By Robert Schlesinger
Dean’s Cabinet
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winter 2025
Photographs from left: Michael J. Clarke, Adobe
Dean’s Cabinet member Michele Garvin, JD ’87, didn’t intend to become a lawyer. Originally a high school teacher, she later earned a PhD in sociology from Boston College but realized that she didn’t want a career in academia.
A horseback riding accident rerouted her trajectory, leading to a lifelong relationship with Suffolk Law. “I had time to reflect and thought that I really wanted to go to law school,” she remembers.
As research director for the Massachusetts Association of Health Maintenance Organizations, she needed to balance work with education. Suffolk allowed her to do both.
“I applied so I could attend law school at night and meet other similarly situated people who had careers, and also had a passion for how law gave meaning to those careers,” she says. “I have deep gratitude for Suffolk Law’s commitment to providing a pathway for us.”
Garvin’s path led to her role as executive vice president and chief of staff at Boston Children’s Hospital. “I would not have had an incredibly rewarding career were it not for Suffolk Law’s evening division,” she says.
At Boston Children’s Hospital, she champions pro bono services, especially in medical-legal partnerships—a Suffolk signature. “At Suffolk, there’s a sense of community and values,” she says.
Garvin is grateful that Suffolk helped her leverage a nontraditional academic background into a fulfilling career.
“Suffolk has a commitment to giving first-generation lawyers—people who come from families without a long history of lawyers or advanced degrees—an opportunity. I endorse their flexibility; their commitment to equity and diversity; and their creation of support systems to ensure that students are successful,” she says. Garvin’s philanthropic gift supports the Progress to Success Program at Suffolk Law.
She’s particularly appreciative of Suffolk Law’s Health and Biomedical Law concentration, the first of its kind in Massachusetts. Garvin says it’s emblematic of Suffolk’s practical approach. “It’s a fabulous program that supports incredibly important healthcare—broadly defined—technology, innovation, and research, and that’s also part of my commitment to Suffolk,” she says.
Photograph courtesy of Michele Garvin
