Thomas More Donnelly (SF81)
Judge Thomas More Donnelly began his legal career clerking for the Honorable Mary Ann G. McMorrow and served as an assistant public defender for thirteen years. He became an Associate Judge in 2003 and was promoted to Circuit Judge by the Illinois Supreme Court in 2021. Judge Donnelly sits in the Law Division, Commercial Calendar, presiding over motions and trials in business disputes. He has served as a judge for nearly 25 years and has tried over 400 jury trials, and over 1,000 bench trials.
Judge Donnelly is recognized for his dedication to improving the justice system; contributing his leadership to state-wide judicial ethics and judicial education initiatives and efforts to improve the efficiency, fairness, and accessibility of the courts. He spearheaded the development of three court programs to assist self-represented litigants (CBA Summary Suspension Volunteer Program, the CARPLS Consumer Collection Self-Help Desk, and the CBA Municipal Court Pro Bono Panel program) and is a dedicated advocate of restorative justice. In contrast to a punitive approach to justice, restorative justice is “a system of criminal justice which focuses on the rehabilitation of offenders through reconciliation with victims and the community at large.” (Oxford Dictionary)
Throughout his career, Judge Donnelly has also served the legal community in his role as educator. After graduating from Loyola University Chicago School of Law in 1986, Judge Donnelly stayed involved in the Loyola system as an Adjunct Professor and Instructor and currently teaches Illinois Litigation: Race, Injustice and Poverty. He has taught Civil Litigation, Professional Responsibility, Criminal Procedure, Trial Advocacy, and Appellate Advocacy and directed Loyola’s Philip H. Corboy Trial Advocacy Fellowship for twenty years from 1995—2016. He has taught trial advocacy at the University of Chicago Law School in the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic and has lectured at Washington and Lee Law School, Marquette Law School, and DePaul Law School. Judge Donnelly also serves on the faculty of the National Judicial College and served as founding board chair of the Illinois Judicial College. He teaches hundreds of judges around the country, teaching state court judges and military judges.
Judge Donnelly serves as President of the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network, sponsored by the Lumen Christi Institute; since 2021 he has helped conduct dialogues between the system impacted and system responsible in ten cities across the country. He also serves on the Illinois Judicial Ethics Committee and has chaired both the CBA Chicago Bar Association (CBA) Professional Responsibility Committee and the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) Standing Committee on Professional Conduct.
In addition, Judge Donnelly serves on the advisory boards/committees for Loyola’s Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, and St. Gregory’s Hall. He served as president of the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago from 2015-16; he has served on the Guild’s board since 1988.
In recognition for his dedication and contributions to the judicial system, Judge Donnelly has received numerous awards including: the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice’s The Hon. Thomas L. Kilbride (Ret.) Judicial Access to Justice Award (2024), the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity Hon. Mary Ann G. McMorrow Distinguished Service Award (2020), the Center for Disability and Elder Law Impact Award (2019), the Illinois Judges Association Harold Sullivan Award (2018), the Catholic Lawyers Guild of Chicago Catholic Lawyer of the Year (2014), the Loyola University School of Law St. Robert Bellarmine Award (1994) and the Chicago Bar Association David C. Hilliard Award (1986).
Judge Donnelly comes from a family of Johnnies. His two sisters Theresa Donnelly (SF88), and Maura Donnelly O’Halloran (SF91) both followed him to St. John’s College. Judge Donnelly is married to Anne Wicker. They have four sons (Claude, Ambrose, Liam, and Gabriel) and reside in the Lincoln Square neighborhood in Chicago’s 47th Ward. Judge Donnelly’s son Ambrose is a member of Annapolis Class of 2017.
Malik Gillani (A92)
Malik Gillani is Founding Executive Director of Silk Road Cultural Center. Malik is nationally recognized for his leadership in the arts and education sectors. He has innovated programs that expand cultural representation and artistic access. Most notably, he conceived of and developed Silk Road Cultural Center’s model for creating online video plays which are now being viewed around the world. He also conceived of, developed, and piloted the Center’s two arts education programs, Myths to Drama and EPIC (Empathic Playwriting Intensive Course), and spearheaded their growth from elementary, middle, and high school classrooms to also include multi-generational and community-based learning for immigrants and refugees.
In his arts service capacity, Malik has been a volunteer grant reviewer for the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and the City of Chicago’s CityArts Program. He has presented papers at local and national conferences on creative entrepreneurship, community organizing, and cultural production. Malik has also played a pivotal role in encouraging Chicago-based theatre companies to expand their repertoires of storytelling.
Malik earned a Master’s in Non-Profit Administration from North Park University. He is a Kellogg Executive Scholar (Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University) and has been awarded a Certificate of Professional Achievement in Nonprofit Management. Malik is a recipient of the IBM Business and Technology Leadership Award and the Chicago Community Trust Fellowship Award. He was honored by Changing Worlds for Outstanding Contributions to the Arts. Under the leadership of Malik and his husband, Jamil Khoury, Silk Road Cultural Center (then Silk Road Rising) was inducted into Chicago’s Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame for “showcasing works that address themes relevant to LGBTQ Silk Road peoples and their diaspora communities.”
Most recently, he was named a Leader for a New Chicago by the Field Foundation and John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
In the fall of 2019, Malik suffered a heart attack and stroke, and is currently living with aphasia (a language disorder) and apraxia of speech (a speech disorder). As his recovery continues, Malik is developing a play titled, The Art of Aphasia, which he hopes to premiere in 2026.
Rose Carmen Goldberg (SF06)
Rose Carmen Goldberg (SF06) is a public interest lawyer and policy advocate. She is a nationally-recognized leader on veterans’ rights, with a focus on advancing justice for underserved veterans, including veterans with mental health conditions, veteran sexual assault survivors, Native American veterans, and immigrant veterans.
Rose’s decade-plus of public interest work spans academia, state service, legal aid, and all branches of the federal government. Currently, she is Associate Director of Policy and Programs at Stanford Law School’s Deborah L. Rhode Center, managing programs and conducting original research to make the legal system more accessible and equitable, with a special interest in veterans’ access to justice. She also teaches the next generation of veterans law attorneys as Director of the Veterans Law Practicum at UC Berkeley School of Law, and teaches a course on Medical-Legal Partnerships at Columbia University. Previously, she led high-impact litigation and policy advocacy affecting millions of people at the California Attorney General’s Office. Her work focused primarily on gun violence prevention and veterans’ rights. After law school, Rose secured a prestigious Skadden Fellowship and founded a first-of-its-kind Medical-Legal Partnership integrating legal and mental health services for unhoused and low-income veterans. Her federal services include working at the White House on Native American Affairs, for Senator Blumenthal on Senate Judiciary Committee and gun violence matters, and at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services on end-of-life care policy. She clerked for Honorable Theodore A. McKee, then Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Rose’s public service has been recognized with numerous awards, including: Berkeley Law Kathi Pugh Award for Exceptional Mentorship in recognition of support of veterans initiatives; California Women Lawyers Fay Stender Award for humanity, courage, and commitment to the underrepresented in advocating for veteran sexual assault survivors; California Department of Veterans Affairs Women Veterans Advocates Award; California Young Lawyers Association Jack Berman Award of Achievement for distinguished service to the public for representation of veterans; Squire Patton Boggs Foundation Distinguished Fellow Award for accomplishments in veterans law; Oklahoma Supreme Court Susan J. Ferrell Scholarship for tribal law scholarship. Her writing on veterans, mental health, and sexual assault has been featured widely, including in the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and Washington Post.
Rose got her start in public interest at St. John’s, motivated by her family’s experience receiving pro bono legal assistance. As a student, she revived the Penitentiary of New Mexico tutoring program after years of dormancy, and served as a caseworker for female inmates and worked to advance freedom of the press with the support of Ariel Scholarships. She was recognized with the St. John’s Academic Achievement and Community Service Scholarship. Following St. John’s, Rose went on to receive an M.P.A from Columbia University and a J.D from Yale Law School.
Tia Pausic (A86)
Ms. Pausic is an accomplished legal professional and experienced leader in the international humanitarian sector. She currently holds the position of General Counsel at International Medical Corps, a role she has held since December 2018. In this capacity, Tia leads the Legal and Grants & Contracts departments, offering strategic legal and governance advice to the CEO and Board of Trustees. Her responsibilities extend across more than 25 country field offices, where she oversees legal and regulatory matters.
Prior to her current role, Tia served as Acting General Counsel and as Senior Director, Awards and Measurement at International Medical Corps. Her career also includes significant leadership positions at World Learning and America's Development Foundation, where she was responsible for strategic planning, legal and regulatory compliance, and operational management in various international contexts. Tia worked in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina for a dozen years leading the implementation of large USAID-funded programs focused on democracy, advocacy and human rights.
Tia’s Bachelor of Arts degree from St. John’s College and her Juris Doctor (JD) from Harvard Law School have provided a strong foundation in critical thinking and analytical skills.
Tia became an elected alumni representative to the St. John’s Board of Visitors and Governors in October 2022. As a member of the Board, Tia serves as chair of the Facilities subcommittee and member of the Finance committee. Her multifaceted experience in law, international operations, and humanitarian work, combined with her academic achievements, make Tia a valuable asset to the St. John’s College Board. Previously, Tia served over eight years on the St. John’s College Alumni Association board of directors, including terms as President and was a DC Chapter co-leader.
She lives in Washington DC with two demanding Maine Coon cats and focuses her creative energy on designing jewelry and growing irises.