Seven Northeastern Law Graduates Selected for BBA Public Interest Leadership Program

02.03.21 — Seven graduates of Northeastern University School of Law have been selected as members of the 2020-2021 Public Interest Leadership Program (PILP) class by the Boston Bar Association (BBA): Allison Belanger ’16, Samuel Bombaugh ’17, Diana Chiang ’13, Patrice Dixon ’12, Meghan MacKenzie ’11, Victoria Morte ’15 and Pamela Swanson ’16. The PILP class is composed of 42 outstanding attorneys who will spend the next year developing leadership skills and pursuing public service initiatives.

PILP promotes civic engagement and public service by advancing the leadership role of lawyers in service to their community, their profession, and the Commonwealth. Open to attorneys in practice for ten years or fewer, PILP offers participants an opportunity to explore various topics and issues in legal public interest work and connect with other attorneys who are committed to using their legal skills to serve the community. Throughout the 14-month-long program, the members of the class hear from attorney experts in several fields who are all engaged in working on a variety of social issues.

The Northeastern University School of Law graduates chosen to be a part of this year’s class are:

Allison Belanger ’16
Krokidas & Bluestein
Allison Belanger is an associate at Krokidas & Bluestein and part of the firm’s litigation group. She specializes in advising non-profit and public service sector clients in health care and education.Belanger oversees Krokidas & Bluestein’s participation in Northeastern Law’s co-op program where she supervises and mentors students participating in the program.

Samuel Bombaugh ’17
Sullivan & Worcester
Samuel Bombaugh is an associate at Sullivan & Worcester, where he advises public and private clients in a range of corporate matters and financing transactions. Bombaugh was a fellow in the Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy (PHRGE) and a representative on Northeastern Law’s Alumni Board. In 2020, he was awarded the Volunteer Lawyers Project Denis Maguire Pro Bono Award.

Diana Chiang ’13
National Grid 
Diana Chiang serves as counsel for National Grid and her practice mainly focuses on regulatory compliance. Prior to working at National Grid, Chiang was a clerk for a magistrate judge for the US District Court in the District of New Jersey. Chiang is also a regular volunteer at Ricesticks and Tea, a food pantry that distributes ethnically appropriate food to low income families.

Patrice Dixon ’12
Patrice Dixon serves as employment and labor counsel for MassDOT and the MBTA. Dixon is president-elect of the Massachusetts Black Women Attorney Bar Association. She is also a member of the Boston Bar Association’s Government Lawyer’s Advisory Committee and volunteers with the Boys & Girls Club of Boston. Patrice has also received Judge Reginald Lindsey’s Public Service award.

Meghan MacKenzie ’11
Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Meghan MacKenzie is associate counsel for the Civil Recovery Unit (CRU) of the Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General. Prior to joining the Office of the Inspector General, MacKenzie worked for the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General in the consumer protection division. She is also a dedicated volunteer with Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts.

Victoria Morte ’15
Victoria Morte is an associate at Parker Gallini, where she advises individuals and corporate clients of all sizes, across multiple industries, on immigration matters. Morte has used her immigration expertise to provide pro bono legal support to individuals needing assistance through organizations including Project Citizenship, ACLU Massachusetts and Rian Immigrant Center (formerly Irish International Immigrant Center).

Pamela Swanson ’16
Nixon Peabody
Pamela Swanson is an associate at Nixon Peabody, where she is an associate in the firms Community Development Finance group. Swanson serves as the Boston Bar Association’s New Lawyers Section liaison to the Real Estate Section. She also volunteers extensively with the Election Protection national hotline providing extensive training to volunteers.