Commemorating Mel Narol’s commitment to the work of and enthusiastic support of the Task Force on Diversity, the NJSBA Diversity Committee’s Mel Narol Award is presented to those members of the association who have spearheaded inclusion and made strides for women and diverse lawyers.
Narol was a charter member of the task force and worked tirelessly on the project to make the diversity efforts within the NJSBA a permanent order of business. Through his leadership, what began as a small task force has grown into a permanent standing committee. The members of the Task Force on Diversity turned to Narol for his insight into the NJSBA as an organization, and sought his advice on a variety of philosophical and logistical issues. His enthusiasm and impetus led to the first Diversity Bar Summit. It was what he characterized as, “a necessary show of support” for diversity initiatives. Narol felt strongly that the NJSBA should be at the forefront of diversity and inclusion, strategically, for the sake of the development of membership, and because it was the right and most natural thing to do for today and the future. Naming this award in his honor celebrates Narol’s work on the Task Force on Diversity, his collegiality and his unwavering kindness.
The past recipients are:
1999 – Cynthia M. Jacob and Karol Corbin Walker
2000 – Hon. Marie Garibaldi
2001 – Raymond M. Brown
2002 – Stanley Van Ness
2003 – Hon. James Coleman and, posthumously, Mel Narol
2004 – Rutgers Law School Minority Students Program
2005 – Hon. Joseph Rodriguez
2006 – Zulima V. Farber
2007 – Ronald K. Chen
2008 – Raymond Brown
2009 – Hon. Anne E. Thompson
2010 – Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey, Inc.
2011 – Paulette Brown and Hon. Shirley Tolentino
2012 – Karol Corbin Walker
2013 – Hon. Esther Salas
2014 – Hon. Alberto Rivas
2015 – Saul A. Wolfe
2016 – Julien X. Neals and Evan Wolfson
2017 – Miles S. Winder III
2018 – Thomas H. Prol
To nominate an individual for the 2019 award, provide a complete bio of the nominee, along with an explanation supporting the nomination, to Kate Coscarelli, at [email protected], no later than Wednesday, Feb. 28.