Two new additions to the Office of Student Affairs will foster the student experience at the University of Virginia School of Law.
Megan Durkee ’15, a former public defender, has joined as director of student affairs, while Savannah Ourednik is the student affairs coordinator, a newly created position.
Durkee will mentor and work with students and student organizations under the supervision of Sarah Davies ’91, assistant dean for student affairs.
Durkee served for four years at the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. She clerked for two years for U.S. Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen of the Eastern District of Virginia.
“I’m excited about academia because I really enjoyed being a student,” Durkee said, “and I really wanted to return to an environment that’s just where the focus is learning and where my role would be working with and mentoring students.”
As the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, she said she foresees the Office of Student Affairs holding more community-building programming “and really helping students think about not only how they want to use their time in law school but how they want to develop into lawyers once they graduate.”
At UVA Law, Durkee received the Herbert Kramer/Herbert Bangel Community Service Award, Claire Corcoran Award for Public Service and Doris Buffett Fellowship. She served on the Virginia Law Review editorial board, as president of Child Advocacy, Research and Education, and was a Program for Law and Public Service fellow and mentor.
She earned a bachelor’s degree from UVA in economics, and political and social thought.
Ourednik, who is also joining the department, will help student organizations with their event planning, such as through room reservations and reimbursements. She will use surveys to garner feedback on event programming, assist with major events such as orientation and graduation, and train student organization leaders.
A Charlottesville native, she previously worked as a claims resolution specialist at Elephant Insurance and as an elementary school teacher and interventionist with Henrico County Public Schools.
“That was probably my favorite part of teaching — working with the students, building those relationships and being in that kind of support role,” she said.
Ourednik earned a bachelor’s degree in early elementary education and master’s degree in teaching elementary education from Virginia Commonwealth University.
“I am very excited to have Megan and Savannah join the Student Affairs team,” Davies said. “I know that we will draw on the teaching experience that both of them have as we expand our support programming for student organizations and for individual students dealing with personal, professional and academic issues.”
Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.
