By Roberta “Bobbi” Liebenberg and Stephanie Resnick
There are certain special people who are destined to leave an enduring mark not just on their family, friends, and colleagues, but also on countless others whom they never even meet. JoAnne Epps, our cherished friend, was one of them.
Neither we nor JoAnne had a sister, and we filled that role for each other. We loved JoAnne, and our very close friendship of more than 30 years enriched our lives immeasurably. We had enormous fun together attending Broadway shows, going to our “Bad Ass Book Club” dinners, celebrating birthdays and family milestone events, and just laughing, talking, and enjoying each other’s company. JoAnne was kind, thoughtful, and brilliant, with a radiant smile that lit up every room she entered. The three of us never missed an opportunity to express our tremendous gratitude that we were in each other’s lives. We told JoAnne that we aspired to be more like her, but doubted we ever could.
JoAnne always provided us with support, encouragement, and sage advice, and we could count on her being there for us whenever we needed her. Despite having an incredibly busy schedule, she was simply incapable of saying “no” when her help was sought. Knowing her as we did, it was no surprise that she answered the call when Temple’s Board of Trustees asked her to take on the challenging position of President rather than enjoy her well-deserved retirement. JoAnne’s willingness to step up in Temple’s hour of need was just another example of her uncommon loyalty, faithfulness, and generosity of spirit.
Although JoAnne was short in stature, she made a gigantic impact on her beloved Temple, in Philadelphia, and indeed around the country and other countries as well. The tremendous outpouring of grief, love, and respect from so many people and institutions after her passing spoke volumes about her amazing accomplishments and far-reaching influence. She made a real difference in people’s lives and had the unique ability to make everyone with whom she came in contact feel they were special and important to her.
JoAnne had a number of different positions at Temple, but she was most proud of her role as a professor. She often spoke and wrote about the barriers and difficulties she faced in beginning her career at a time when there were very few Black women lawyers. As a result, she was determined to help create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive profession, and to serve as a resource and champion for succeeding generations of women and diverse lawyers. It was most fitting that the last course she taught, shortly before she became Temple’s President, was “Gender Equity in the Legal Profession,” with the hope of inspiring her students to make our profession and society more equal and just.
In addition to teaching students at the law school, JoAnne trained lawyers at law firms throughout the country and even around the globe. She was a NITA instructor and loved teaching trial advocacy, a skill she honed as a prosecutor before entering academia. She instructed lawyers at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania, and she was the only academic member of a nine-person American team that assisted Sudanese lawyers representing victims of the Darfur crisis. She strongly believed that by promoting the Rule of Law, she could enable those without a voice to be heard and hold accountable those who committed crimes against humanity.
Her visionary leadership propelled her to create the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Center for Social Justice, which focuses on key issues facing underserved populations and does research, advocacy and legal work for those disadvantaged groups. She promoted gender and racial equality with her unparalleled passion, energy, and commitment, and worked tirelessly to help ensure that all young people, regardless of their background or zip code, have equal opportunities to succeed and live their dreams.
JoAnne was our North Star, and although she is now gone, her shining legacy will endure and continue to benefit so many people who never had the privilege of knowing this truly remarkable woman and transformative change agent. We miss her deeply, but she will remain in our hearts forever.
Roberta “Bobbi” Liebenberg is a partner at Fine, Kaplan and Black and a recipient of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Sandra Day O’Connor Award. Stephanie Resnick is a partner at Fox Rothschild LLP and also a recipient of the Sandra Day O’Connor Award.
