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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 7m

Our Seattle U trustee and distinguished alum, U.S. District Judge Richard Jones, is one of those champions of justice you cannot help but admire and try to emulate. He has long been a trailblazer who pulled up so many others as he rose,… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

I had the honor this afternoon of catching up for lunch in Bellevue with Governor Gary Locke, a dear friend to Seattle U Law. Governor Locke not only served two terms as WA Governor, but then went on to serve as US Secretary of Commerce, and then US Ambassador to China, the first… 1/3

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I could not be more pleased that Seattle University School of Law alumna Hilary B. Mohr has been appointed as a Bankruptcy Judge for the (Federal) Western District of Washington. www.ca9.uscourts.gov/news/mohr-ap...

ca9.uscourts.gov

Hilary B. Mohr Appointed as Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Washington | United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

So very proud of our Center for Civil Rights & Critical Justice leaders, Exec. Dir. Melissa Lee & Senior Dir. Jessie Levin for being honored yesterday evening by the Washington Innocence Project as Catalysts of Change. A richly deserved honor. We are deeply fortunate to have Jessie & Melissa as… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Great fun to toast the opening of Morrison Foerster’s (MoFo’s) new Seattle office with Seattle University School of Law faculty alum (former ass’t director of our civil rights center) David Perez, MoFo’s litigation chief. Jesuit-educated David… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It's always Nursing & Health Sciences who wilds out. 😝 #MassOfHolySpirit2026

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

One of my favorite of the centuries-old Ignatian traditions at Jesuit unis marking the start of the academic year - our Seattle U Mass of the Holy Spirit, at our Jesuit mother church, Immaculate Conception. Chancellor Father Steve Sundborg presided over a beautiful Mass, and 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Very proud of our alum, Adam Jussel -- the new Chief of Staff to the U of Portland's President.

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It was a privilege to help honor the great Bob Cumbow, Esq. — triple Redhawk, longtime adjunct professor, and one of the most prominent intellectual property attorneys in the country, with this years Seattle U Law TILE Outstanding Alumnus of the Year Award yesterday evening. So richly deserved.

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

What an inspiring 27th Annual Costco Scholarship Fund Breakfast bright and early this morning, featuring Seattle U President Maura Mast & several impressive Seattle U & UW Costco Scholars. Costco’s generosity in funding student scholarships to SU & UW is legendary. 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Learning a lot while attending our annual hybrid Technology, Innovation Law, and Ethics (TILE) Symposium today, focusing on AI ethics, with a spectactular lineup of speakers -- including the great 9th Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown (who also serves now as one of our... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Our amazing Seattle University School of Law Professor Emerita Lisa Brodoff will be performing tomorrow evening with the legendary Righteous Mothers at the 7th Annual Voices for Justice concert at The Triple Door in downtown Seattle. Join me!

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I am not surprised by this lofty placement for Seattle, bested only by New York, London, and Paris, for quality of life, economics, environment, human capital, and governance, in the 2026 Oxford Economics Global Cities Index. 1/2 www.kiro7.com/news/local/s...

kiro7.com

Seattle earns 4th-highest ranking in the world in new study of 1,000 cities

A new study placed Seattle in the top five of a ranking of 1,000 cities based on a variety of factors, including governance, economics, quality of life, and more.

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

It was great for Ass’t Dean Feven Teklu and me to catch up last week with our amazing alum Brett Kobes, JD, MBA, who is a leading personal injury attorney running his own multi-office law firm (Kobes Legal PLLC). A West Point graduate and airborne-qualified Army ranger, it is no surprise… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Manny and I enjoyed hosting a PILF Auction “dinner with the dean” yesterday evening with Jocema Bittencourt and her husband Antonio Calomeni. Jocema is one of our impressive international students, who already holds a Brazilian law degree, and Antonio is a successful software developer. 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I could not be happier that Melissa Lee is the new Executive Director and Jessica Levin is the new Senior Director of our incredible Center for Civil Rights and Critical Justice, after they’ve worked for years to build out the Center, its important work, and meaningful ties… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

A new beautiful work of art on display just outside of my office in the dean’s suite, as a symbol of our extraordinary faculty at Seattle University School of Law. By Prof. Maggie Chon’s partner, Jay Woolford,… 1/4

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Excited to welcome Elizabeth Preston today as our new Seattle U Law dean’s suite executive coordinator. Very impressive credentials, including an MS in Politics and Communication from the London School of Economics and Political Science… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

