Alumni Association Honor Judge Dembin and Anna Romanskaya '07 at 10th Annual Judicial Mixer and Alumni Awards Reception

SAN DIEGO, CA, 10/19/17 – On October 12th,Thomas Jefferson School of Law Alumni Association honored United States Magistrate Judge Mitchell Dembin with the Judicial Service Award and Anna Romanskaya '07 with the Outstanding Service to the Community Award at the 10th Annual Judicial Mixer and Alumni Awards Reception held at Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Founded by retired Commissioner Gary Bloch '81, the event provides students with this chance to mingle with some of San Diego's most respected and prestigious individuals from the bench and bar. Board Chair Randy Grossman kicked off the event by introducing the new President and Dean, Joan Bullock, who joined the school in July of this year.

Dean Bullock laid out her vision for the school by emphasizing innovative and adaptive legal education and to harnesses the power of technology to produce-not merely practice-ready attorneys, but 21st Century practice-ready attorneys.

Dean Bullock and Alumni Association President Sabrina Green '02, inducted the Honorable F. Dino Inumerable '94 and the Honorable Michele Castillo '99 to the Alumni Judicial Officers plaque. Ventura County Superior Court Judge F. Dino Inumerable was the first Filipino American judge appointed in the county, while Judge Michele Castillo, also a Ventura County Superior Court judge, was the first Latina judge appointed in county.

The Honorable Mitchell Dembin received the Judicial Service Award for his support of the school and his contributions to the court.

Judge Dembin was sworn in as a United States Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of California on March 18, 2011. Prior to his appointment, Judge Dembin was an Assistant US Attorney in San Diego and served as the Cybercrime Coordinator for the office.

Judge Dembin founded the San Diego Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory, a national prototype, which provides computer forensics services and assistance to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies serving San Diego and Imperial Counties.

He is a strong supporter of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, giving opportunities to the school's alumni and students to grow professionally through internships and clerkships. Part of his commitment to the law school stem from his wife Judi Sanzo, also a strong advocate for the school, who has been an adjunct professor for Thomas Jefferson School of Law for over 25 years.

Anna M. Romanskaya '07 received the Outstanding Service to the Community Award. She is a Partner with Stark & D'Ambrosio, LLP and manages the firm's family law division. Among her accolades, Ms. Romanskaya was named among the Best of the Bar in 2015 and 2016 by the San Diego Business Journal and in 2014, was invited to become a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

She was a past board member and Vice President of Public Relations for Lawyers Club of San Diego and in 2016, she began her tenure as a board member of the San Diego County Bar Association.

Ms. Romanskaya was the immediate past Chair of the ABA Young Lawyers Division, and currently serves as a member of the Standing Committee on Bar Activates and Services as well as a Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates.

Despite being heavily involved throughout the community, Ms. Romanskaya has taken time out of her busy schedule to give back to Thomas Jefferson School of Law by appearing in several panels and events that have been very beneficial to its law students.

"The judicial mixer is such a special event as it allows both practicing attorneys and students to interact directly with the local judiciary," said Thomas Jefferson School of Law Alumni Association President Sabrina Green '02. "This year we not only had the opportunity to honor Hon. Judge Mitchell D. Dembin for his contributions to the bench and the school, but to also introduce Thomas Jefferson School of Law's new Dean, Joan Bullock to the community."

The Judicial Mixer and Alumni Awards Reception was the first event to kick off 2017 Alumni Weekend for Thomas Jefferson School of Law.


The mission of Thomas Jefferson School of Law is to provide an outstanding legal education for a nationally-based, diverse student body in a collegial and supportive environment with attention to newly emerging areas of law, particularly those related to technological development, globalization and the quest for social justice. Located in Downtown San Diego, Thomas Jefferson Law has evolved into an innovative, cutting-edge law school, devoted to the individual needs and success of its students. More information is available at www.tjsl.edu.


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CONTACT: Thomas Jefferson School of Law Director of Marketing and Communications Edgar Hopida, 619-961-4314 or 619-913-0719, ehopida@tjsl.edu