U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor to speak at UOP Stockton conference in October

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor will be the keynote speaker for the Advancing Women’s Leadership forum Oct. 23 at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

Also speaking will be Amy Purdy, a 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist, and Connie Rishwain, former president of Ugg and a Pacific alumna.

“This forum is intended to promote and showcase women leaders and to cultivate future leaders. We want to transform our community by inspiring and empowering youth and adults alike,” said Kathleen Lagorio Janssen, chairwoman of Pacific’s Board of Regents.

Janssen is a member of the planning committee for Advancing Women’s Leadership, a group of regional business, education and civic leaders.

Sotomayor, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court since 2009, earned her bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and her law degree in 1979 from Yale Law School. She was an assistant district attorney for the New York County District Attorney’s Office for the next five years before joining the law firm of Pavia and Harcourt, where she rose to partner.

President George H.W. Bush nominated her to the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, where she served from 1992 to 1998. She served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit from 1998 to 2009, when President Barack Obama nominated her to the Supreme Court.

Purdy is co-founder of the nonprofit organization Adaptive Action Sports, helping individuals with physical disabilities to get involved in skateboarding, snowboarding and other action sports. In addition to being a world-class snowboarder, she is an actress and model. Purdy lost both of her legs below the knee at age 19 after a near-fatal bacterial meningitis infection.

Rishwain, a Stockton native and Stagg High grad, catapulted the Ugg shearling boot into a $1.5 billion global brand during her more than 20 years as company president. Rishwain earned her bachelor’s degree at Pacific in 1979 with a degree in history.

This story was originally published July 21, 2015 at 5:23 PM with the headline "U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor to speak at UOP Stockton conference in October."