Alumni Spotlight...M Geron Gadd
Harvard Law School ('04), Harvard Divinity School ('11)
“I chose HDS and HLS for similar academic and personal reasons. Harvard offered the opportunity of broad cross-registration, so it enabled me to explore a lot during my time at HDS. HLS’s academic offerings also were broad-based and included top-notch specialists in core areas. During my legal career I’ve focused on what is most useful and where I could make the most impact. To work with and on behalf of people with disabilities is my passion.” – Geron Gadd
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M. Geron Gadd’s family has been in Alabama for generations. Geron went to middle school in Montgomery and spent summers in Montgomery with her grandmother. She returned to Montgomery in 2011 and stayed until she had an opportunity to join a national nonprofit law firm in DC six months before the onset of COVID. Geron has been working remotely in Alabama through the pandemic. After graduating from law school, Geron began her practice as a corporate litigator in New York and Miami. When it was time to decide if she would try to become a partner or pursue her passion for working with and on behalf of people with disabilities, Geron realized she wanted to continue her career as a public interest litigator. As a Senior Attorney with the National Health Law Program, Geron specializes in systemic litigation on behalf of people with intellectual, developmental, physical, and mental disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and the Medicaid Act. In addition, Geron does related health care litigation. Geron explained that it was not an easy transition because it required starting over in certain respects and an enormous amount of learning, but the experience continues to be exceptionally rewarding. Geron also found that she regularly works with lawyers at the type of firms where she began her career.
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Although Geron is very busy, she enjoys reading, walking, and is learning fly fishing. One of her newest hobbies is gardening and she is passionate about growing tomatoes and other vegetables. Geron is also a fan of SEC Football. When permanently based in Montgomery, she was a member of the Montgomery Rotary Club. She is interested in the magnitude of senior hunger in the southeast and is interested in volunteering with MACOA’s Meals on Wheels program in Montgomery, a program she learned about at a Montgomery Rotary Club meeting. Geron served on the Alumni Council at the Harvard Divinity School.
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Geron is also interested in working with first generation college students and graduates. Her advice to current Harvard students is to explore all that Harvard offers. While focusing on one’s core area of emphasis is important; Geron believes it is also important to stretch yourself by taking advantage of opportunities that teach you something you don’t know for the sake of growth and, it might just be fun.
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Thanks to Dawn Marie Williams, Montgomery Regional Rep for contributing this profile.