawyer well-being initiatives, Ryann provides development opportunities that help Colorado legal professionals thrive and achieve excellence. A seasoned attorney with a background in complex civil litigation, Ryann has represented a diverse range of clients in high-stakes domestic relations, employment, tax, and real estate matters—developing a reputation for both legal precision and deep empathy. Ryann is also an internationally recognized speaker and advocate for identity equity. Through keynotes, trainings, and strategic advising, Ryann help leaders recognize and respond to systemic inequities, promote belonging, and challenge cultural norms that perpetuate exclusion and isolation in the legal profession. Ryann’s contributions to the legal community have been recognized nationally. They are the recipient of the Denver Business Journal's 2022 40 Under 40 Award, the 2019 American Bar Association Rosner & Rosner Young Lawyer Professionalism Award, and the 2014 Colorado Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Attorney of the Year Award. Ryann earned their law degree from the University of St. Thomas School of Law and holds an LLM and undergraduate degree from the University of Denver.

Dr. Larry Richard

Founder and Principal, LawyerBrain LLC

Dr. Larry Richard is widely regarded as the leading expert on the psychology of lawyer behavior. A former litigator, he earned his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School as well as a Ph.D. in psychology from Temple University. He has collected personality data from thousands of lawyers and advised hundreds of premier law firms and corporate legal departments on resilience, change management, leadership, well-being, and talent management. Dr. Richard helps legal organizations improve performance and bring out the best in your lawyers using applied behavioral science. Before founding LawyerBrain, he chaired the Leadership & Organization Improvement practice at Hildebrandt International, and was a senior partner at Altman Weil. Known for translating scientific insights into practical guidance, he is a frequent speaker and a trusted advisor to senior legal leaders across the industry.

Julia Roundtree Livingston

DEI Manager, Commission on Professionalism

Julia Roundtree Livingston is the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Manager at the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism where she leads the Commission’s education and advocacy initiatives aimed at promoting DEI in Illinois’ legal and justice systems. Prior to joining the Commission, Julia was Executive Director of Macon County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), which provides court-appointed volunteers to advocate for abused, neglected, and/or dependent children who are involved in the Macon County juvenile court system. She was appointed to this role in 2018 after serving as CASA’s Director of Development. At CASA, Julia led a sustainable nonprofit organization with multiple streams of funding while educating the community on the need for CASA’s services. This included working with local lawyers and judges to organize trainings for CASA volunteers, regularly communicating with legal and judicial professionals about CASA’s capabilities, and presentations to the Decatur Bar Association on CASA’s work. Julia grew the organization’s impact by increasing the number of community volunteers who became advocates as well as the number of children that CASA serves. In 2021, Julia led Macon County CASA in expanding its services into a second county, DeWitt County. Julia was also a member of the Illinois CASA Equity Task Force, the Illinois CASA/Children Advocacy Centers Task Force, and the CWEC (Child Welfare Advisory Committee) on Racial Equity led by the Illinois Department of Children & Family Services. Before joining CASA, Julia was the Director of Development at Baby TALK, an educational non-profit in Decatur, Illinois, and an English professor at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Florida State University, and Richland Community College.

Wendy Shiba

Corporate Attorney, Principal, The Red Bee Group,

Wendy Shiba is a corporate attorney and a principal with The Red Bee Group, where she does training, coaching, and consulting. She has served in C-level executive positions for three NYSE-listed companies, including Executive VP, General Counsel & Secretary of KB Home; Senior VP, Chief Legal Officer & Secretary of PolyOne Corporation; and VP, Secretary & Assistant General Counsel of Bowater Incorporated. In these roles, she managed Compliance and Risk Management; Environmental, Health and Safety; Government and Public Affairs; Internal Audit; Legal; and Product Stewardship. Earlier in her career, Wendy was Corporate Chair of the City of Philadelphia Law Department; a tenured Associate Professor of Law at Temple University School of Law; in private practice with O'Melveny & Myers; and law clerk to Justice Stanley Mosk on the Supreme Court of California. Active in the American Bar Association (ABA), Wendy is a member of the House of Delegates and Chair of the Select Committee of the House; Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Center and Chair of the DEI Advisory Council; and Vice Chair of the Committee on Rights of Women of the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice. Previously she served on the ABA Presidential Task Force on the Law, Society, and the Judiciary; Standing Committee on Bar Leadership; Board of Directors of the Rule of Law Initiative; Commission on Women in the Profession, where she chaired the Women of Color Research Initiative; and the Presidential Diversity & Inclusion 360 Commission. Wendy is a past President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and a co-founder of the Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy. She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Japanese American National Museum and has held board and leadership positions with numerous professional and nonprofit organizations. Wendy has been honored with several national awards for her professional excellence, leadership, and impact in DEI, including the Japanese American Bar Association Lifetime Achievement Award (2025), NAPABA President’s Award (2024), ABA Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award (2022), Warren Christopher Values Award from O’Melveny & Myers (2019), ABA TIPS Liberty Achievement Award, sponsored by Thomson Reuters (2016), ABA Spirit of Excellence Award (2014), Corporate Counsel Women of Color’s Diamond Award (2014), NAPABA Trailblazer Award (2009), and YWCA Woman of Achievement Award (2007). In 2010, she was recognized as one of the Most Powerful and Influential Women in California. She is a frequent speaker on board governance, women’s leadership, and DEI in the legal profession. Wendy earned her B.S. from Michigan State University and her J.D. from Temple University School of Law, where she graduated first in her class, served as Articles Editor of the Temple Law Review, and was a member of the Moot Court Board.

Stephanie Villinski

Deputy Director, Commission on Professionalism

Stephanie Villinski is the Deputy Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism. She helps to execute operations and programs within the Commission by leveraging technology and project management processes. As Deputy Director, Stephanie is responsible for streamlining the day-to-day activities of the Commission such as IT, workflows, and data analysis. In addition to these operations, Stephanie also supports the Commission’s mentoring, education, and law school programs. With a particular interest in health and wellness, Stephanie seeks to promote a healthier, more rewarding professional life for lawyers and by extension, better service to their clients. Stephanie graduated summa cum laude from Saint Mary’s College and with Order of Coif distinction from DePaul University College of Law. Subsequently, she dedicated her career to social justice and public interest law. Most recently, she was the Content Director at Illinois Legal Aid Online (ILAO) and was charged with publishing high-quality, user-centered content. She managed ILAO’s recent 2-year content transformation from five websites to one.