Lisa Schenck, GW Law’s Associate Dean for National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law, received the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Life Service Award from the Judge Advocates Association on May 7.
The award is the association’s highest honor and recognizes a lifetime of dedicated service to military and veterans law, as well as a sustained commitment to the association’s mission and its members.
"I am deeply honored and humbled to receive the Robinson O. Everett Distinguished Life Service Award from the Judge Advocates Association,” said Associate Dean Schenck. “I have been inspired throughout my career by the dedication of so many judge advocates and colleagues who have worked tirelessly to advance military justice, national security law, and the rule of law. I am grateful to the JAA for its vital role in supporting our community, and I remain committed to preparing the next generation of leaders in national security, cybersecurity, and foreign relations law at GW Law.”
Under Associate Dean Schenck’s leadership, the National Security, Cybersecurity, and Foreign Relations Law program has become a top ranked program, receiving the No. 1 ranking for its LLM Cybersecurity and National Security Program by Cybersecurity Guide for 2025.
“There is no one more deserving of the Judge Advocates Association’s Robinson O. Everett Award than Dean Schenck,” GW Law Dean Dayna Bowen Matthew said. “Her leadership, dedication, and mentorship has shaped the careers of countless GW Law alumni, and her work to advance military law is truly awe inspiring. We could not be more proud to have Dean Schenck here at GW Law.”
Prior to joining GW Law, Associate Dean Schenck, Colonel (Ret.), spent 25 years serving in the U.S. Army, initially as a Signal Corps Officer and then as a judge, lawyer, and educator in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps. She was appointed to the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals, where she became the first woman to serve as a Senior Judge and led Panel 3 until her retirement.
She concurrently served as an Associate Judge on the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review, was reappointed by President Donald Trump in 2019, named Chief Judge in February 2022, and reappointed again in May 2025. Following her Army retirement, she served as Senior Adviser to the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services.
In 2021, Associate Dean Schenck was appointed as the Honorary Colonel of the Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps Regiment, a position she still holds. She’s also won multiple awards for her dedicated services to military and veterans law. The Judge Advocates Association previously awarded Associate Dean Schenck the Outstanding Career Armed Services Attorney Award (Army). In 2020, she received the U.S. Navy Superior Civilian Service Award for service on the Executive Review Panel for the Comprehensive Review of the Navy and Marine Corps Uniformed Legal Communities.
In 2019, she was appointed as a Distinguished Member (one of two that year) of the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps Regiment and, in 2015, she received The George Washington University Robert A. Chernak Spark a Life Award for Staff Member of the Year, presented to one university staff member for significant impact on a student organization. In 2014, she also received The George Washington University Valor Excellence Award for demonstrated excellence in learning and service to the benefit of GW student military members, veterans, and their families.
