Resume updated April 15, 2010
Heather Hope Stephens
Chicago, IL – HeatherHopeStephens@gmail.com
Education
Juris Doctor, DePaul University College of Law, Chicago, IL, Expected May 2011
- Member, DePaul Law Review
- Recipient, CALI Award for Excellence in Civil Procedure, Spring 2009
- Dean’s List, Fall 2008 and Spring 2009
- Volunteer, DePaul Law School Advocates, 2008-Present
- Member, Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity, since 2008
- Section Representative, Black Law Students Association, 2008-09
- Secretary, Intellectual Property Law Society, 2009-10
- Fundraising Chair, Black Law Students Association, 2009-10
- Secretary, Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity, 2010-Present
- Co-Founder and Co-President, Art and Cultural Heritage Law Society, 2010-Present
- Recipient, DePaul Merit Scholarship
Master of Arts with Distinction in Museum Registration, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ, May 2008
- Thesis: “Visualizing the Path Forward: The Visual Artists Rights Act of 1990 and Recommendations for a Response by American Museums” (Advisor: Dr. Petra ten-Doesschate Chu)
- Thesis cited on the Rights and Reproduction Information Network (RARIN) wiki site at http://tiny.cc/dMEG2
- Selected as the Graduate Hooding Ceremony student speaker
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Art History, focus on Renaissance Art, Studio Art Centers International (SACI), Florence, Italy, May 2005
- Academic Scholarship: 2004 and 2005
- Thesis: “From Figure to Body: The Dissolution of the Taboos Concerning the Use of the Human Form in Art and Science” (Advisor: Maria Antonia Rinaldi)
Bachelor of Arts in Art History, Minor in Psychology, Rutgers University, Douglass College, New Brunswick, NJ, May 2002
- Dean’s List: 3 semesters
- James Dickson Carr scholar
- Semester at Sea: visited 9 countries during 100 day voyage
- Gamma Sigma, the Georgian Society: Sports Chair, 2000-01 Academic Year
Work and Internship Experience
Circuit Court of Cook County, Domestic Relations Division, Chicago, IL
- Extern, The Honorable Judge LaQuietta J. Hardy-Campbell, expected August – December 2010
Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, Arts & Business Council of Greater Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
- Legal Services Coordinator, expected June – August 2010
Chicago Historical Society, Chicago, IL
- Law Clerk, January 2010 – Present
- Research legal issues as requested by the President and senior staff of the museum
- Draft memoranda of law analyzing legal issues and applying those issues to museum practice
- Review contracts and other legal documents; redraft to best protect the interests of the museum
Chicago Public Art Group, Chicago, IL
- Law Clerk, June – August 2009
- Researched copyright and contract issues affecting artists and the non-profit organization
- Drafted memoranda analyzing copyright and contract law
- Presented final findings to the organization’s President and volunteer legal counsel
United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Chicago, IL
- Extern, The Honorable Judge Arlander Keys, May – July 2009
- Researched and analyzed laws pertaining to Social Security benefits
- Applied research and analysis to draft a judicial opinion
Asian American Legal Services Clinic, Asian Human Services, Chicago, IL
- Law Clerk, February – April 2009
- Interviewed potential clients and prepared notes for evaluation by attorney panel
M.A. Program in Museum Professions, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
- Graduate Assistant, August 2006 – June 2008
- Balanced the department budget, ordered supplies, prepared syllabi and course packets for faculty members, and organized department-wide registration appointments each semester
- Reviewed incoming applications, scheduled interviews, and gave campus tours
- Represented the department and university at open houses and professional networking events
- Co-created and edited the program’s quarterly alumni newsletter
- Registrar duties associated with the program’s Asian art collection
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, NY
- Graduate Intern, Office of the Registrar, September – December 2008
- Assisted with preparation of foreign immunity from seizure and indemnification certification
- Completed documentation associated with incoming foreign and domestic loans
Save Ellis Island, Mount Olive, NJ, and Ellis Island, Jersey City, NJ
- Graduate Education Intern, April – October 2007
- Provided information to the public regarding the historic site and the organization
- Gave tours of restored and unrestored buildings on Ellis Island’s south side hospital complex
The Newark Museum. Newark, NJ
- Rights Manager, Office of the Registrar, April – June 2007
- Secured reproduction rights of images in connection with loans and the permanent collection
- Secured reproduction rights for the website and an exhibition catalogue (64 color images)
- Created nonexclusive use license, copyright agreements, and database to track rights secured
CTB/McGraw-Hill through Kelly Services, Delran, NJ
- Content Specialist, July 2002 – June 2006
- Authored instructional manuals and PowerPoint presentations used for department-wide staff training
- Met with clients on- and off-site to develop scoring procedures
- Implemented scoring procedures by overseeing the creation of training materials
- Trained up to two hundred employees on how to properly score the standardized tests, oversaw those same employees during their daily scoring, and recalibrated individuals as needed to ensure optimum accuracy
- Selected to participate in a task force charged with streamlining department procedures while increasing efficiency and accuracy across projects
Other Activities and Awards
- Presenter, Institute of Museum Ethics Conference, November 14, 2009, Seton Hall University
- Participant, Judicial Intern Opportunity Program, 2009
- Recipient, Leopold Schepp Foundation Scholarship, 2008 – Present