A delight to return from the East Coast to a blissful afternoon of tubing, s’mores, seal watching, and a delicious dinner at the gorgeous Kitsap Peninsula home of Associate Dean Emerita Joan Duffy Watt and… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Felicidades to Prof. Emile Loza de Siles, the Inaugural AALS Dean’s Fellow, hosted by New York Law School Dean Anthony Crowell. An innovative new AALS initiative to “embed” dean aspirants in law school administration under the tutelage of an experienced dean. 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

HUGE congrats to brother dean Mark Alexander and his extraordinary Villanova Law team for hosting an outstanding 15th Annual Building Pathways to Law School Leadership Workshop, attracting a recordbreaking number of aspirants and legal ed leaders/mentors. Bravo! Next year, back at Seattle U Law.

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Some of the wonderful Latin@ decanal aspirants/"dean curious" registrants at the 15th Annual Seattle U/Villanova U Building Pathways to Law School Leadership Workshop. From L to R, Laura Riley, Emile Loza de Siles, Elizabeth Trujillo, and David Baluarte. Not pictured, but also... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

A joy to be at Villanova U Law for the 15th Annual Building Pathways to Law School Leadership Workshop, & to moderate the Succeeding in the Selection Process (with Deans Anthony Crowell (NYLS), Nicky Boothe - UI Chicago & Lolita Buckner Inniss (U Colorado)), & serve on the... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

I was honored today to serve as Seattle University President Maura Mast’s delegate at the John Carroll University Mass of the Holy Spirit with the Presidential Missioning and Inauguration of President Carolyn Noll Sorg, in University Heights, OH (just outside of Cleveland). 1/3

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I was saddened last week to learn of the sudden passing of Dr. Carole Hughes, a longtime student affairs administrator at Boston College. I met Carole as a student interviewer on the search committee that recommended her hire from BU in 1987 & then had the good… 1/4 www.bc.edu/content/bc-w...

bc.edu

In Memoriam: Carole Hughes

Longtime Student Affairs administrator noted for her perspective on women's careers has died at 65

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

A delight to catch up at the HNBA in DC with former American U Washington College of Law student leader Amanda Molina, who’s forging an extraordinary career, just as I expected. She’s now General Counsel at Honeywell Aerospace Technologies, and a leader in so many other spaces. #ProudProfessor

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

One of the biggest honors of my career will have been introducing our new HNBA National President, my former assoc dean Raquel Matas, before she took her oath of office from another trailblazer, Justice Rosemary Barkett, becoming the first openly lesbian National President of one of the largest… 1/3

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Honored to moderate and serve as a panelist on the HNBA National Convention plenary panel on artificial intelligence, law practice, and legal ed, featuring Mariana Bravo (Carr Maloney, PC), Professor Sergio Campos (Boston College), Dean Christiana Ochoa (Indiana-Bloomington),… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

The trailblazing judge, the Hon. Rosemary Barkett, provided a poignant and beautiful 9/11 remembrance this morning at the start of Day 3 of the HNBA Annual Convention in DC, blending in references to the nation’s 250th year, and how immigrants have been the backbone and sine qua non of America.

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Always a joy to connect with Elon Law’s Krista Contino Saumby, one of the founding members of the HNBA Task Force on Law Professors & Deans I had the honor of co-founding/co-chairing with HNBA President-Elect Raquel Matas 3 years ago, which just this year was promoted into the permanent HNBA… 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Being at the HNBA National Conference in DC allowed me to catch up over lunch with Seattle University School of Law’s illustrious alum Dave Green, the chief legal officer at Microsoft’s revolutionary GitHub developer platform. Dave, who had just spoken at the conference on AI,…

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Just as I was pondering how Seattle U Law is an American Dream law school, so beautifully vivifying our Jesuit, Catholic mission and Ignation traditions of Cura Personalis and Cura Apostolica, I receive an email from our wonderful alumna, Yakima attorney… 1/3 content.govdelivery.com/accounts/WAG...

content.govdelivery.com

Governor Ferguson appoints Bree Black Horse to Yakima County Superior Court

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Honored to speak on the LGBTQ Leadership in Action panel at HNBA National in DC, with such illustrious co-panelists, moderated brilliantly by Brigit Greeson-Alvarez, Esq. So proud of my former student, HNBA LGBT Section Chair Cristian Arango, Esq., for organizing a great Leadership Summit today.

