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“Each of us has a role to play to promote and protect the positive relationship between justice and law.”

That was the message to the 2017 graduates of the����by Commencement speaker Brenda J. Hollis. On Saturday, May 20, approximately 280 students became alumni of Denver Law, marking the 124th graduating class of the program.

Hollis, a 1977 alumna of Sturm, currently serves as prosecutor of the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone. She is also the reserve international co-prosecutor for the Extraordinary Chambers in the Court of Cambodia and works as a consultant in international criminal law and procedure.

Hollis’ message to graduates focused on the relationship between justice and law, and the role the alumni will play in making sure it is a positive one.

“The law can and should be used to promote justice — to provide the framework in which justice operates,” she said. “The law can ensure that principles that underlie justice are consistently applied and that diverse interests are appropriately balanced.”

Hollis, a former U.S. Peace Corps volunteer, retired from the U.S. Air Force after more than 20 years with the rank of Colonel. Prior to her current appointment, she was responsible for leading the legal team prosecuting former Liberian President Charles Taylor, who is currently serving a 50-year sentence for aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity.