Jeff Taylor, member of the NAFUSA Board of Directors and former United
States Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2006 to 2009, joined
ExxonMobil in May 2024 as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary.
Taylor moved to his new position from Fox Corporation, where he was
Executive Vice President and General Counsel. Prior to joining Fox, Taylor was
the Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for General Motors
Co., and General Counsel of Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems. For more
than 15 years he served with the Department of Justice and as Counsel to the
U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Taylor replaces former NAFUSA member Craig Morford who is set to retire in
July after five years as general counsel at ExxonMobil. Morford served more
than 20 years with the Department of Justice including assignments as U.S.
Attorney in Michigan and Tennessee before joining Cardinal Health as their
Chief Legal and Compliance Officer. As some of you may recall, Craig Morford
was the 2005 Bradford Award winner. We wish him well in his retirement and
Jeff congratulations on this new position.
Massachusetts native John Joseph Sullivan has had a long career in
government service. In 1991 he served as Counselor to Assistant Attorney
General J. Michael Luttig in the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal
Counsel. The next year he served as Deputy General Counsel of President
George H.W. Bush’s 1992 re-election campaign. Following several years in
private practice with the Washington D.C. firm Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw,
where he practiced Supreme Court law and co-chaired the firm’s national
security practice, in 2004 he was appointed Deputy General Counsel of the
U.S. Department of Defense. He later moved to the U.S. Commerce
Department where he served as General Counsel and soon after was
nominated by President Bush to serve as Deputy Secretary of Commerce and
sworn in on March 14, 2008, after senate confirmation.
In 2017 he was confirmed as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State after nomination
by Donald Trump and overwhelming senate support for his confirmation. In
October 2019, Sullivan was nominated and confirmed to be the United States
Ambassador to Russia. Following Trump’s departure, incoming President Joe
Biden asked Sullivan to stay on during his term as president, which he did
until family health issues required his return to the U.S in September 2022.
Ambassador Sullivan was on the diplomatic front lines when Russia invaded
Ukraine. He had been warning it would happen for weeks. When troops
crossed the border, he was awakened in the middle of the night with a
prearranged code that meant he needed to collect his bodyguards and get to
the embassy as soon as possible. It meant that the war had begun.
He has written a memoir about his service titled Midnight in Moscow. In it,
Ambassador Sullivan leads readers into the office of the U.S, Embassy in
Moscow and the halls of the Kremlin during possibly the most dangerous
period since World War II. He describes how the Putin regime repeatedly lied
about its intentions regarding Ukraine while devoting huge numbers of
personnel and vast resources to undermine the U.S. diplomatic mission. He
explains his belief that when Putin gave his order on February 24, 2022, Russia
went not just to war with its neighbor but with the United States and everything it represents. His memoir details how the U.S. relationship with Russia deteriorated, and where it is headed.
During the 2024 NAFUSA annual conference in Oklahoma City, John C.
Richter, NAFUSA’s president, will interview Ambassador Sulivan about his
experience and what the future portends vis-à-vis Russia and Putin.
On Friday, May 24 this year, Attorney General Merrick Garland delivered
remarks at a Memorial Event in honor of Stephen J. Pollak. The gathering in the
Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Great Hall honored Pollack who died in
February at the age of 95. Pollak led the Department’s Civil Rights Division
(Division) from 1965 to 1967 and was a key player in many of the cases and
events that marked the civil rights movement in the 1960s and 70s.
On his first day working in the Division, Pollak was deployed to Selma,
Alabama to ensure that state and local officials complied with a federal court
order permitting demonstrators to proceed to the state capital in Montgomery.
The march has been described as a catalyst for passage of the Voting Rights
Act of 1965 in which Pollak played a central role, helping to negotiate the final
draft bill of the federal civil rights law.
He also worked with then Attorney General Robert Kennedy to ensure that
James Meredith was allowed to enroll at the University of Mississippi. He later
served as an Advisor to President Lyndon Johnson and an Assistant to
Solicitor General Archibald Cox. He also served as counsel on President
Johnson’s War on Poverty and drafted the legislation creating the Volunteers in
Service to Amera (VISTA) program. Later, in private practice, he argued 13
cases before the Supreme Court, including cases on behalf of students with
disabilities and a case challenging school desegregation in Charlotte, North
Carolina, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education, 402 U.S.
1(1971).
At the Memorial ceremony in May, Attorney General Garland recalled Pollak
speaking at the Civil Rights Division’s 65th Anniversary celebration in
December 2022. In response to accolades for the work he did, Pollack
responded. “I did not do it alone, I served with great people in the Division…
All of you who are serving now or have served, I commend you and commend
your tasks. These are great laws that you are enforcing, and they need
everything that you can give them.” Garland praised Pollak’s extraordinary
service to the DOJ and to the cause of civil rights, saying “it helped ensure
that the government in which he served was in fact a force for good.”
