Welcoming Alicia Ouellette, Jordan D. Schnitzer Dean of Lewis & Clark Law School

Lewis & Clark Law School welcomed its twelfth dean on January 2, 2025, ushering in a new chapter for the school’s leadership.

A leader in legal education, Ouellette is a longtime believer in the transformational impact of law school on the lives of students and graduates. She is also a champion of legal education as a driver of positive change in communities and in society.

“Lewis & Clark’s established programs, expertise and reputation among law schools, allow us to attract the brightest and best students. I see tremendous opportunities to grow our reputation and leverage its existing but lesser known strengths in teaching, scholarship, academic and clinical programs, and alumni networks,“ said Ouellette.

The first six months, Ouellette plans to concentrate on “listening and learning” as she meets with students, faculty, staff and alumni of the institution. “The listening process will be part of one of my priorities: working with the law school community to vision and adopt our own law school-specific strategic plan,” she added.

Ouellette’s scholarship focuses on health law, bioethics, disability rights, children’s rights, and human reproduction. Her book, Bioethics and Disability: Toward a Disability Conscious Bioethics, was published in 2011 by Cambridge University Press. She has authored numerous articles published in academic journals such as the American Journal of Law and Medicine, American Journal of Bioethics, Nevada Law Journal, Hastings Law Journal, Indiana Law Journal, and Oregon Law Review. She has presented to distinguished audiences around the globe, including at the Yale School of Medicine and the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Ouellette previously served as president and dean of Albany Law School for nine years. At Albany Law School, Ouellette oversaw the execution of a transformative strategic plan, the fulfillment of an institutional affiliation with the University at Albany, the expansion into online graduate programs, and the completion of a record-setting fundraising campaign. Under her leadership, the school raised $33 million as part of a capital campaign, expanded its endowment by $21 million, and secured a $15 million gift from a single donor that endowed the law school’s Clinic and Justice Center.

Prior to her appointment as president and dean of Albany Law, Ouellette served as associate dean for academic affairs and intellectual life and a professor of law. Before joining Albany Law school in 2001, Ouellette was an assistant solicitor general in the New York State Attorney General’s Office and a law clerk to the Honorable Howard A. Levine at the New York Court of Appeals.

Ouellette received her AB (cum laude) from Hamilton College, and graduated magna cum laude in 1994 from Albany Law School, where she was editor in chief of the Albany Law Review.