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Honored to return to DC for the national HNBA annual conference, starting with the "Leadership in Action" panel at the HNBA LGBT Division Leadership Summit. Very proud of my former student Cristian A. Arango for doing an outstanding job as LGBT Division Chair. I remember... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

It is only appropriate for us at the start of the new academic year to celebrate as our Seattle U Law Outstanding Staff Colleagues of the Month our Registrar, Ass’t Dean Sheila Underwood, and Associate Registrar Blake Stemen. They are our air traffic controllers, our data and compliance czars,… 1/3

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Great fun to meet and have lunch with Chamber of Connection Co-Founder, TedX Speaker, and Forbes 30 Under 30 innovator Charlotte Massey, who is doing outstanding work in combatting social isolation and all its harms, and promoting community, connection, and social... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Been meaning to upload this screenshot of an excellent national AALS Workshop for Appointment Committees a few weeks ago moderated brilliantly by UIC Law Dean Nicky Boothe and featuring colleagues Profs. Ronnie Gipson Jr. (Penn State), Katherine Macfarlane (Syracuse), and... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Manny and I were honored to host a brunch this morning celebrating Seattle U Law’s Student Bar Association Executive Council. I am very grateful for the hard work of these leaders of leaders, who make our law school’s extracurricular life so rich and vibrant, connected…

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

I agree with Texas A&M Professor Larry Solum's "highly recommended" praise for my colleague Prof. Kip Hustace's forthcoming "Negligence Law as Antidomination in the Second Gilded Age," forthcoming in the DePaul Law Review. Brilliant work. legaltheoryblog.com/2026/08/21/h...

legaltheoryblog.com

Hustace on Negligence Law as Antidomination

Kip M. Hustace (Seattle University School of Law) has posted Negligence Law as Antidomination in the Second Gilded Age (DePaul Law Review, Volume 76, Issue 1) on SSRN. Here is the abstra…

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Such a delight to host a lunch with our new Seattle U Law Review Editor-in-Chief Gaby Sellers and past E-i-C and now prominent healthcare real estate attorney Kurt Kruckeberg. Kurt advanced our law review significantly and in innovative ways during his E-I-C year and he shared much... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

An ancient Chinese proverb says that understanding other languages allows one to see more of the world through different windows. We are blessed with more than 42 windows on the world at Seattle U Law, a global law school where JD, LLM, MLS & SJD students from across the US... 1/3

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

A highlight (for me) of my decanal welcome remarks to all of our wonderful new Seattle U Law students this morning was getting to share with them the poem below by Max Ehrmann, Esq. (1872-1945), an attorney and writer/poet who encapsulated so much wise professional and life advice into his... 1/3

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

What a fantastic day, welcoming our outstanding & record-breaking new classes of Seattle U Law JDs, LLMs, MLSs, and SJDs. For JD alone, the strongest entering credentials by far in our history -- 161 LSAT, 3.64 UGPA -- hailing from across the nation and around the world, from undergrad & grad...1/3

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Enjoying a lunchtime walk on the banks of Lake Washington during the Seattle University deans council retreat at the St. Mary-on-the-Lake Peace & Spirituality Center in Bellevue. I am beyond blessed to get to work with leadership colleagues who so beautifully embody and model... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Could not be prouder of my Seattle U Law colleagues for achieving this national distinction (Top 12 US Law Schools for Tech Law) after strategically expanding & prioritizing programs & presence in tech law just a few years ago. And we've only just begun. Stay tuned... abovethelaw.com/2026/08/the-...

abovethelaw.com

The Best Law Schools For Technology Law (2026) - Above the Law

If you're interested in technology and the law, you need to see this list.

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Thrilled to welcome to Seattle University School of Law our newest f/t faculty appointees Assoc. Prof. Juan Caballero, who joins us from the U of Florida and will be teaching immigration law and related subjects, and Assoc. Prof. Merf Ehman, who joins us from serving as Exec. Dir. of... 1/2

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Tony Varona @tonyvarona.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Very proud of our Seattle University School of Law Center for Civil Rights and Critical Justice on their very informative, and deeply concerning, letter to the Washington Supreme Court. Our Supreme Court is known for how much it values and protects civil rights, equity, and justice. 1/2

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