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EVENT: OSU Ethics Conference featuring Janet Reno and Mary Frances Berry
DATE: April 15-16

TULSA – Janet Reno, the nation’s first female attorney general, and Mary Frances Berry, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, will serve as keynote speakers during Oklahoma State University’s annual Ethics Center conference April 15-16.

“Police, Prosecutors and Politicians: The Ethics and Limits of Law Enforcement” is the subject of this year’s conference. Reno will talk about wrongful convictions during her speech at a noon luncheon at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Tulsa. Berry will speak at 7:30 p.m. in the OSU-Tulsa Auditorium at 700 N. Greenwood Ave., near I-244 and Detroit Ave. Both Reno and Berry speak on the first day of the conference, Friday, April 15.

Dr. Scott Gelfand, Ethics Center director and OSU associate professor, said the conference will bring together attorneys, police officials and scholars from around the state to speak on issues such as ethics of prosecutions, racial profiling, civil rights – post 9/11, the relationship of police and community, and appropriate force.

“The goal of the conference is to cultivate conditions that will encourage an enlightening and frank discussion between philosophers, ethicists and professionals in law enforcement related fields,” Gelfand said. “Ms. Reno’s and Ms. Berry’s knowledge and experiences will certainly inspire and challenge our thoughts on the issue of ethics and limits of law enforcement.”

Reno and Berry will join Oklahoma State Attorney General Drew Edmondson, Congressman John Nance and several members of Oklahoma’s legal system and police departments for the two-day conference.

Nominated by President Bill Clinton, Reno became the first woman to work in the nation's top law enforcement job. She served in the position from March 1993 until the end of the Clinton administration in January 2001.

As attorney general, Reno enforced policies on civil rights, race relations, corruption, the environment, gun control and immigration. One of her major goals was to give ordinary citizens greater access to the justice system, while ensuring that the federal government consistently accorded strict principles of due process. She also pushed for reforms to provide assistance to troubled youths.

Berry is a groundbreaking African American professor, writer, lawyer and activist. Berry was appointed assistant secretary of Education by President Jimmy Carter in 1977, and became commissioner and vice chairman of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights in 1980. After President Reagan fired her for criticizing his civil rights policies, she sued him and won reinstatement in federal district court.

In 1993, President Clinton designated her chairperson of the Civil Rights Commission. Berry was reappointed to a six-year term in January 1999, but resigned from the Commission in December 2004.

Admission to the luncheon session with Reno is $27.50. Berry’s public address is free and open to the public. Additional conference sessions are $25 each. For a complete conference schedule or to register, contact the OSU Ethics Center at 405-744-9238 or visit their web site at http://philosophy.okstate.edu/ethicscenter.