Replaces H. Reese Hansen
Academic Vice President Alan L. Wilkins has announced the appointment of Kevin J Worthen as the new dean of the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University.
Worthen, a professor of law who has been serving as associate dean for academic affairs since 1999, replaces H. Reese Hansen, who will return to full-time teaching and research.
"Kevin Worthen is well-prepared for his new assignment as dean," said Wilkins. "He is known by all who work with him as personable, thoughtful and persuasive. His work as associate dean in the law school and as the faculty athletic representative have given him experience with both the law school and with issues and people that span the university."
Said Dean Hansen, "Kevin Worthen brings to his new assignment a remarkable combination of outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, proven administrative abilities, sound judgment and exceptional personal skills. He will provide the strong leadership required for the law school to reach its full potential."
"Reese Hansen will be sorely missed," Wilkins added. "He has shouldered a significant administrative burden at the law school since its early days and has served as dean for the past 15 years. Dean Hansen has been an articulate advocate for the programs of the law school and has served with distinction as a member of the Deans Council.
"His articulate opinions and thoughtful perspective have contributed immensely not only to the law school but to the entire university," Wilkins said.
Worthen received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from BYU in 1979 and subsequently graduated first in his class, summa cum laude, from the J. Reuben Clark Law School in 1982, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif.
He was a law clerk to Justice Byron R. White of the U.S. Supreme Court from 1983-1984 before joining the Phoenix law firm of Jennings, Strouss & Salmon.
Worthen became a member of the BYU law faculty in 1987 and was a Fulbright scholar at the University of Chile Law School in Santiago during fall semester 1994.
He is a nationally recognized expert on American Indian law and the impact of law on indigenous peoples.
Worthen currently serves as chair of the Utah State Constitutional Revision Commission, and he is a member of the Arizona State Bar Association, the InterAmerican Bar Association and the Federal Bar Association.
Writer: Cecelia Fielding
