Kathlene Rosier wins inaugural award for unwavering commitment to Native American students

Kathlene Rosier, assistant dean for community engagement and the executive director of the Indian Legal Program at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, has won a national award for her commitment to creating equity in the legal profession. 

Rosier will be honored with the Community Keeper Award at the inaugural Justice is Medicine Awards hosted by the National Native American Bar Association. The Community Keeper Award recipient is selected for their demonstration of “an unwavering commitment to advancing justice, equity, and the well-being of Native American peoples through the legal profession,” according to the NNABA. 

The 2024 award will be presented on April 3 at the Sandia Resort in Albuquerque.

“I am thrilled to be the first person to receive this honor from the National Native American Bar Association,” said Rosier, a member of Comanche Nation. “It is a privilege to work with students every day to ensure that the future of our profession is in the best hands. Having worked with over a thousand Native students during my time at ASU Law, I have no doubt that it is.”

She has worked with Native students from 2000 to 2011 and again since 2014. She has led ILP’s recruitment and retention efforts since 2014, and was integral in launching the Native American Pathway to Law Initiative in 2015 to encourage more Native students to join the field through admissions guidance and LSAT prep.

Rosier previously served as assistant general counsel for the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and worked as a tribal prosecutor for the Gila River Indian Community. She is a former president of the Native American Bar Association of Arizona.

Written by Lindsay Walker