Diana Jaque was appointed as the next associate dean and director of the Asa V. Call Law Library effective July 1, 2020.
Following Pauline Aranas’s retirement announcement last fall, Gould initiated a national search for the individual to take her place. In January, Dean Jaque took on the role of interim director of the Law Library. During her brief time in this interim position, Dean Jaque instituted a number of changes and successfully led the library team through the transition to remote services during the global pandemic. Her leadership has been invaluable, and we are pleased that she has accepted the role on a permanent basis.
Prior to taking on this role, Dean Jaque served as senior law librarian and head of collection development and acquisitions. She assumes her new role with a forward-thinking perspective as well as institutional knowledge, having joined the law library staff in 1999. Dean Jaque earned her JD from Loyola Law School and her Master of Library and Information Science from San Jose State University.
Congratulations to Dean Jaque on her new role at Gould.
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| Preston Ascherin |
Preston Ascherin has expanded his responsibilities to oversee the Externships program as externships director, effective July 1.
In his new position, he leads the externships program, filling the role that Laura Riley vacated as she transitions into her faculty position teaching lawyering skills. Professor Ascherin has worked part-time for the law school since May 2019 as outreach director for the USC Gould Center for Dispute Resolution, a role he will continue alongside his new responsibilities. He is also an adjunct professor of law, teaching legal writing.
In addition to his work at USC Gould, Professor Ascherin is also a partner in the Consumer Financial Services Group at Akerman LLP, where he has practiced since 2010. He obtained his JD from UCLA School of Law and his BA in economics from the USC Dornsife School for Letters, Arts and Sciences.
Congratulations to Professor Ascherin on his new role.
Professor Robin Craig will join the USC Gould faculty starting July 1, 2021.
Professor Craig comes to us from the University of Utah College of Law with an array of scholarly and teaching experience, including environmental law, ocean and coastal law, water law, toxic torts, administrative law, property, and civil procedure. She previously taught at Lewis & Clark School of Law in Portland, Ore.; Western New England College School of Law in Springfield, Mass.; Indiana University-Indianapolis School of Law; and the Florida State University College of Law in Tallahassee, Fla. Her research focuses on “all things water,” including the Clean Water Act and the impact of climate change on freshwater resources and oceans. Professor Craig earned her JD at Lewis & Clark School of Law, and holds a PhD in English literature from UC Santa Barbara.
While we will have to wait a year until Professor Craig is with us, we celebrate her decision to join us.
Kyle Jones, associate dean, dean of students, and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion, accepted a new opportunity as the dean of student services at the University of California, Irvine law school. Dean Jones’ last day at USC Gould was July 2, 2020.
It is bittersweet when a member of our law school community finds new opportunities, but we are overjoyed for Dean Jones’ new adventure. Dean Jones has contributed much to our community over many years, starting at Gould as a law student, graduating in 1998 and returning to work for the law school in 2004. He was hired as director of registration and records into what was then called the enrollment services office. Dean Jones assumed the role of dean of students in September 2014.
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| Yasmine McMorrin |
While a national search to fill Dean Jones’ sizeable shoes is underway, Yasmine McMorrin has generously agreed to step into the role of interim dean of students and director of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her willingness to take on this responsibility ensures that the work of the student support office will continue without interruption. Interim Dean McMorrin joined the student support office in 2016 and since then, has been instrumental in a variety of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, as well as wellness initiatives. In 2018, she founded Gould Community Conversations, an initiative providing students, staff and faculty a venue to discuss sensitive topics and to cultivate compassion and understanding. She has also coordinated the law school’s JD study abroad activities.
Interim Dean McMorrin is a trained attorney with strong experience in the legal profession. After earning her JD at Rutgers School of Law, she worked as a law clerk and as an associate at a law firm in New Jersey before coming to Gould. We are fortunate to have someone of her background and experience.
We thank Dean Jones for his many years of service to the law school and the support he provided, and heartily congratulate Interim Dean McMorrin on her new role at the law school.
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