50 for 50 Spotlight: Capri Maddox

"I feel like there are some institutions that need to be protected, and Pepperdine is one of them – an oasis in our region where faith filled people can acquire the skills they need to work at their best and highest in their respective fields."

As we continue our spotlight series, we are proud to highlight Pepperdine Law alumni such as Capri Maddox who pursue service-oriented careers for the sake of a greater and deeper impact in their own communities.

Capri Maddox (JD '01) is the Special Assistant to the City Attorney for the City of Los Angeles, recently returning to her post after a one year leave in which she served as the Senior Executive Director of LA Unified Partnerships. Capri was an instrumental part of raising 43 million dollars for LA Unified, a school district of immense need in which more than 20,000 of its students are homeless. "I am not afraid to jump," she explains. "I went to law school because I believed I could do anything with a law degree." For Capri, that includes opportunities to be of service to her community in a meaningful way, reaching out and creating a positive impact right in the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

In addition to her service to the extended community, Capri has served as a Pepperdine Law preceptor since the program's inception. She expresses excitement at witnessing an increasingly diversified class of incoming students: "I don't want society to miss on how much of an impact faith-filled talented leaders, which we create at Pepperdine Law, can have."

Discussing her alma mater, Capri says, "I feel like I never graduated. You guys can't keep me away because Pepperdine changed my life." Capri was called herself to Pepperdine in the late 90's by the University's "bold Christian" message, and she describes the law school as a place where she felt welcome, included, and celebrated, adding, "They so go where you are celebrated, not tolerated."

Reflecting on what is to come for the next fifty years of Pepperdine-trained leaders, Capri shares, "If you're not at the table, you're on the menu. We (Pepperdine) need to be at the table. We need our people to reflect God's light in an array of places and spaces."

Capri will give a keynote speech at the For People of Color Conference which will be held at Pepperdine Law on September 14.