Dean Megan Carpenter Headshot

No. 16 Megan Carpenter

Dean, University of New Hampshire

Franklin Pierce School of Law

Dean Megan Carpenter has been named among National Jurist’s Top 20 Most Influential People in Legal Education. She was honored this month at the American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, the largest gathering of law faculty in the world.

From the National Jurist:

These key players are major forces in shaping legal education. As in years past, in creating our list, we sought nominations from the nation’s law schools and added our own nominees. We then narrowed the list and asked every law school dean to rate them. Here are the top 20.

Explore the complete list of influential figures at National Jurist’s Top 20.

Dean Carpenter has over 20 years of experience as an executive, teacher, and scholar in intellectual property and technology.  She is a transformational leader. Under her tenure, UNH Franklin Pierce has increased enrollment by over 230%, increased giving over 330%, and increased the number of students of color more than five-fold.  Her leadership is marked by successful initiatives, including experiential learning, joint degree programs, study abroad, conferences, certificate programs, and interdisciplinary collaborations. The hallmark of her leadership is a student-centered approach, and she has received numerous awards for her work. She has published extensively in intellectual property and innovation, including the book "Evolving Economies: The Role of Law in Entrepreneurship and Innovation," and is a frequent speaker and author in popular media, including the New York Times, NPR, IAM, Chicago Tribune, Salon, and the Smithsonian Magazine. Before entering academia, Dean Carpenter practiced in the intellectual property group at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart (now K&L Gates).