BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – LSU has selected the Paul M. Hebert Law Center’s new dean.

Alena Allen, a Louisiana native who currently serves as the deputy director for the Association of American Law Schools and law professor at the University of Arkansas School of Law, will return to her home state to lead the law center.

“I am thrilled to serve as dean, and I look forward to working with the staff, students, faculty and stakeholders to continue to advance the mission and to enhance the law school’s reputation nationally,” Allen said.

Gov. John Bel Edwards congratulated Allen via social media, saying, “Congratulations to Alena Allen! A Louisiana native and the deputy director for the Association of American Law Schools, Professor Allen will be the first African-American dean of @LSULawCenter. I am proud to be a member of the LSU Law family today.”

LSU says Allen was a graduate of both Loyola University New Orleans and Yale Law School and her academic, professional and leadership experience distinguished her among the candidates.

LSU President William F. Tate IV said LSU made the right choice in selecting Allen.

“We set out to find an exceptionally talented leader committed to legal education, scholarship and practice,” he said. “Ms. Allen’s experience has the depth and breadth we need to take the Paul M. Hebert Law Center to the next level of excellence.”

While she was with the University of Arkansas, Allen held a number of leadership positions, including associate dean for research and faculty development and interim dean.

Before partnering with the University of Arkansas, she was a tenured associate professor at the Cecil C. Humphreys University of Memphis School of Law where she was honored with several awards including, the Professor of Year award in 2013, the Farris Bobango Faculty Scholarship Award in 2019 and the MLK 50 Faculty Service Award in 2021.

Allen was also elected to the faculty senate, in addition to serving as director of diversity and director of research.

Allen is expected to officially become dean of the LSU Law Center on July 17, pending approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors.