The Women and the Law Division of the Indianapolis Bar Association is thrilled to announce that Jane Henegar, Executive Director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, has been selected to receive the 2023 Antionette Dakin Leach Award. The award, named for the first Hoosier woman to challenge bar admission based on gender, is presented annually to a trailblazing female attorney in Indiana who carries on her legacy.
Ms. Henegar, a lifelong Hoosier and public servant, currently leads the ACLU of Indiana. Prior to joining the ACLU, Henegar served as a deputy mayor for the City of Indianapolis under Mayor Bart Peterson. Henegar has held various positions in government, including state director in the office of Senator Evan Bayh, deputy commissioner and general counsel for the Indiana Department of Administration, executive posts at the Family and Social Services Administration, and judicial law clerk for the Honorable Thomas Reavley, United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
When asked about Ms. Henegar's trailblazing spirit, Stevie Pactor, Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Indiana, said that "[t]here is no one who cares more about the rights of Hoosiers than Jane Henegar, and the more difficult the fight, the more zeal she brings. We at the ACLU of Indiana could not ask for a fiercer advocate for civil liberties, and for us, and we have been privileged to do this work with her as our leader."
The Honorable Sarah Evans Barker, United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, nominated Henegar for the ADL Award. In her nomination, Judge Barker expressed that "Jane is highly deserving and her career is illustrative of the values of courage and leadership and astute lawyering that the award is intended to recognize." The Women and the Law Division heartily agrees, and looks forward to celebrating Henegar at the Award Luncheon on November 8, 2023. Click here to register.
member center
