Appointment of the new Dean of the Peter A. Allard School of Law
Professor Ngai Pindell
A message from Andrew Szeri, Provost and Vice-President, Academic, UBC Vancouver
It is my pleasure to announce that the Board of Governors has accepted the President's recommendation to appoint Professor Ngai Pindell as the new Dean of the Peter A. Allard School of Law for a five-year term commencing no later than November 1, 2021.
Prof. Pindell is currently the International Gaming Institute Professor of Law at the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Prof. Pindell received his A.B. (Economics) in 1993 from Duke University and his J.D. in 1996 from Harvard Law School. Following graduation, he practiced community development law in Baltimore, MD, followed by a fellowship and visiting assistant professorship at the University of Baltimore School of Law Community Development Clinic. He joined the William S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) in 2000 as an Assistant Professor and earned promotion to Professor in 2008. His research and teaching interests are in the areas of property law, wills and trusts, affordable housing, community development, and local government law.
At UNLV, Prof. Pindell has held a number of academic administrative roles, most recently as Vice Provost and Special Advisor to the Executive Vice President and Provost from January to July 2019. He also served as Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs (2016-2018), and as Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and then Vice Dean in the Boyd School of Law (2012-2016).
In addition, Prof. Pindell has served on a number of committees and boards. He is currently a Governor-appointed Commissioner for the Nevada Equal Rights Commission (NERC) and a recent appointee to the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Law School Admission Council (LSAC). He has served as President of the American Association of Law Schools Section on State and Local Government Law, and as Co-President of the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT). At UNLV, he has chaired the University Policy Committee, the Leadership Development Academy, and the law school’s Admissions Committee and Dean’s Advisory Committee.
Prof. Pindell brings a host of leadership skills, including experience with conflict resolution for which he is sought after at his current and other institutions. He holds a deep commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and anti-racism. His collaborations in program development with Indigenous and other underserved communities are examples of his desire to bridge what is learned in the academy with practice to benefit society.
I would like to thank faculty, staff and students for participating in the search process and for providing valuable feedback to the Advisory Committee. I am grateful to the members of the Advisory Committee for their commitment of extensive time and energy throughout the search.
I wish to express my gratitude to Dean pro tem Janine Benedet for her steady leadership over the past year.
I look forward to working with Prof. Pindell as he brings his strong commitment to teaching, learning, and research excellence; equity, diversity and inclusion; and academic leadership to this role. I hope you will join me in welcoming him to UBC.