Rutgers Law is pleased to announce that Brisa De Angulo and David Yawman will be this year’s Rutgers Law School Commencement speakers. De Angulo ’12, founder and CEO of A Breeze of Hope Foundation, will deliver the Commencement address in Camden. Yawman ’95, Strategic Advisor and Coach at BarkerGilmore and Partner at Cresco Partners, will speak at the Commencement address in Newark.
Camden's celebration takes place at 3 p.m. on Thursday, May 22, at the Freedom Mortgage Pavilion. In Newark, Commencement takes place at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 23, at the New Jersey Center for the Performing Arts (NJPAC). Both ceremonies will be livestreamed.
Brisa De Angulo is an internationally recognized human rights advocate, psychologist, and attorney who dedicates her life to advancing justice and healing for survivors of childhood sexual violence. She graduated from Rutgers Law School in Camden in 2012 where she made the connections and learned legal systems that would help in her relentless fight for justice.
De Angulo is the petitioner and key witness in Caso De Angulo vs Bolivia, a landmark case before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The High Court’s 2023 ruling in her favor set new standards for legislation pertaining to sexual violence, government responses to child survivors, and State responsibility to train all personnel at the national level who work with child survivors. The case is binding in 25 Latin American countries and impacts over 180 million children. As the Court noted in its judgement, “Brisa is a person more profoundly concerned with attaining protection and guarantees of non-repetition for the countless children presently drowning than with her own suffering.” The judges further emphasized her courage in refusing all monetary reparations and settlement attempts from the State in favor of her demands for concrete action to protect all girls and boys.
Her center for child survivors of sexual violence in Cochabamba, Bolivia implements critical interventions on a daily basis, serving more than 500 children annually. During the past year, De Angulo has led her foundation’s expansion into Colombia, Honduras, Argentina, Chile, and Peru.
Additionally, De Angulo is co-founder of the Brave Movement Global and the Movimiento de Valientes Latin America, sister movements that seek to end child sexual violence and improve and promote legislation that protects the best interests of children. She is a member of the Lancet Commission on Violence Against Women and Children, one of the most rigorous and prestigious academic journals in the world, and a member of the leadership council of the Global Women's Institute at George Washington University. Her international honors include a 2018 CNN Heroes Award for her exceptional contributions to human rights.
David Yawman has a distinguished career in legal and corporate leadership. A 1995 graduate of Rutgers Law School in Newark, Yawman is a Strategic Advisor and Coach at BarkerGilmore and a Partner at Cresco Partners, where he helps shape high-performing executive teams.
Yawman started his legal career in the U.S. Federal Court and at Fried Frank, a Wall Street law firm. He later moved in-house and spent more than 22 years at PepsiCo, rising from an entry-level legal position to General Counsel. He served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary during his time at PepsiCo. He led a global team of more than 600 professionals and helped shape the Fortune 50 company’s business strategy and corporate culture.
At PepsiCo, Dave was known for his steadying presence and balanced style. He led his team in the mode of a servant leader. His core value comes from knowing what it takes to be an effective business leader, to positively influence organizational culture through a commitment to principled leadership, and to collaborate cross-functionally to make tough calls on nuanced, business-critical issues.
Yawman joined Cresco Partners in 2021 to focus on coaching and developing high-performance leaders and teams. He later became a senior advisor to BarkerGilmore to leverage his professional legal and compliance experience to help others.
Beyond his corporate career, Yawman has demonstrated strong community leadership through volunteering and pro bono work. He served as chair of the boards of United Way of Westchester & Putnam Counties in New York and the Pro Bono Partnership comprised of peers and community leaders.