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IU McKinney has more than 800 global alumni, 791 of whom are graduates of the law school’s Master of Laws program, representing more than 70 countries. The Dean’s Global Advisory Council seeks to gather the wisdom of these alumni to advise the school regarding global programs and relationships, help assess the law school’s partnerships across the world, and build on initiatives to help enhance IU McKinney’s reputation as a member of the global legal community. The council was formed in 2021.

“The law school is proud of its network of alumni, including those who live in Indiana and our alumni throughout the world,” said IU McKinney Dean Karen E. Bravo. “The achievements of the inaugural members of the Dean’s Global Advisory Council are truly inspirational, as is their dedication and commitment to IU McKinney. I look forward to working with them as we strengthen and enhance our bonds around the globe.”

A total of 22 alumni have volunteered to serve on the council, which is led by three officers. Leading the group are Chair Shishir Deshpande, LL.M. ’06; Chair-elect Achim Foerster, LL.M. ’06; and Secretary Mosun Oke, LL.M. ’18, S.J.D. candidate. In the photo from left are Deshpande, Foerster, and Oke.

"In a time when a global pandemic and rising international tensions threaten to drive us further apart, IU McKinney stands apart by working together to further strengthen our global alumni relationships,” said Assistant Dean of Gradate Programs Miki Pike Hamstra. “Collaborating with the IU McKinney deans and global alumni leaders to establish this inaugural DGAC has been a privilege because the important work of promoting justice and international engagement has become even more important at this moment in history. Building a global community is one of our proudest legacies and a cornerstone in fighting for equity – it will continue to shape the future of IU McKinney.”

Deshpande said he noted other Indiana University schools had similar councils and spoke with Assistant Dean of Graduate Programs Miki Pike Hamstra. He’s a commercial and civil litigation attorney with an independent practice concentrating on writ and appellate litigation in the Supreme Court of India in New Delhi.  He serves as president of IUAA Dehli chapter and is a member of the IUAA Executive Council. “I felt a lot of us, who graduated 10 to 12 years ago, had been disconnected from the school,” Deshpande said. He wants the council to provide a means for alumni to share their current professional experience and discuss how the legal profession has changed or developed in their home countries since completing their legal educations at IU McKinney and returning home.

“It’s an honor to be nominated to be the chair,” Deshpande said. “I truly appreciate the opportunity to create a vision for the council on how the alumni can effectively contribute to the school, as well as connect with one another and current students.”

Connection is top-of-mind for Chair-elect Achim Foerster, LL.M. ’06. He’s vice president for academic affairs and professor of copyright law, media law and media policy at the University of Applied Science Wuerzburg-Schweinfurt in Germany. “IU McKinney has a strong record in attracting and educating international legal talent and has established a distinguished and diverse international alumni base,” Foerster said. “I am confident the Dean's Global Advisory Council will assist the school in reaching out to its international alumni and in further strengthening the school's international reputation. I am excited to support my alma mater and it is an honor and privilege to serve among fellow alumni as chair-elect of the Council.”

Mosun Oke, LL.M. ’18 and an S.J.D. candidate at IU McKinney, serves as council secretary. She is a corporate attorney in Nigeria with expertise in corporate reorganization, regulatory compliance, corporate finance, capital markets, intellectual property, and technology law. She appreciates the law school’s commitment to international outreach. “"My first impression on the first day of setting foot in IU McKinney’s atrium was the array of flags, which felt both welcoming and reassuring,” Oke said. “It also emphasized McKinney's commitment to including cultural perspectives in its learning environment. I continue to be impressed by the caliber of people I meet in the IU McKinney community. I am honored to be a member of the advisory council, and I hope that, together with other board members, we can continue to strengthen connections between alumni and to assist in growing IU McKinney’s outreach potential.”

Council members include:

• Stephen Akard, J.D. ’89, partner at Bose McKinney & Evans
• Rakan Alharbi, S.J.D. ’17, assistant professor of law at King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
• Ahmed A. Altawayan, S.J.D. ’17, who specializes in commercial arbitration, Islamic finance, and Saudi law
• Anne Slaughter Andrew, J.D. ’83, former U.S. ambassador
• Islam A. Attia, LL.M. ’16, Ph.D. candidate in international law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva
• Fernanda Beraldi, LL.M. ’15, senior director, ethics and compliance at Cummins Inc.
• Xiangshun Ding, LL.M. ’06; S.J.D. ’19, professor of law at Renmin University of China Law School
• Aline Fagundes, LL.M. ’17, judge and professor at the Center of Judicial Agreement in the 4th Regional Labor Court of Appeals in Brazil
• Artyom Geghamyan, LL.M. ’07, corporate lawyer in Armenia and general counsel for Valex Group
• Rahma Hersi, LL.M. ’08, Islamic finance lawyer based in Kenya and advocate for economic justice in Africa
• Linh N. Ho, LL.M. ’16, government official in the Multilateral Trade Negotiations Department of Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade
• Irene Victoria Massimini, LL.M. ’05, S.J.D. candidate, human rights lawyer, professor, and activist who teaches at National University of Tres de Febrero and the National University of José C. Paz in Argentina
• Mark L. Shope, J.D. ’12, assistant professor of law at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University of Law in Taiwan
• Tian Feng, LL.M. ’06, corporate lawyer, arbitrator, and professor at Beijing Institute of Technology and a study fellow at Jian University in China, currently serving as general counsel of Huafa Group
• Shalva Tskhakaya, LL.M. ’08, founder and partner at GLCC law firm in Tbilisi, Georgia
• Phan Vu, LL.M. ’20, civil servant specializing in corporate and commercial law in Vietnam
• Yongquiang Yu, LL.M. ’05, senior partner and member of the managing committee of JunHe LLP in Beijing
• Wei Zhang, LL.M. ’07, vice president of 360 Security Technology Inc. in China
• Xunfei Zhang, LL.M. ’06, attorney at PICC Property and Casualty Insurance Company in China