Alumnus Zach Brecheisen creates Lavender Law and Career Support Fund

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State Law in University Park alumnus Zach Brecheisen has created the Lavender Law and Career Support Fund to help more students connect with LGTBQ+ friendly employers who reflect the law school’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal industry.  Endowed with a $25,000 gift, the fund will provide support for registration, travel and accommodations to Penn State Law students seeking to attend the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s annual Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair.

Zach is a 2012 graduate of the University Park campus and remains active with the law school as a member of the Penn State Law Alumni Society Board and the Penn State Law Development Council. Zach is a partner at Jones Day in the firm’s Pittsburgh office, where he advises clients on mergers and acquisitions and other strategic transactions. In addition to his practice, he is the co-chair of Jones Day’s LGBTQ+ Affinity Group and is active in supporting diversity & inclusion initiatives in Pittsburgh and in the legal industry.

“As alumni, I believe that it’s critically important for us to support current students by helping them successfully navigate the job search process. That means we should not only be offering guidance and mentorship, but also providing students with the tools and opportunities to succeed,” said Brecheisen. “The National LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s annual Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair brings together the premier firms, companies and government agencies from around the U.S. and gives our students unrivaled access to employers eager to recruit new talent. The important connections I made at the Lavender Law Conference as a student were pivotal in starting me on my current career path. Creating the Lavender Law and Career Support Fund is my way to help ensure that future Penn State Law students will have the support they need to access those same opportunities for many years to come.”

Shoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, Penn State Law associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion, said, “As the largest LGBTQ+ legal conference in the country, the Lavender Law Conference & Career Fair provides a unique networking and professional development opportunity for our students. Law students and lawyers who identify as LGBTQ+, including those with intersectional identities, face unique challenges that make conferences like Lavender Law crucial to improving representation and success in the legal profession. I am grateful to Zach Brecheisen for his generous support and the bridge it brings to our students and alumni.” 

This gift will advance "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a focused campaign that seeks to elevate Penn State’s position as a leading public university in a world defined by rapid change and global connections. With the support of alumni and friends, “A Greater Penn State” seeks to fulfill the three key imperatives of a 21st-century public university: keeping the doors to higher education open to hardworking students regardless of financial well-being; creating transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impacting the world by serving communities and fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more about “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” visit greaterpennstate.psu.edu.