Attendees at the 2024 NAFUSA annual conference in Oklahoma City will have
the opportunity to play golf with other NAFUSA members and guests at the
historic Jimmie Austin Golf Club on Wednesday morning, September 25.
Registration for one of the available foursome, including roundtrip transportation from the conference hotel, will open along with registration for the conference itself in mid-July.
The Jimmie Austin Golf at the University of Oklahoma has a rich heritage
dating back to the 1940s when the land on which it is situated was a U.S. Navy
recreational center serving as an annex to the Norman Naval Air Station.
Construction began in 1949 on what was to become the University of
Oklahoma golf course, and the course opened for play in 1951. Famous
Oklahoman golf course architect Perry Maxwell was commissioned to build
the project. In 1996 an extensive renovation was completed, led by world –
renowned course architect Robert Cupp.
The Jimmie Austin course hosted the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public
Links Championship and NCAA Regional Championships in 2012, 2018, and
2022 (men’s) and 2013 and 2019 (women’s) and is scheduled to host more
MCAA Regional Championships in 2025.
The beautiful course, with major artery Bishop Creek running through it, has a
terrain of rolling hills, native grasses and trees. For the golfers among the
attendees, it promises to be a great way to start the 2024 Annual NAFUSA
Conference in OKC!
The NAFUSA Board of Directors met for its spring meeting in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 13, 2024. Eight directors and all four officers attended in person and five additional directors joined by telephone. In addition to discussing and making decisions regarding the management of the Association, its activities and financial matters, the semi-annual meetings have traditionally been an excellent way for NAFUSA board members and invited guests to get to know each other better while taking care of NAFUSA business. This meeting certainly lived up to tradition.
The meeting was held in the beautiful Charleston Place Hotel, located centrally in the
historic district of Charleston, which, in addition to famous landmarks, is home to the
Charleston Marketplace, amazing restaurants and great shopping opportunities. April is
certainly a great time to visit Charleston!
The Board reviewed financial reports and heard from Executive Director Wendy Goggin regarding the financial status of the Association, including a discussion of the results of the 2023 Annual conference. She also discussed the status of sponsorships already received or pledged for the 2024 Conference in Oklahoma City as well as other NAFUSA business. Deputy Director Lisa Rafferty provided an update on membership numbers – there are currently 359 members, including 140 lifetime members. There are eleven Sustaining Members (see the website for their names). She also advised about the number of unpaid 2024 membership dues.
Much of the meeting was devoted to discussion of the upcoming 2024 Annual Conference to be held in OKC September 25 through 27, 2024. Programming is well underway with many speakers lined up for what promises to be another exciting conference. The members of the 2024 Conference Committee have been working hard to bring outstanding continuing legal education programming to the OKC conference on interesting topics both relevant and timely for our members and guests.
The members in attendance in Charleston enjoyed indulging in the southern cuisine that
the city is famous for, while soaking up the beauty and atmosphere of the historic district. The attached pictures say it all!
The 2024 NAFUSA annual conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (OKC)
begins September 25 with an opening reception in The National Hotel, the
amazing venue for this year’s conference program. Registration for the
conference will begin in early summer and planning is well underway for
another great conference.
One of the many highlights of OKC is the Oklahoma City National Memorial
and Museum, the site of the former Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, which
was destroyed in the bombing on April 19, 1995. The brutal act of violence
killed 168 people, seriously injured hundreds more, and changed the lives of
many more forever. The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial was dedicated on April
19, 2000, and the Memorial Museum was dedicated on Presidents’Day
February 19, 2001. The Museum is an interactive learning experience that
takes visitors on self-guided tours through the story of the events of April 19,
1995, and the years that followed. Since its opening, more than 4.4 million
visitors have come to the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial and over 1.6 million to
the Memorial Museum.
The impact of the bombing and mass murder at the Murrah Federal Building
and the investigations and prosecutions that followed are especially felt by
members of the law enforcement community in Oklahoma and across the
country. An estimated 646 people were inside the building when the bomb
exploded, including children at a daycare center. During the course of the
investigation, over 28,000 interviews were conducted, and 3200 kg of
evidence collected. The prosecutions, federal and state, took years. Many
NAFUSA members were involved in the investigation and subsequent trials
and their names memorialized in the museum.
Because of the significance of the events of April 19, 1995, to NAFUSA
members, VIP tours are being arranged with the museum for Thursday
afternoon, September 26, as a part of the OKC conference. The tours will be
guided by museum staff in staggered small groups for all those who wish to
take advantage of the opportunity. More details on this and other program
highlights to come!
After a long and great life, NAFUSA founding member and early president John
Eugene Clark died peacefully in San Antonio, Texas, on February 13, 2024. He
was 90. John’s legal career, as a prosecutor, litigator, judge and writer, in a
combination of private law practice and public service, spanned over 50 years
and included serving as the United States Attorney for the Western District of
Texas and as a Justice of the Texas Court of Appeals (4th District).
