• Pace University appointed David Yassky dean of Pace Law School, effective April 1, 2014. He succeeded Michelle S. Simon, who served as dean for the past seven years and will return as a full-time faculty member.
A graduate of Yale Law School and Princeton University, Yassky most recently served for four years in the Bloomberg administration as Chair of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. Yassky also served for eight years in the New York City Council. Before election to the Council, Yassky had a distinguished legal career in government service, private practice and academia.
In 1998, Yassky joined the faculty of Brooklyn Law School, specializing in administrative law and constitutional law. His scholarship on the Bill of Rights has been published in leading law reviews and has been cited widely in academic journals and judicial opinions. He has also taught at NYU Law School, and has published more than 20 op-ed articles in New York daily newspapers.
• Donald B. Tobi is the tenth dean of the University of Maryland’s Francis King Carey School of Law. Tobin succeeds Phoebe Haddon, who is the new chancellor at Rutgers-Camden.
Tobin comes to University of Maryland from Ohio State University where he was the John C. Elam/Vorys Sater Professor of Law at the Michael E. Moritz College of Law. During his 13 years at the Moritz College of Law, Tobin held numerous academic appointments that include: Founding Co-Director of the Program on Law and Leadership, Associate Dean for Faculty, and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
Professor Tobin’s’ scholarly work has earned him national recognition as a leading expert on the intersection of tax and campaign finance laws. Tobin received his JD degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.
• Alberto Gonzales, former U.S. attorney general in President George W. Bush’s administration, has been named dean of Belmont University’s nearly 3-year-old law school.
Gonzales, U.S. attorney general from 2005 to 2007, joined Belmont in 2012 as a chairman of the new school shortly after it opened in fall 2011. He has taught constitutional law courses while also serving as counsel at Nashville’s Waller law firm.
His appointment as dean, effective June 1, comes after founding dean Jeff Kinsler opted to return to a full-time faculty position.
Gonzales has taught courses in constitutional law, separation of powers, national security law and First Amendment law. As dean, Gonzales will serve as the chief academic and executive officer for Belmont’s College of Law and will be responsible for the program’s leadership, financial management, personnel administration, and planning and development for the college.
• Faulkner University has named Matt A. Vega the new dean of the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law,, replacing Charles I. Nelson, who retired after 10 years of service to the school.
Vega joined the faculty of Faulkner’s Jones School of Law in 2007, and is a graduate of the Yale Law School where he earned his J.D. degree in 1993. While there he served as the executive editor of the Yale Journal of Regulation and as a member of the Yale Moot Court Board. He earned his B.A. degree from Freed-Hardeman University in 1990.
Vega will focus his attention to building relationships outside of the school and developing curriculum that is innovative and prepares students for the complex and competitive environments.
