UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law elevates Evans to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

On July 1, 2019, Tonya M. Evans became Associate Dean of the UNH Franklin Pierce School of Law and the first Black woman to hold the position in the school’s history. Dean Evans replaces Professor Michael McCann, Founding Director of the Franklin Pierce Law Sports and Entertainment Law Institute. He served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2017 to 2019.

Dean Evans has substantial expertise in the areas of intellectual property, new technologies (including blockchain and cryptographic assets), entrepreneurship & innovation, entertainment law, trusts & estates, and municipal finance. She writes, speaks, and teaches primarily about the intersections of copyright and new technologies, like blockchain, as well as trusts and estates law issues.

Dean Evans, a full tenured professor, joined Franklin Pierce Law in the fall of 2017. She directs the school’s Blockchain, Cryptocurrency & Law online professional certificate program and developed its world-class instructor pool and curriculum. She is also the school’s former Chair of the Intellectual Property & Technology Online Programs.

Dean Evans has demonstrable and proven leadership skills and an impressive track record serving on international boards, task forces, and committees:

• Member, Bermuda Global FinTech Advisory Board
• Member, Consensys Grants Advisory Board (2019) (previous Committee Member)
• Member, Intellectual Property Committee of the Advisory Council to the United States Court of Federal Claims
• Chair, Pinkwellchick Foundation, Inc. Board (2012-2019)
• Member, International Telecommunications Union Focus Group on Digital Currency including Digital Fiat Currency
• Member, International Telecommunications Union Focus Group on Application of Distributed Ledger Technology
• Member, The Accord Project Intellectual Property Working Group

Prior to Franklin Pierce Law, Dean Evans served as Associate Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Inclusion & Equity at Widener University Commonwealth Law School, where she first earned tenured. She also served as Visiting Associate Professor of Law at UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law during the summer of 2016.

Dean Evans is a distinguished alumna of Howard University School of Law in Washington, DC, where she also served as editor-in-chief of the Howard Law Journal; Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, where she attended on a full tennis scholarship; and Friends’ Central School in Wynnewood, PA. She is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C.

Fun facts: Dean Evans is a former professional tennis player and competed most notably in the U.S. Open in 1993, a published poet (SHINE! and Seasons of Her), business owner (Legal Write Publications and LIT Braintrust), podcast co-host, and member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. She is also a foodie, oenophile, and world traveler.

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