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IU McKinney Dean Karen E. Bravo is one of the women featured in a coloring book published by the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Women in the Law Division. All Rise: Stand-up Women in Hoosier History includes a page about Dean Bravo’s leadership of the law school. She became dean in 2020 and is the first person of color and only the second woman in the history of the law school to serve in this role.

The coloring book also highlights the following IU McKinney alumnae:

Cyndi Carrasco, J.D. ’06, is Indiana’s first Latina state senator and the first woman to serve as Inspector General. She also served as executive director of the State Ethics Commission.

Professor Emerita Fran Watson, J.D. ’80, was the first Marion County Public Defender and later founded the Wrongful Conviction Clinic at IU McKinney. She’s regarded as a trailblazer in the legal community for her steadfast advocacy and work to make advancements within the criminal justice system.

The Honorable Jane Magnus-Stinson, J.D. ’83, was nominated by President Barack Obama to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana. Prior to this, she served the U.S. District Court as a magistrate judge. She also was twice elected judge of the Marion County Superior Court.

The Honorable Robyn Moberly, J.D. ’78, was the first female judge of Indiana’s Bankruptcy Court. Prior to her appointment, she served as a general practitioner for 17 years, then as a judge for 16 years on the Superior Court bench in Indianapolis, where she presided over the major felony and civil courts.

The Honorable Dana Kenworthy, J.D. ’01, was appointed to the Indiana Court of Appeals, resulting in the first-ever female majority in the court’s history. Prior to her appointment, she served as a trial court judge in Grant County, and as a deputy prosecutor there.

The Honorable Melissa May, J.D. ’84, was appointed to the Indiana Court of Appeals in 1998. She has been active in local, state, and national bar associations and bar foundations. In addition, she teaches trial practice as an adjunct professor at IU McKinney.

The Honorable Patricia Riley, J.D. ’74, served on the Indiana Court of Appeals for 30 years. She worked as a deputy prosecutor and as a public defender before being elected judge in Jasper County. In addition, she served as a co-founder of the Legal Aid Center in Eldoret, Kenya.

The Honorable Margret Robb, J.D. ’78, was appointed to the Indiana Court of Appeals in 1998 and was the first woman elected chief judge in the court’s history. Prior to her appointment to the Court, Judge Robb practiced law in Lafayette for 20 years and served as a Chapter 11, 12 and a standing Chapter 7 bankruptcy trustee for the Northern District of Indiana.  

The Honorable Leanna Weissmann, J.D. ’94, was appointed to the Indiana Court of Appeals in 2020. She was in private practice for more than 20 years previously, representing criminal and civil defendants in appellate litigation.

The Honorable Cynthia Ayers, J.D. ‘82, is the first black woman elected to the bench in Marion County. She served as a master commissioner in Marion County courts prior to her election. She teaches professional responsibility as an adjunct professor at IU McKinney.

Martha Hoover, J.D. ’80, is a pioneer in the farm-to-table food movement and is an acclaimed entrepreneur and restaurateur. There are a dozen restaurants under Hoover’s Won’t Stop Hospitality, Inc. umbrella. Her Patachou Foundation delivers meals to food-insecure children in Indianapolis. A member of the IU McKinney Board of Visitors, she delivered the 2019 graduation celebration address for IU McKinney students.

IU McKinney alumnae who are members of the division who worked to bring the coloring book to fruition include Rani Amani, J.D. ’21, who is an associate at Ice Miller; Marion County Superior Court Magistrate Judge Polly Beeson, J.D. ’08; Andrea Ciobanu of Ciobanu Law, J.D. ’10; Olivia Hess, J.D. ’20, who is an associate at Clark Quinn Moses Scott & Grahn; and Marion County Superior Court Judge Helen Marchal, J.D. ’96. The book was designed and illustrated by Natalie Marchal.