Serving at Temple University as a distinguished educator and leader for more than three decades, JoAnne A. Epps has been a member of Temple’s faculty since 1985. Epps served as dean of the Law School from 2008 to 2016.
In July 2016, she assumed the role of executive vice president and provost of Temple University. As Temple’s chief academic officer, she oversees all academic policies and activities of the university.
Epps is author and co-author of several books and articles on evidence and trial advocacy. Among her many accomplishments, she was honored by The Legal Intelligencer as a Distinguished Leader in her field in June 2017 and in May 2017, she received the Consular Award on Italian National Day by the Consulate General of Italy and the Inaugural JoAnne Epps Award by the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia.
In November 2016, Epps was honored by The Philadelphia Inquirer as one of the inaugural class members of the Philadelphia Business Hall of Fame. In 2015, the National Association of Women Lawyers presented her with the M. Ashley Dickerson Award for her work toward diversity in the legal profession.
In 2014, Epps was awarded the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Diversity Award by the Philadelphia Bar Association and in 2009 received the Association’s Sandra Day O’Connor Award for her efforts to advance women in the profession and the community. A three-time honoree by Lawyers of Color Magazine as one of the 100 most influential Black lawyers in the country, Epps was named by National Jurist Magazine in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 as one of the 25 most influential people in legal education commemorating Black History Month, in February 2015, Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr. honored Epps at the U.S. Senate.
She serves on several non-profit boards, is a director for the American Bar Association Retirement Funds, a member of the Philadelphia Board of Ethics, and is the court-appointed monitor of the settlement of the lawsuit challenging Philadelphia’s stop and frisk activity. From March 2015 until January 2017, Epps chaired a Police Community Oversight Board created by Mayor Michael Nutter. Epps is a former deputy city attorney for the City of Los Angeles and assistant U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree from Trinity College in Hartford, CN and a J.D. from Yale Law School in New Haven, CN.
In recent interview with this magazine, Epps had this to say: There have been so many moments in my life that have influenced and shaped my path. I suppose the most defining moment was when a college advisor suggested I consider going to law school instead of pursuing my plan which was to become a legal secretary. Until that moment, I hadn’t thought of becoming a lawyer.
Sometimes that was about being a woman; sometimes it was about being a woman of color. I have found the key to overcoming those challenges is to be unexpectedly capable. If you are good at what you do, it’s harder for people to pull you down.
Impacting the community: In terms of improving the lives of the greatest number of people, I’d have to point to my work with lawyers representing victims of the Darfur crisis. But I hope that any service I’ve performed has had two types of impact: First is the actual service performed (cleaning, mentoring, etc.); second is signaling to the community that everyone can care and everyone can help even if you’re not part of that particular community. The second kind of impact has the potential to be more long-lasting.
Bridging the gap: Knowledge. Information. Shared experiences. We can’t bridge a gap if we can’t see across it. Therefore, one key to bringing Africans, African Americans and Caribbean together is encouraging us to open our minds (and our hearts) to people whose history and cultures are different from ours. Discover the things we have in common. Learn about things that are new. In this way, we can find our shared dreams, and maybe even find ways to work together to make those dreams a reality. Now that would be a wonderful thing.
