On March 21, 2016, the GW Law Association for Women and the GW Law Alumni Association honored Carmen M. Ortiz, JD ’81, as the 2016 Belva Ann Lockwood Award recipient.
The award is named for Belva Lockwood, who graduated from the National University School of Law (now GW Law) at a time when few women worked in the field. A towering historical figure, Ms. Lockwood was a lifelong suffragist and the the first woman to argue a case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ms. Lockwood's award is given each year to a successful and inspiring alumna who is considered a trailblazer in her field—all apt descriptions of Ms. Ortiz.
"Carmen truly exemplifies the ideals of the late Belva Lockwood, whose life and legacy we celebrate through the award that bears her name," Dean Blake D. Morant said at the award ceremony.
Carmen Ortiz was nominated by President Barack Obama as the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2009. She is the first Hispanic and the first woman to represent Massachusetts as U.S. Attorney. She oversees the work of more than 200 attorneys and support staff in Boston, Worcester, and Springfield.
In 2010, she implemented the district’s first civil rights initiative, aimed at reinvigorating enforcement efforts of federal civil rights laws and increasing visibility among affected communities through extensive outreach efforts. During her tenure as U.S. Attorney, Ms. Ortiz has overseen the criminal prosecution of Massachusetts Speaker of the House Sal DiMasi, James “Whitey” Bulger, and currently the prosecution in the Boston Marathon bombing. Additionally, she has led the District of Massachusetts to some of the largest civil settlements in U.S. history, including that of health care giant GlaxoSmithKline. Currently, Ms. Ortiz is the Co-Chair of the Attorney General’s Healthcare Fraud Working Group and is a member of Attorney General’s Advisory Committee’s subcommittees on Civil Rights, White Collar Crime and Cyber Crimes. From 2012 until January 2014, she served on Attorney General Eric Holder’s Advisory Committee.
Before becoming U.S. Attorney, she was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Economic Crimes Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office (Massachusetts) and served as Grand Jury Supervisor. Ms. Ortiz also served for eight years as a state prosecutor in Middlesex County, where she oversaw the District Court and prosecuted homicides, sexual assaults, robberies, and other felony cases. Ms. Ortiz delivered the diploma ceremony address to the GW Law class of 2012.
Ms. Ortiz received a JD from the George Washington University and a BBA from Adelphi University.