ONEONTA _ Hartwick College has announced that Cyrus Mehri of the class of 1983 will be this year’s commencement speaker
Mehri, a founding partner of the law firm Mehri & Skalet, will address the class of 2009 during the ceremony beginning at 11:30 a.m, May 23, on Elmore Field.
Mehri testified in September before the Senate Judiciary Committee alongside Supreme Court plaintiff Lilly Ledbetter about pay equity and the need to diversify the pools of candidates considered for the federal bench.In October, Mehri released a paper, 21st Century Tools for Advancing Equal Opportunity: Recommendations for the Next Administration, with the American Constitution Society.The Lilly Ledbetter bill became the first legislation signed into law by President Obama.
After receiving his degree from Hartwick, Mehri graduated from Cornell Law School in 1988 and clerked for U.S. District Judge John T. Nixon for the Middle District of Tennessee. Today, he serves as co-lead counsel in numerous consumer and civil rights class-action lawsuits.
Mehri has served as class counsel in some of the largest race and discrimination class-action lawsuits in U.S. history, including those against Texaco Inc., The Coca-Cola Company and Morgan Stanley. These led to multimillion-dollar settlements that included sweeping reforms of pay and promotions policies.
Recognized among fellow professionals and the public alike, Mehri has been praised by The New York Times, who said his “vision for corporate America involves sweeping change, not the piece-meal kind.” Fast Company called him “a one-man army in the battle against business as usual. His impact—both in terms of penalties and remedies — is undeniable."
Mehri’s numerous awards include the Distinguished Visitor award from the Miami-Dade County Office of the Mayor and Board of County Commissioners and the prestigious Award of Excellence from the Pigskin Club of Washington, DC. He also is the recipient of Hartwick’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award and founded the Cyrus Mehri Global Pluralism Award, which funds the work of Hartwick students and faculty in on-campus projects and activities that share diverse perspectives.
In 2003, the Detroit City Council honored Mehri with a resolution commending his success in “changing the fabric of America.” In 1997 and again in 2001, he was named a finalist by Trial Lawyers for Public Justice for the organization’s Trial Lawyer of the Year award for his work on the Texaco and Coca-Cola lawsuits.
In 2004, he joined the National Council of Women’s Organizations to announce Women on Wall Street, a project focusing on gender discrimination in financial institutions. In 2002, he co-released the report Black Coaches in the National Football League: Superior Performance, Inferior Opportunities, which became the catalyst for the NFL’s creation of a Workplace Diversity Committee and the adoption of a comprehensive diversity program.
In January of this year, he announced the Madison Avenue Project with the NAACP to focus on equal opportunity in that influential industry.
Adding to his list of accomplishments, Mehri also authored of a series of articles on securities enforcement and corporate governance, is a frequent guest on radio and TV, and is a guest columnist for Diversity Inc.
inactive
March 16, 2009
Hartwick names graduation speaker
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Motorist rolls truck, charged with drunken driving
A motorist who continued driving after his truck rolled 360 degrees in Summit early Monday was charged with drunken driving, state police at Cobleskill said.
- Motorist rolls truck, charged with drunken driving A motorist who continued driving after his truck rolled 360 degrees in Summit early Monday was charged with drunken driving, state police at Cobleskill said.
- Mary Lorraine Hawkins RICHFIELD SPRINGS _ Mary Lorraine Hawkins, 85, went to be with the Lord on Monday, May 10, 2010, she was at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown.
- Area briefs: Video on natural gas drilling to be presented COPES CORNERS _ The Concerned Citizens of the Butternut Valley will sponsor a video presentation about natural gas drilling at 7 p.m. today at Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School at 693 State Highway 51.
- Area briefs: Video on natural gas drilling to be presented COPES CORNERS _ The Concerned Citizens of the Butternut Valley will sponsor a video presentation about natural gas drilling at 7 p.m. today at Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School at 693 State Highway 51.
- Evelyn E. Kinney MORRIS _ Evelyn E. Kinney, 81, of Morris, passed away Jan. 17, 2010.
- Frost may have damaged plantings Traces of a visit by Jack Frost overnight might leave severe damage to plant life in Otsego, Delaware and Chenango counties, weather officials said Monday.
- Daisy Wagner Schultz WALTON _ Daisy Meda Wagner Schultz, 65, of Walton, passed away unexpectedly Sunday evening, May 9, 2010, at home.
- Frost may have damaged plantings Traces of a visit by Jack Frost overnight might leave severe damage to plant life in Otsego, Delaware and Chenango counties, weather officials said Monday.
- Edward Luke Ryder MOUNT VISION _ Edward Luke Ryder, 71, passed away Monday, May 10, 2010, at his home.
- Police probe apparent murder-suicide WALTON _ An apparent murder-suicide shooting is being investigated by the Walton Police Department, the state police and the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, Walton Police Officer Brian Laauser said Monday. The shootings occurred at 32 Union Street at about 10 p.m. Sunday, police said.
- Police probe apparent murder-suicide WALTON _ An apparent murder-suicide shooting is being investigated by the Walton Police Department, the state police and the Delaware County Sheriff's Department, Walton Police Officer Brian Laauser said Monday. The shootings occurred at 32 Union Street at about 10 p.m. Sunday, police said.
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3 area lawyers say Kagan likely to be confirmed
Elena Kagan is likely to be confirmed as United States Supreme Court justice and seems qualified for the post, according to three area lawyers.
Kagan, the nations solicitor general and a former dean of Harvard Law School, is President Barack Obamas choice to succeed retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. - Alyce H. Roberts ONEONTA _ Alyce H. Roberts, 89, of Oneonta, passed away Sunday, May 9, 2010, at home.
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3 area lawyers say Kagan likely to be confirmed
Elena Kagan is likely to be confirmed as United States Supreme Court justice and seems qualified for the post, according to three area lawyers.
Kagan, the nations solicitor general and a former dean of Harvard Law School, is President Barack Obamas choice to succeed retiring Justice John Paul Stevens. -
Outdoor biking program starts in city
ONEONTA _ An outdoor biking program Tuesday nights has begun in Oneonta.
The group meets at the Brenner Recreational Center near Hodges Pond in Neahwa Park at 5 p.m. -
Outdoor biking program starts in city
ONEONTA _ An outdoor biking program Tuesday nights has begun in Oneonta.
The group meets at the Brenner Recreational Center near Hodges Pond in Neahwa Park at 5 p.m. - Marc E. Guy DELHI _ A graveside memorial service for Marc E. Guy, 79, of Delhi, who passed away Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010, at Hospice of the Golden Isles,
- Bridge work to take place on I-88 today OTEGO _ Crews will be working on bridge maintenance on Interstate 88 eastbound between exit 12 in Otego and exit 13 in Oneonta beginning at 8 a.m. today, a media release said.
- David C. Yager ONEONTA _ Graveside services with military honors for David C. Yager, who passed away Feb. 7, 2010, will be at 1 p.m. Friday, May 14, 2010, in the West Oneonta Cemetery.
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Motorist rolls truck, charged with drunken driving
