Please RSVP by Fri Jan 17, 2025
Our honoree for the 2025 O'Connor Justice Prize, Her Excellency Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, will be hosting a fireside chat on Friday, January 24 during the lunch hour in room 544. The event will be moderated by our SBA president, Princewill Ekwuribe
About the prize and honoree
The O'Connor Justice Prize Award is administered by the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and was established in 2014 to honor the legacy of the school's namesake, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. It recognizes those who have made extraordinary efforts to advance rule of law, justice and human rights.
Known as "Africa's Iron Lady," Johnson Sirleaf gained international acclaim for her leadership during Liberia's Ebola Crisis and post-civil war recovery. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 and received the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Mo Ibrahim Prize. Her political career began in the 1960s and 1970s, culminating in her appointment as Minister of Finance in 1979. After fleeing amid a coup, she founded a Liberian NGO in exile. Returning to Liberia, she became president in 2005 and served two terms, aiding national rebuilding and facilitating a peaceful transfer of power in 2018. "Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's leadership and dedication to justice embody the spirit of the O'Connor Justice Prize," said Stacy Leeds, Dean of the College of Law. Johnson Sirleaf is also a member of The Elders, serves on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation's advisory council, and co-chairs the WHO's pandemic response panel. She founded the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development to promote women's leadership.
You may submit questions for the honoree to be shared with the moderator in advance of the event.
Lunch will be provided.