2016 | LaDoris Hazzard Cordell JD '74

LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, JD ’74, is a pioneer and respected civil rights leader. She was the first lawyer to open a private practice in East Palo Alto; she implemented a successful minority admissions program at the Stanford Law School as the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs; and she was the first African American woman to sit on the Superior Court in Northern California. 

After 19 years on the bench, Judge Cordell retired and became Stanford’s Vice Provost & Special Counselor to the President for Campus Relations, a position she held until retiring in 2009.  

From 2010-2015, Judge Cordell was the Independent Police Auditor for the City of San Jose, where, under her leadership, the office gained national prominence. In 2014, Judge Cordell co-founded the African American Composer Initiative whose mission is to bring the music of Black composers, past and present to the world. 

Judge Cordell recently served as the Chairperson of the Blue Ribbon Commission to Improve Jail Operations in Santa Clara County. In 2016 the Commission delivered over 100 recommendations to the Board of Supervisors to address the safety and welfare of inmates and correctional officers. 

Judge Cordell is recognized for her stellar Commonwealth Club interviews of famous personalities including 60 Minutes’ Leslie Stahl, President Obama’s Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett, former Labor Secretary Robert Reich, and pop culture icon Kim Kardashian. She has been an on-camera legal analyst for KPIX5 television and a guest commentator on MSNBC. She also served a four-year term on the Palo Alto City Council.