Brandeis alum honored for LGBT advocacy

From now on, recipients of the UofL LGBT Alumni Network's Alumnus of the Year Award will carry on the name of a Brandeis Law graduate.

Alum Andy Downey ('08) received the 2016 award, which will now be called the Andy Downey Alumni Award.

The name change recognizes Downey’s extensive work with the LGBT Alumni Network, which he founded in 2013.

Under his leadership, the network has endowed a $2,000 annual scholarship for LGBT students, hosted an annual mixer for LGBT alumni and students and sponsored the Alternative Thanksgiving for LGBT students, for whom holidays at home are often a trying time.

The award was created to recognize alumni who have made outstanding contributions to the LGBT community.

“I was surprised. I had no idea the award was coming, and I was shocked when I found out they renamed it for me,” Downey said. “It’s overwhelming and humbling.”

Downey has been involved in LGBT advocacy at UofL since 2006 when he was a student at Brandeis Law.

"The Brandeis School of Law congratulates Andrew on this much-deserved award. We are thrilled that future awards will be named after our graduate," said Susan Duncan, dean of the school. "The Brandeis School of Law has a long history of supporting all of our students including our LGBT students and playing a key role in the ensuring all people have equal rights under the law."

Downey served as president of the law school’s Lambda Law Caucus, a social and political group fostering support for LGBT issues in the legal community.

This concern for marginalized populations carries into his professional life as an attorney specializing in representing Spanish-speaking clients.

“Andy is the driving force behind the group’s progress to date. If it were not for Andy’s hard work and vision, there would not be an alumni council,” said Downey’s successor, Will Baumgardner. “We are a strong, vibrant group today because of Andy’s initial efforts.”

Read the full UofL News story here.