Kurt Schmoke

Dean Kurt L. Schmoke was appointed Dean of the Howard University School of Law on January 1, 2003. Schmoke earned his undergraduate degree in history from Yale University and pursued graduate studies on a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford. He earned the Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School. A partner in the international law firm of Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering, Schmoke served as the mayor of Baltimore City for 12 years, from 1987 to 1999, and was the State’s Attorney from 1982 to 1987.

During his tenure as mayor, Schmoke initiated a number of programs in the areas of housing, education, public health and economic development. In 1992, President George Bush awarded him the national Literacy Award for his efforts to promote adult literacy, and in 1994 President Bill Clinton praised his programs to improve public housing and enhance community economic development. The Clinton Administration named Baltimore one of six cities to receive Empowerment Zone designation in 1994.

Schmoke’s other public service includes his appointment as Assistant Director, White House Domestic Policy Staff under President Jimmy Carter.

The Howard University School of Law has an enviable record for producing exceptional advocates and scholars. In addition to Thurgood Marshall, other outstanding alumni include: Gabrielle MacDonald, former federal judge and presiding judge of the Yugoslavia War Crimes Tribunal of the World Court in the Hague, Netherlands; Howard University trustee Vernon Jordan, former president of the National Urban League and Senior Managing Director of Lazard Freres & Company; Sharon Pratt Kelly, the first woman Mayor of Washington, D.C.; Howard’s President H. Patrick Swygert; L. Douglas Wilder, the first African-American governor, and Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY).