Gould alumnae find positions that use their degrees in meaningful service to others
Cristyn Chadwick (JD 2011) is senior counsel at TroyGould PC, a nationally recognized full-service law firm, and board president of the Survivor Justice Center, a nonprofit serving survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. Fernanda Flores (LLM 2020) is director of the North America and Energy Section at the American Arbitration Association-International Centre for Dispute Resolution (AAA-ICDR), a nonprofit dedicated to helping fund access to conflict resolution. These two USC Gould alumnae have found meaningful leadership roles at the intersection of law, business and public service.
Nearly a decade ago, Chadwick was recruited to the leadership council of the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (now the Survivor Justice Center) by a former classmate, Jenny Farrell (JD 2011).
“I was looking for somewhere to contribute something meaningful,” says Chadwick, who was inspired to continue public interest work after Professor Clare Pastore’s Access to Justice Practicum. “I was active on my firm’s pro bono and community service committees, but that didn’t quite scratch the itch.”
It was a time of growth for the 50-year-old organization, and her enthusiasm to reach more donors and shore up its finances through investments got her elected to the executive board within a couple years of service.
“Sitting on the board of directors is an opportunity to run a business, and to be able not only to serve clients, but to help an organization evolve so that it can execute its vision and better serve those clients from top to bottom — that’s a completely different perspective, and that has been extremely rewarding,” says Chadwick, who earned an MBA in 2021.
As president for the past two years, she took on “a labor of love” when she spearheaded a rebrand of the organization. Its new name was revealed in May. “Part of the idea of the rebrand was: how can we better market our organization so that we can reach a broader donor base and help those donors understand what we do? We wanted our name to reflect the survivors we served, and hoped a large-scale rebrand would pay dividends in terms of increased sponsorship and recognition.”
It did. The organization recently applied for a $1 million grant from Yield Giving, the foundation established by MacKenzie Scott — and got an incredible surprise. “They liked our organization so much, they gave us $2 million.”
After working in Big Law and then as in-house counsel for a CPG company, Chadwick landed at TroyGould a year and half ago where she litigates for Fortune 500 companies and small businesses. She turned down an offer to be COO at another firm because of the culture at TroyGould. “There’s a real focus of our management committee to hire and promote women, and for me, at this point in my career, that was essential.”
As for holding two leadership positions, she admits, “It’s not easy to juggle them, but you make time for things that you care about. And I’ve not found it difficult to make time for the Survivor Justice Center because I feel so passionately about its mission.”
Fernanda Flores, who started at AAA-ICDR in Los Angeles in August, is equally passionate about alternative dispute resolution (ADR). As a civil lawyer in Brazil handling 9,000 cases, she knew there had to be a better way. Driven by a desire to learn more about dispute resolution, a solution pioneered in the United States, she came to USC Gould for her Master of Laws (LLM) degree.
“The ADR program was amazing,” Flores says. “USC attracts students from around the globe, and I gained invaluable insights into how other cultures may approach things, often in ways entirely distinct from practices here in the Americas.”
After graduating, she looked for an organization that shared her values and allowed her to collaborate with international colleagues and clients — that was ICDR, the foremost provider of global conflict-resolution solutions to businesses and organizations involved in cross-border disputes.
“ICDR’s mission centers around advancing access to justice and also enhancing global dispute resolution practices,” she explains, “and they accomplish this by combining education, training and providing legal services.”
Flores’ primary role is business development. “My work involves educating people about ADR and helping them understand why it’s often the best solution for resolving their disputes. I’m also excited to contribute to the expansion of our mediation program.”
“It’s amazing being part of this team that promotes peaceful conflict resolution,” she says. “I always need to identify with a cause, and I really want to see that my job is impacting people’s lives.”
Pointing out that AAA-ICDR was named one of the best nonprofits to work for by The NonProfit Times, Flores praised the organization’s dedication to diversity and recruiting young practitioners, as well as its commitment to social responsibility. For instance, this year the AAA-ICDR Foundation awarded funds to the Western Justice Center. “They offer a range of programs designed to reduce violence threatening students in school and community settings,” Flores says.
Recently, AAA-ICDR held an event in its L.A. office for USC Gould’s LLM students. “We had students from all over the world, many of whom were unfamiliar with ADR. They were fascinated and reached out to me after the event,” Flores says. “So far, this is one of my proudest accomplishments as an alumna, and I’m excited to contribute further to spreading the knowledge and benefits of ADR in collaboration with USC.”
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