Professor Brittany Stringfellow Otey Honored as Pepperdine University Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence Recipient for 2026

Pepperdine Caruso Law professor Brittany Stringfellow Otey was honored by Pepperdine University as a Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence recipient at the Pepperdine Faculty and Staff Leadership Conference 2026 held on October 2. The Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence recognizes outstanding teachers who embody Pepperdine University's commitment to excellence. The award honors teachers who inspire, stimulate, challenge, and motivate their students; teachers who develop in students the ability to think critically and creatively about the world; teachers who instill in their students a lifelong love of learning.

Professor Otey is the director of the Caruso Law clinical education program and has served as the the director of the Pepperdine Legal Aid Clinic since 2003. The clinic assists individuals struggling with homelessness and poverty, primarily those living in the skid row area of Los Angeles. Staffed by Pepperdine Caruso Law students, the clinic provides assistance in a variety of civil legal matters, including post-incarceration reentry, family law, income tax, consumer law, and public benefit controversies. Professor Otey also teaches the accompanying legal aid clinical course and externship seminar. Professor Otey's scholarly research focuses on preparing millennial generation students for legal practice.

The teaching award is named after Pepperdine University's fifth president, Howard A. White. Throughout his nearly 30-year career at Pepperdine, White served in a variety of faculty and administrative posts. He was an effective history professor, a respected scholar, a gifted administrator, and a faithful steward of the University's mission. His life's work at Pepperdine as a teacher, scholar, and administrator exemplifies the commitment of the University and its faculty to students and to teaching and learning.

Additional information on the award may be found at Howard A. White Award for Teaching Excellence