Dean Camille Nelson

Dean, William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Camille Nelson has long been an outstanding member of the legal community. Prior to her appointment as Dean of the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa | William S. Richardson School of Law Dean Nelson served as Dean of American University Washington College of Law (“WCL”). Prior to her appointment at WCL, she was the first woman and person of color to serve as Dean of Suffolk University Law School in Boston. She was also a Professor of Law at Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, a Dean’s Scholar in Residence and Visiting Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law, and a Professor of Law at Saint Louis University School of Law. She has taught Contracts, Criminal Law, Torts, Critical Race Theory, Comparative Criminal Law, Transnational Law, Criminal Procedure, and Professional Responsibility. Prior to entering academia, Dean Nelson was a litigator at McCarthy Tétrault (a large Canadian law firm), and clerked for Justice Iacobucci of the Supreme Court of Canada.

Dean Nelson’s scholarship focuses on the intersection of critical race theory and cultural studies, with particular emphasis on health law, criminal law and procedure, and comparative law. She has published many impactful articles, chapters, and essays that have appeared in publications such as the Berkeley Journal of Criminal Law, Yale Journal of Law & Feminism, New York University Review of Law & Social Change. She recently served as a co-editor of the Journal of Legal Education of the Association of American Law Schools.

Her scholarship and leadership in higher education has been recognized through a variety of awards and honors. She was recently named among the Top 35 Women in Higher Education by Diverse Issues in Higher Education magazine, and was listed as one of the “Most Influential People in Legal Education” by the National Jurist. Dean Nelson also received the Paul Robeson Distinguished Alumni Award from the Black Law Students Association of Columbia Law School in 2017. In recognition of her leadership in diversity and inclusion, Suffolk University Law School’s annual diversity award has been named in her honor. During her time at Saint Louis University School of Law, she was recognized as both Professor of the year and with a Faculty Excellence Award.