Clark, a born and bred Texan, earned his LL.B. in 1961 from the University of
Texas School of Law following a two-year tour of active duty with the United
States Army in the Far East and three years working in private industry. He
remained a staunch supporter of the University of Texas throughout his life. In
1969, after practicing law in Austin for eight years, he moved to Washington,
D.C. and worked in the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division investigating
and prosecuting federal election fraud and illegal campaign financing cases.
Clark returned to his home state in 1971 and joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office
for the Western District of Texas as First Assistant under then U.S. Attorney
William Sessions and later, upon appointed by President Gerald Ford, as the
United States Attorney. During his tenure as U.S. Attorney 1975-1977, Clark
served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee.
Clark engaged in private practice until 1981 when Governor William P.
Clements, Jr. appointed him to the Texas Court of Appeals where he served
until 1983. After his return to private practice, much of his time was devoted
to his qui tam practice under the federal False Claims Act and he gained a
national reputation as an expert in the area. During his time in private practice,
Clark chaired the National Institute of Corrections’ Advisory Board and the
Texas Ethics Commission. In 2013, the San Antonio Bar Association awarded
him its Lifetime Achievement Award, the Joe Frazier Brown Award of
Excellence (see May 31, 2013 NAFUSA newsletter article).
One of the founding members of NAFUSA, Clark was a life member and
served as its third president 1982-1983. He remained devoted to the organization throughout his life, and, in fact, according to his daughter Leslie he was wearing his NAFUSA hat the day before he passed away. NAFUSA owes him a great debt for his
leadership and determination in creating this organization and contributing to its success. On February 20, 2024, a flag was flown over the Department of
Justice in John Clark’s honor and was presented to his widow Carolyn Tevis Clark and family at the funeral services on February 28 by his longtime friend NAFUSA member Ron Ederer. In addition to his devoted wife, Clark is survived by his
children, Karen Cork, Leslie Sartori, John C. Clark and Charles W. Clark,
numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Atlanta area NAFUSA members – who like to be called the “(unofficial) Atlanta Chapter of NAFUSA”- gathered on Wednesday February 21, 2024 at an undisclosed, but clearly fine, location. Thanks to Holly Hampton of Womble Bond Dickinson for sharing the photo with us. From left to right: current U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, Ryan K. Buchanan; Judge William “Bill” S. Duffey, Jr. (Retired) (2001-2004); Hon. John A. Horn (King & Spalding) (2015-2017); twice-appointed former U.S. Attorney for the Northern (Atlanta 1990-1993) and Middle (Macon 1981-1986) Districts of Georgia, Joe Whitley (middle); Hon. Richard “Rick” H. Deane (Jones Day) (1998-2001); Jr., Hon. Larry D. Thompson (Finch McCranie/Retired) (1982-1986); and Hon. Robert “Bob” L. Barr, Jr. (1986-1990).
Beloved NAFUSA member Edward (Ed) Tarver passed away from
complications of surgery on February 9, 2024, in Augusta, Georgia. He was 64.
His friends and colleagues remember his ready smile, infectious laughter and
his service to justice and to his community.
Ed, who was recognized as a “trailblazing black attorney and civic leader” in a
headline announcing his death in the Augusta Chronicle, led a full and
honorable life of public service. Following graduation from then Augusta
College in 1981, he entered the U.S. Army, serving a tour in South Korea in
1982 and rising to the rank of Captain. Upon his discharge from the Army in
1989, Ed followed his dream to attend law school, earning his law degree in
1991 from the University of Georgia. After graduating, he clerked for U.S.
District Court Judge Dudley Bowen in the Southern District of Georgia.
Ed rose to become a partner in the Augusta, Georgia firm Hull Barrett and
served as a State Senator from Georgia’s 22nd District from 2005-2009. In
2009, President Obama nominated him to become U.S. Attorney for the
Southern District of Georgia, becoming the first African American to hold that
position. He was sworn in by Federal Judge Bowen who praised his former law
clerk as a “man of integrity.” After resigning from the U.S. Attorney position in
2017, he cofounded the firm Enoch Tarver with his law partner Ed Enoch.
An editorial in the Savannah Morning News in 2017 named Ed Tarver “one of
the best U.S. Attorneys in a long line of professional prosecutors who have
held this important post.” In addition to his professional accomplishments. Ed
held leadership positions in community and fraternity activities including,
among many others, the Augusta Chamber of Commerce, the Leadership
Georgia Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and the East Georgia Easter Seals
Society. He was a member of Doyle Grove Missionary Baptist Church.
Ed is survived by his wife Dr. Carol Thompson Tarver, a pediatrician in Augusta,
Georgia, daughter Elizabeth Tarver and son Edward Tarver, Jr. and
stepdaughters Riley and Ryan Armant.
In accordance with NAFUSA tradition, a flag was flown in his honor over the Department of Justice on February 12, 2024.
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