The 2010 Retreat Keynote Speaker
Posted on July 19th, 2010 by neimarlijaa
Filed Under Events |
Women Lawyers of Utah is proud to announce its keynote speaker at the
Nikki Johnson-Huston, Esq.
J.D./M.B.A./LL.M in Taxation
On the topic of: “From Homeless to Lawyer”: One Woman’s Amazing Journey
Hear the inspiring true story of one woman’s journey from poverty to lawyer.
Nikki Johnson-Huston, Esq. is an unlikely success story. Born into poverty, she was homeless at age 9 and failed out of college by age 18. She did not let that stop her. Nikki got a job as a nanny during the day, went back to college at night, and graduated from the same college that she had failed out of four years earlier.
A 2004 graduate of Temple University Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia, Nikki earned a J.D./M.B.A/ LL.M in Taxation in only four years. Nikki is now a tax attorney for The City of Philadelphia Law Department in the Major Tax Unit.
The discussion will explore Nikki’s journey and the life lessons she learned along the way. She has found that being resilient has played a large role in her success in life and as a lawyer. Resiliency is a skill that can be learned and is necessary especially in such challenging times. As we start to come out of the recession and very challenging work environments, women leaders need to be resilient to stay on top. Nikki’s experience has shown that you can reinvent yourself or your career.
Nikki is Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Women in the Profession Committee, a member of several boards of directors, and started a mentoring program for inner-city students interested in pursuing a career in the legal profession. Nikki has conducted numerous panels about issues related to education and co-moderated an event with Bill Cosby in November 2008 about her experience growing up in poverty. In addition she has won several awards including the Craig M. Perry Community Service Award given by the Philadelphia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, been named a 2009 “Lawyer on the Fast Track” by the Legal Intelligencer, and one of the “10 People under 40 to Watch in 2010” by The Philadelphia Tribune. Nikki is also a host on the Comcast Channel 53 Show “A Life in the Law: Legal Leaders” and is a business correspondent on 1540AM “Backline Magazine”.
