In his role as the College of Law’s first Leader in Residence, Michael Strautmanis ’94 is ready to embrace the opportunity to inspire students and spark dialogue about the role lawyers play in society. There’s one thing he’s most excited to do, though.
“It gives me a chance to tell a lot of great stories,” he said with a laugh. “I believe that storytelling is the fundamental way to share experiences and lessons learned and, because I've seen some exciting and interesting and fun things, I have the opportunity to bring those to life for the students.”
Exciting, interesting, and fun might undersell the experiences that Strautmanis has had in his career. One story he is most excited to share details about is how he was chosen as the lawyer supporting the nascent democracy in Kosovo at the end of the war in that country, just a short five years after graduating from Illinois Law. Strautmanis’ experience also includes campaign work and a prominent role in the Obama White House, a stint as a Vice President within the Walt Disney Company, and his current role as Executive Vice President at the Obama Foundation.
“I try to use these stories to humanize myself because I want the students to see that somebody who sat in the chairs that they're sitting in can do a range of really interesting things,” he added.
The Leader in Residence program is part of the College of Law’s Leadership Project, which is designed to promote leadership education among College of Law students through a variety of lectures, book talks, and classes focused on leadership principles. Students who complete a prescribed number of these activities, and attend a capstone half-day retreat in April, earn the title "Leadership Scholar"; 15 College of Law alumni have earned this distinction thus far.
As Leader in Residence, Strautmanis spent the week of February 19 in Champaign. During his time on campus, he hosted a lunch-and-learn event with the American Constitutional Society, led a Leadership Project book talk on Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why,” taught a session of the College’s required 1L Fundamentals of Legal Practice class, and led a week-long course, Law 792 – “Lawyers as Leaders.” The course provided students with examples of different leadership styles, and how they could develop and apply their skills to claim their own style. With guest speakers such as Eric Holder, former attorney general of the United States, and Sarada Peri, whom Strautmanis called “one of the best speechwriters in the business,” students got to hear the stories that helped shape these high-ranking leaders within their respective fields and beyond.
“I learned here at the University of Illinois that being a lawyer was a noble calling. I learned that we had a responsibility to this society, and I took an oath when I passed the bar that was dedicated to the Constitution and the values that underpin our democratic society,” Strautmanis said. “I believe that lawyers have the opportunity to choose to be intentional about how they use that information, that knowledge, that power. And in making those choices we have the opportunity to be leaders and we should explore what kind of leaders we want to be.”
As an undergraduate student at Illinois, Strautmanis always had an interest in attending law school. However, it wasn’t until he visited the College of Law Building that his interest quickly turned into a real option for him. It was a place where he felt seen by fellow Black students who helped address his questions, and he remembers being warmly welcomed by the faculty and staff. He says Illinois Law found him and, as a result, was the only school he applied to, though perhaps it didn’t hurt that his future wife was also pursuing a graduate degree on campus.
During his time here, Strautmanis says he “wasn’t that great of a student.” Though he made the dean’s list one semester, he left feeling like Illinois was not going to play a large role in his future. As he progressed through his career, however, the ways Illinois had shaped him became clearer.
“I have often found myself in rooms engaging with people who went to Harvard and other Ivy League schools and I always took that as an opportunity to show them that, you know, a kid who went to law school at the University of Illinois was also fully equipped to go toe-to-toe with them,” Strautmanis said. “I've come to realize just how meaningful my experience had been here. So I consider it a bit of a miracle that I'm back with the title of professor.”
Being back on campus, Strautmanis says he sees a level of enthusiasm and passion among the students and faculty that matches or even exceeds what he remembers from his time as a student. In particular, he noted the work done by Professor Suja Thomas as an example of how individual passion—in her case, regarding the right to trial by jury—can be incredibly inspiring. Likewise, he has found the students themselves to be a source of encouragement.
“These students, they know how the world works,” he said. “I'm really impressed how much they're grappling with the same challenges that I'm faced with.”
The challenges that Strautmanis has faced in his work, in both private companies and in public service, are not exactly what he had in mind while he was studying at Illinois. However, he says the College of Law gave him the tools he needed to excel in areas such as foreign aid, legislation, community organizing, and expanding equity and inclusion. Now, as an adjunct professor, he can share what he’s learned and help shape the next generation of leaders—and they’re already making an impression.
“My time here has been pretty rich and engaging because, frankly, I thought I needed to meet the students where they were and they're kind of meeting me where I'm at,” Strautmanis said. “I would encourage alumni to take a trip to Champaign and see what the students are doing here.”