Alumni Distinguished Achievement Awards

Laurie Herman receives Herberger College alumni award

Each year, the Herberger College Alumni Chapter recognizes a graduate whose professional accomplishments have brought honor and distinction to the individual and to the college.

This year, the chapter has named Laurie Herman (B.F.A., ’82; J.D., ’86) its 2006 Distinguished Alumna.

Herman might have chosen the road less traveled after she earned her B.F.A. in dance, but the link between her career as a criminal defense lawyer and the arts is simple.

“A lot of my interest in criminal defense stemmed from the performance aspect,” she admitted. “It’s in a courtroom setting, where you’re in public, performing for a jury, for a judge. It’s not acting per se – it’s trying to present something in its best light.”

Even though Herman runs a full-time legal practice and serves as a judge in both Tempe and Mesa municipal courts, she remains faithful to her first love: dance and the arts.

For three years, Herman was co-president of the Herberger College Alumni Chapter, doubling the size of the alumni board. She is also a member of the dean’s council and has endowed two fine arts scholarships to support students in Dance and Theatre.

Herman also serves her community through her talents and time. She aids the Arizona Lost Boys Center and she works with high school mock-trial teams and teaches law classes at Paradise Valley Community College.

“What’s the point of living if you can’t give something back?” asked Herman.