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Johanna Leblanc, ’16, has been named to the National Bar Association’s 40 Under 40 Class for 2021. She is senior advisor to Haiti's Ambassador to the United States and Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Washington, D.C., where she promotes Haiti’s interests before Congress, the White House, and financial institutions. She also serves as a national security and foreign affairs legal analyst. She appears on television across Africa and the Middle East regularly for commentary on foreign policy-related matters. In addition, Leblanc consults on political and national security through her own consulting firm.

Professor George Edwards nominated Leblanc for the honor along with Carlton Waterhouse, a former professor at IU McKinney who is on leave from Howard University School of Law while he serves as Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Land and Emergency Management for the Environmental Protection Agency. In his nomination, Professor Edwards noted all of Leblanc’s accomplishments at IU McKinney and her career path thus far. Prior to her work for Haiti’s Ambassador, she served as Vice Chair of the Commission on African Affairs for the Washington, D.C., Mayor's Office.

“Ms. Leblanc demonstrated a commitment to service in marginalized communities, to promoting the rule of law, and to encouraging human rights protections, as a Fellow in the Program in International Human Rights Law (PIHRL), which I founded at Indiana University McKinney School of Law,” Professor Edwards said. “For two consecutive years, Ms. Leblanc received substantial scholarships through PIHRL, which supported her travel to various countries in Asia and Africa to intern for human rights non-governmental organizations as a Fellow. For her first fellowship, she was based in Thailand, and then South Africa. The following year, she was based in the Kingdom of Swaziland (now Eswatini), Ghana, and Malawi, and traveled to Zambia and Lesotho. Furthermore, Ms. Leblanc participated in our law school’s Guantanamo Project that sent her to monitor hearings at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the Pentagon, and Ft. Belvoir  in Virginia. She now serves on our Guantanamo Project’s Advisory Council. Through Ms. Leblanc’s participation in IU McKinney’s programs, she positively impacted many individuals and institutions around the globe.”

"I am incredibly honored by this prestigious recognition,” said Leblanc. “I wish to thank Professor George Edwards and Professor Carlton Waterhouse--two mentors I admire greatly--for the nomination and most importantly, for believing in me.  I also thank God for guiding my path. As a young professional, this award is a reminder that even when I cannot always see the light at the end of the tunnel I am on the right path. I will continue to utilize my legal education to advance humanity through progressive domestic and foreign policy."