McGeorge School of Law welcomed four talented and accomplished new faculty to its community this fall, Dr. Charles Kaye-Essien, Professor George Critchlow, Dr. Marcie Paolinelli, and Dr. Ilya Rudyak. Each bring a unique set of talents and experiences to further enrich the education that the law school provides for its students.

Dr. Charles Kaye-Essien joined the McGeorge School of Law faculty as an Assistant Professor of Public Policy in August. He will teach courses in the law school’s innovative public administration and policy programs. Dr. Kaye-Essien has earned numerous degrees, including a Ph.D. in Urban and Public Affairs from University of Louisville; an M.P.A. from University of Western Cape, South Africa; an M.A. in Development Management, from Ruhr University of Bochum in Germany; and his Bachelor’s in Urban Planning, from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, in Kumasi, Ghana.

Dr. Kaye-Essien is an international scholar and consultant who possesses a wide-range of expertise spanning state and local government, public sector performance management, program evaluation, community development, environmental and social impact assessment, sustainability and resilience management. His areas of focus include water, infrastructure, food systems, and Global South urbanism and development.

Kaye-Essien's academic journey has been marked by his commitment to exploring complex issues impacting communities worldwide. He has held various roles in a myriad of locations, such as Visiting Assistant Professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Connecticut and Assistant Professor and MPA Director at the School of Global and Public Policy at the American University in Cairo, Egypt. His passion for teaching and research also took him to Gustavus Adolphus College in Minnesota and Sullivan College in Kentucky.

His research, informed by life experiences in resource-insecure communities, has been published in prestigious international journals such as the International Public Management Journal, International Journal of Public Sector Management, the Journal of Asian and African Affairs, Urban Forum, and the International Development Planning Review.

Dr. Kaye-Essien's dedication to scholarly rigor extended to his role as a reviewer for high-impact journals like Nature, Administration & Society, Journal of Public Affairs, Journal of Asian and African Affairs, Feminist Media Studies, and State and Local Government, where his critical evaluations maintain research quality.

Beyond academia, he brings practical experience as a Policy Consultant to UNICEF in Egypt and as a contributor to Development Pathways in the UK. This fusion of academic and practical knowledge equips him to tackle real-world challenges with innovative solutions.

Recognizing his contributions to scholarship and practice, Dr. Kaye-Essien is a Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst scholar, expanding his global reach and influence.

“I take the role of ‘public scholar’ seriously in my teaching and research activities. I’m always looking for ways to connect to communities where I work through field research. As a student-centered instructor, my mentoring philosophy does not only end with advising but I also make efforts to develop my students’ research skills through collaborative field studies. Being a new resident in California, one of my primary objectives this semester is to start building lasting networks with colleagues, state/local agencies and non-profits,” he stated.

Dr. Kaye-Essien's extensive expertise, dedication to community development, and commitment to rigorous research make him a prominent figure in urban, environmental, and public affairs. His work not only enriches academic discourse but also contributes to the betterment of communities worldwide.

George Critchlow joined the faculty as a Visiting Professor of Law in August. He will teach Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Global Lawyering Skills, and Remedies. His education includes a B.A. in English from University of Washington, Seattle, and a J.D. from Gonzaga University School of Law.

Professor Critchlow is an accomplished legal expert, who is a professor emeritus at Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington, where he taught a diverse range of law courses for many years. Beyond the classroom, Critchlow is an accomplished trial lawyer, boasting extensive experience in civil and criminal litigation, including appearances in state courts, federal courts, and even the Supreme Court of the United States.

Critchlow's influence extends internationally. He has taught international human rights law and provided consultancy on legal education curricula and teaching techniques across Europe, South America, and the Middle East.

He played a pivotal role in founding the Gonzaga Institute for Action Against Hate, now known as the Gonzaga Center for the Study of Hate. This interdisciplinary center focuses on understanding the roots of hatred and developing strategies to combat it. As a founding member and Director, Critchlow's contributions were instrumental in advancing the center's mission.

Additionally, he founded and edited the Institute's peer-reviewed Journal of Hate Studies, a digital journal that publishes rigorous academic discussions on the subject of hate, serving as an essential resource for scholars, policymakers, and activists.

