Smeal Alum, Board Of Visitors Chair To Deliver Commencement Address

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA (April 23, 2007) - Martha B. Jordan '76, partner in the international law firm of Latham & Watkins LLP and chair of the Smeal Board of Visitors, will deliver the commencement address at this year's Smeal College of Business graduation ceremony, set for 1:30 p.m. on May 20 in the Bryce Jordan Center.

Jordan's law practice focuses on a broad range of real estate project representation involving the transfer and/or financing of large portfolios of property. She has been involved in numerous real estate investment trust (REIT) formations and IPO transactions and counsels on REIT governance and organizational issues. She has also worked on the land-use and administrative law aspects of numerous mega-developments and public-private joint ventures, particularly in downtown Los Angeles.

Jordan has held a variety of management roles at Latham & Watkins, most recently as the managing partner for the firm's 300-lawyer founding office in Los Angeles, from 1998 through June of 2004.

She was named one of California's Top 100 most influential lawyers by California Law Business in 1999 and has been selected for the Lawdragon 500, a list of 500 leading lawyers in the United States, as ranked by clients and peers.

Jordan is active in numerous charitable and civic organizations, including serving on the Board of Public Counsel, LA's Best, and The California Women's Law Center. She is also a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the former chair of the Board of the Ketchum Downtown YMCA.

She graduated from Smeal in 1976 with a bachelor's degree in marketing. She has remained actively involved with both Penn State and Smeal in many ways since her graduation, including her service on the Smeal Board of Visitors since 1999. In addition to serving as overall chair since March, Jordan has also chaired the board's development, executive, and nominating committees.

She is a member of the Mount Nittany Society and has been active in the National Committee for Penn State Philanthropy. Additionally, she has endowed two scholarships in support of Smeal students, one focused on the education of women, and the other a Trustee Matching Scholarship to support those with demonstrated financial need.

Jordan also holds an M.B.A. from the University of Cincinnati and a J.D. from the University of California - Berkeley, School of Law.