The University of Connecticut Law School Alumni Association will honor retired IBM executive Curtis Tearte ’78, disabilities rights advocate Michelle Duprey ’93 and Dean Emeritus Timothy Fisher in an online ceremony on Oct. 13, 2020. Three recent graduates — Dan Brody ’15, Aigné Goldsby ’16 and Lisa Marie Rivas ’11 — will receive the Graduates of the Last Decade Impact Award.
Distinguished Graduate Award: Curtis Tearte ’78
Curtis Tearte is the chairman and founder of the Tearte Family Foundation and a business transformation technology leader. He serves as vice chairman of the Brandeis Board of Trustees and formerly served on the board of the University of Connecticut Law School Foundation. He worked at IBM for more than 30 years, taking on numerous executive roles with responsibility for multiple industry sectors. Mr. Tearte also served on the IBM Worldwide Management Committee.
Public Service Award: Michelle Duprey ’93
Michelle Duprey has been director of the Department of Services for Persons with Disabilities for the City of New Haven for more than 20 years. She is a leader in the field of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and an advocate for diversity and the disabled community. She is a longtime member of the Connecticut Bar Association’s Labor and Employment section and has served as chair of the Human Rights and Responsibilities section. Duprey has also served on multiple statewide committees and non-profit agency boards.
Distinguished Service Award: Timothy Fisher
Timothy Fisher recently joined the faculty at the UConn School ofo Law after serving as dean from 2013 to 2020. Fisher previously work in private practice for 35 years, focusing on the areas of ethics, alternate dispute resolution, commercial transactions, construction law, family wealth disputes and municipal law. In addition, he donated his time to pro bono work relating to prison conditions, speedy criminal appeals, marriage equality and exonerating convicted prisoners.
The association will also honor three alumni with the Graduates of the Last Decade Impact Award. The recipients are:
Dan Brody ’15 is a member of Robinson & Cole’s Litigation Section, president of the Connecticut Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and a board member of the Children’s Law Center of Connecticut. The heart of Brody’s practice is government enforcement matters, white-collar defense and internal investigations. He also donates his time to represent, pro bono, victims of domestic violence. The Connecticut Law Tribune named Brody a New Leader in the Law.
Aigné Goldsby ’16 is a trial attorney for MAPFRE Insurance. She is also the founder and principal of Black Esquire LLC, where she works with Black and minority students pursuing the legal profession to increase their representation. She is the former president of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association and a member of the American Civil Liberties Union of Connecticut’s Board of Directors. Goldsby is also a member of the Steering Committee for the Governor’s Council on Women and Girls.
Lisa Marie Rivas ’11 is a partner with Cramer & Anderson. She focuses on immigration law and has represented international clients, primarily from Latin America and the Caribbean. Rivas focuses her pro bono and volunteer efforts on giving free talks on immigration issues, which has earned her several honors, including a 2016 New Leaders in the Law award from The Connecticut Law Tribune and the Above and Beyond Award from the Hispanic Center of Greater Danbury.
The awards will be presented during the association’s Annual Meeting on Oct. 13, 2020, held online for the first time. More information and a link to register are available here.
The University of Connecticut Law School Alumni Association serves all graduates of the UConn School of Law, cultivating a spirit of community and pride among those who have attended the law school and contributing to the advancement of the law school and the legal profession.