He hopes to share with the McGeorge community some advice he received many years ago:

“En route to my first year of law school in 1974, my car broke down in the Idaho wilderness. I walked for a bit and encountered an old Nez Perce man fishing on the banks of the Salmon River. I told him of my decision to go to law school, my anxiety, my insecurity, my fear that I could not be a lawyer and still be the person I wanted to be,” Critchlow said. “He was quiet for a while, and then he said ‘You will be fine. Just remember two things. First, help people whenever possible. Second, avoid hurting people whenever possible.’”

Dr. Marcie Paolinelli, who previously taught at McGeorge for seven years, is rejoining the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Public Administration. She will teach courses in the public administration and policy programs. Dr. Paolinelli earned her B.A. from University of California, Davis, as well as both an M.P.A. and D.P.A. from the University of Southern California.

She is a successful management consultant with over three decades of experience serving public sector organizations. Her expertise encompasses a wide spectrum of skills, including strategic planning, management analysis, business process improvement, implementation, and change management. Notably, she has overseen projects across diverse government programs, including environmental protection, health, social services, transportation, and emergency management.

Beyond her consulting career, Dr. Paolinelli has made significant contributions to academia. She held teaching positions at McGeorge and the University of Southern California. In her previous roles, she imparted her knowledge through graduate-level courses covering management, leadership, analytics, strategy, and implementation.

Dr. Paolinelli's commitment to public sector leadership development was exemplified by her role as Co-Director of the University of Southern California's California Leadership Institute. This program provides executive leadership and management training to California's top-level managers at the career executive assignment level.

As a member of the American Society of Public Administration, Dr. Paolinelli has served as President of the Sacramento Chapter and National Board Member of the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management. Her lifetime dedication to public administration excellence earned her the prestigious Ross Clayton Distinguished Public Service Award from the American Society for Public Administration, Sacramento Chapter. This award recognized her meritorious service in advancing the field of public administration, underscoring her lasting impact on the profession.

Paolinelli stated that she was “so excited to return to the McGeorge community as an Assistant Professor of Public Administration. I took a brief hiatus to engage in a public health consulting endeavor only to find out how much I missed teaching. It was the intellectual curiosity, enthusiasm and dedication of the students that drew me back. Through my courses in public management and leadership, I aim to guide these future public service leaders, instilling in them the passion and commitment to achieve their highest potential.”

Dr. Ilya Rudyak joined the faculty as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law in August. He will teach courses on Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and National Security: Counterterrorism.

Dr. Rudyak’s academic journey reflects his dedication to legal scholarship, with a joint LLB degree in law and psychology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, followed by LLM and SJD degrees earned at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

He primarily focuses on domestic criminal law and international humanitarian law, and his scholarly contributions have found outlets in traditional and peer-reviewed law journals, legislative proposals, professional reports, and formal submissions to international and state bodies. He also holds the esteemed title of non-resident Senior Fellow at the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania.

“I feel very fortunate to join the vibrant community of talented and dedicated scholars, teachers, and staff here at McGeorge. I am grateful for the warm welcome I received and look forward to learning from my colleagues and students,” Dr. Rudyak said about joining the McGeorge Community.

Before joining the faculty of McGeorge School of Law in 2023, Dr. Rudyak held the role of Senior Fellow at the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL) and Arlin M. & Neysa Adams Postdoctoral Fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center. His extensive legal background includes prior service as the Legislative Director of a comprehensive criminal code reform project in Delaware and as the Director of Research at CERL.

Dr. Rudyak's early career took him on diverse professional journeys. As a lawyer, he practiced litigation at a prominent Israeli law firm. He also worked as a Holocaust educator at Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, where he contributed to preserving the memory and history of one of humanity's darkest chapters. Additionally, he served as the head of the weapons department aboard an Israeli Navy submarine.

Dr. Rudyak commented on what he hopes to achieve in his teaching: “I aim to help students gain a deep and nuanced understanding of the conceptual foundations of the law and the specific legal doctrines they study. I strive to provide them with ample opportunities to think through the intricacies of complex theoretical and pragmatic matters and to practice applying them to different scenarios. I also hope to motivate students to look through the often-confusing array of legal concepts, and actively search for the crucial elements that – as a professor of mine was fond of saying – do the work.”

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