J. Evans Rose, Jr. Prize for Government Service Award
Congratulations to Kaleigh Dryden - the recipient of the 2023 J. Evans Rose, Jr. Prize for Government Service Award.
Ms. Kaleigh Dryden is a joint-degree J.D./Master of Public and International Affairs student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law and is graduating in May 2023.
Kaleigh is in the process of joining the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps, where she would serve as an active-duty military attorney after graduation, and was recently selected for the Presidential Management Fellowship. She intends to work for the federal government for the entirety of her career, and hopes to one day work for the National Security Council before retiring to become a teacher.
While a student at Pitt Law and the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), Kaleigh interned exclusively for the government or in organizations providing government-adjacent services, including the Department of Defense, the U.S. Navy, the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh, and GSPIA’s Congress of Neighboring Communities. Kaleigh participated in Pitt Law’s D.C. Semester where she was immersed in the Navy JAG Corps and the fast-paced bureaucracy of D.C. Kaleigh is also a member of the Board of Directors for the Christian Immigration Advocacy Center and has worked there as a Department of Justice Accredited Representative since 2019. Having worked as a paramedic in the Mon Valley after graduating with her B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh’s Emergency Medicine Program in 2018, Kaleigh experienced many shortfalls in how the government funds and appreciates emergency workers, many of the same issues she faced while working in immigration. These issues prompted her to apply to graduate school to study law and policy.
Message from the Governor
The Forum was established at the late Dick Thornburgh’s Law School alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh. In connection with the Dick Thornburgh Papers held by the University's Hillman Library, the Forum reflects his experiences in public life. It is in intended to foster discourse on issues vital to the preservation of our democratic system and the Rule of Law upon which that system depends.
Special thanks are due to Chancellor Emeritus Mark Nordenberg who serves as the Director of the Dick Thornburgh Forum and has been unstinting in support of this effort since its inception. In addition, many others have provided time, resources and dedication to this undertaking.
