On Saturday, February 12, 2022, the governing council of the American Bar Association’s Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice approved the following resolution:

WHEREAS our friend and colleague Anna Williams Shavers, Cline Williams Professor of Citizenship Law and Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law, died on January 22, 2022;

WHEREAS Anna was a revered colleague and mentor to many members of this Section for decades;

WHEREAS Anna led by example through her passion for immigration law and its intersection with gender issues, and her commitment to helping the legal profession become more representative of the clients served and live up to its ideals of using the law to create a more just and equal society;

WHEREAS Anna served this Section in many capacities, distinguished by her leadership as Chair of the Section, Secretary, Chair of the Publications Committee, and most recently as the Section Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates, and as a tireless advocate for inclusion and justice;

WHEREAS Anna helped propel publication of the Section’s reference books on What Every Lawyer Needs to Know About Immigration Law and the forthcoming compilation of essays on leading cases in administrative law which advance the educational mission of the Section;

WHEREAS Anna’s warm personality, easy confidence, quiet courage, and her willingness to share her interests in movies and diverse cultures with Section colleagues and friends enlivened and informed our relationships;

WHEREAS Anna inspired us all by combining her devotion to law teaching with her passion for travel which included sojourns in Lithuania, Uganda, and Cambridge, England, as well as her travel to participate in Section and other ABA activities;

WHEREAS Anna’s personal journey from segregated schools in Arkansas, to her pioneering role in integrating Little Rock’s Hall High School, to academic achievement at the University of Minnesota Law School where, notably, she helped launch the law school’s first immigration clinic, to a leading role in legal education, the Section, and the ABA reflects the nation’s progress on the journey toward equity and inclusion;

WHEREAS Anna’s career exemplified a commitment to ensuring that future generations benefitted from the opportunities for educational and professional advancement to which they aspire regardless of their backgrounds;  

NOW, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Section and its members express deep sadness at Anna’s departure before her work was finished, our condolences to her husband, Stanley Shavers, her daughter, Amber Shavers, her extended family and loved ones, and pay tribute to her memory for her numerous contributions to this Section, the administrative law community, and the legal profession. We are honored to call Anna Williams Shavers our friend and colleague.

Andrew Emery is Chair of the ABA Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice.