Sarah Stafford Participates in Festschrift in Honor of Former W&M President Verkuil

by Ami Dodson |  October 27, 2010
On October 18, 2010, Professor Sarah L. Stafford presented a paper at a Festschrift in honor of Paul R. Verkuil, who is leaving his position at Cardozo Law School to become the Chair of the Administrative Conference of the United States.  The Festschrift was a day-long celebration of Verkuil’s many accomplishments, showcasing leading figures from the academy and the government who presented papers or spoke in his honor.

Stafford is the Paul R. Verkuil Distinguished Professor of Public Policy, Economics and Law, an endowed chair founded in honor of the former William & Mary President.  Stafford says she was honored to be asked to participate in the Festschrift.  “As an economist, I felt my presence was a testament to the accessibility of Verkuil's scholarship and his long-standing commitment to interdisciplinary scholarship.”  Stafford received her B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University in 1990 and her Ph.D. in Economics from the Johns Hopkins University in 1998, the same year in which she joined the Department of Economics at William & Mary.  This fall, she was appointed to the law school faculty as well.

Verkuil was the twenty-fifth president of the College of William & Mary and a member of the William & Mary Class of 1961.  He began his academic career at the University of North Carolina Law School and later served as dean of Tulane Law School (1978-1985), president of the College of William & Mary (1985-1992), and dean of the Cardozo Law School (1997-2001). From 1992 to 1995, he was president and CEO of the American Automobile Association.  He remained on the faculty at Cardozo Law School after stepping down as Dean, and has now been appointed by the Obama Administration to Chair the Administrative Conference of the United States.  His mission there will be to bring efficiency, standards and fairness to government agencies.