President, Women in Law
Johanna C. Valenzuela

Johanna was born in Florence, South Carolina, but lived in Bogotá, Colombia until she was eleven years old. She attended the University of South Carolina and received her degree in International Studies in 2003. After college, she entered the United States Air Force as an aircraft maintenance officer. Johanna served in Okinawa, Japan for two years. After Japan, she worked on Pope Air Force Base in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Johanna completed her service to the Air Force in August of 2006 and worked for the law firm of Baker, Ravenel, and Bender, L.L.P. until January of 2008. She spent the summer after her first year in law school working for McNair Law Firm, P.A. and spent the first half of this past summer working for the Civil Rights Section of the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.

Johanna is married to Mark Galatas and has three children—Tori, Annalisse, and John-Mark. She is a member of the South Carolina Law Review, the Moot Court Bar, and the Public Interest Law Society. Johanna is an academic assistance tutor in the subject of Property, a volunteer Guardian ad Litem for Richland County CASA, and co-Vice-President of the Pro Bono Board. She enjoys spending time with her family exploring the parks around Columbia, visiting the elephants at Riverbank Zoo, and screaming at the television during political debates.

Vice President, Women in Law
Evelyn Mitchell

Evelyn was born in Beaufort, South Carolina. She attended Columbia University in New York City, where she majored in American history. She graduated in 2007, and immediately returned to South Carolina. She worked at the Milligan Law Firm in Charleston for a year, and enjoyed being back in the Palmetto State. She spent the summer after her first year in law school working for the Laurens County Public Defender’s Office. She hopes to be a public defender when she graduates from law school. Evelyn is the secretary of the Law Democrats, and is a member of American Constitutional Society.

Evelyn is engaged to Alvin Strasburger, III, whom she met while both were undergraduates in New York. They are set to be married May 22, 2010. Outside of law school, Evelyn is a member of NOW, Rotary International, and is joining the Garden Club of South Carolina. She has run the Mayor’s Midnight Run Half-Marathon in Anchorage, Alaska, and the Rock and Roll half-marathon in Virginia Beach, as well as numerous 10k races. She enjoys spending time with her large extended family, watching LOST, and reading.

Secretary, Women in Law
D. Nichole Davis

Nichole is a 2L who was born in Columbia, SC. As a military brat, she has lived all over the world. She graduated from high school in Misawa, Japan, where she competed in numerous Far East Cheerleading competitions. She attended South University and received her degree in Legal Studies in 2005. During and after college, she worked as a paralegal at various law firms. She spent this past summer clerking for Rogers, Townsend & Thomas, PC, which is where she’ll continue to work during the school year.

Nichole is married to Eric Davis and has an 11 yr. old son named Michael. She is a member of the Pro Bono Board, BLSA, SCAJ, and the ABA Student Division. Nichole is a volunteer Guardian ad Litem for Richland County CASA and Vice-President of BLSA. She teaches the CHOICES program at DJJ and participates in the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (HELP) program. She enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, amusement parks, playing her son’s Wii, photography, and listening to audio books.

Treasurer, Women in Law
Rachel C. Atkinson

Rachel is a 2L interested in international law, diplomacy, and cycling law. She’s currently treasurer for WIL; working with Outlaw; and coordinating with the Palmetto Cycling Coalition, an advocacy group for cycling in the midlands. In her non-existent free time, she likes playing with her cats, Io and Crème Brulee, indulging her bibliophilia, cycling, and baking.

If you have any questions about WIL, Outlaw, cycling, or just want delicious home made cinnamon rolls, you can contact her at Rachel.C.Atkinson@gmail.com or thru the WIL Facebook page.

Speaker Coordinator, Women in Law
Laura K. Lindsay

Laura was born in Bellingham, Washington, the 7th of 8 children of a Physics professor and a Hospice nurse. She lost her mother to lung cancer during her 1L year. She is married and has 3 sons. She studied English (BA/Western Washington), Instructional Leadership (MA/Oklahoma), speaks German, a little French, and can get by in Czech.

As an undergraduate, Laura earned 4 letters in volleyball, although she was a single mother at 19. She was selected as an honorable mention to the all-century team, and still holds 2nd place all-time in Kill percentage (like batting average). Prior to law school, she was an English Teacher and High School volleyball coach.

Her son, Austin, an Eagle Scout, studies Economics at the University of Hawaii (Manoa). Her stepson, Luke, plays baseball and studies Sports Medicine at L&C State (Idaho). Her son, Oliver, an Eagle Scout candidate, plays guitar, and plays Tight End for the Irmo Yellowjackets. Laura’s husband, Shawn, is a Lt. Colonel (Army) with an MA in Physical Therapy (Baylor). His career has taken them throughout America and Europe. He is an avid athlete, certified personal trainer, and plans to open a fitness ranch in the Texas Hill Country.

After graduation, Laura plans to publish a novel (almost finished), test for her black belt, and run the Athens, Greece marathon (w/ son Austin). As an attorney, she plans to prosecute human traffickers. After that, her goal is to open a non-profit private school for at-risk kids. For fun, Laura enjoys golfing, running with her dog, and fighting (Kumite). She holds a brown belt in Shorin-Ryu and the 2005 national title.