As an Assistant U.S. Attorney, she represented federal government agencies and personnel in the civil division, and then, in the criminal division, prosecuted mainly economic crimes. During her two decades in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she was a sought-after colleague who handled more than 50 appeals in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth District, coordinated civil appellate litigation and who was on the Department of Justice (DOJ) team that prosecuted the civil denaturalization case against Nazi concentration camp guard John Demjanjuk. Michael Anne was one of the recipients of DOJ’s first Human RIghts Law Enforcement Award for her role in the United States v. John Demjanjuk.

For over a decade, she served as a mediator, primarily in employment discrimination cases, for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. A firm believer in the rule of law and the importance of preparing the next generation to be its fiercest defender, Michael Anne was an instructor at DOJ courses in civil trial advocacy and appellate practice and, for many years, as an adjunct professor of law, taught trial advocacy and civil pretrial practice courses at Case Western Reserve University and a first-year torts class at the University of Akron.

Retiring from the U.S. Attorney’s Office allowed her to pursue new interests in photography, political advocacy and philanthropy. For years, Michael Anne has been a volunteer photographer for a community newspaper and other nonprofit organizations. And while she has served on the board of the Federal Bar Association, Cleveland Chapter and as reunion class president and reunion chair at Wooster, much of her volunteer work has focused on Laurel, where she has tirelessly championed alumnae engagement, strengthening bonds across decades and inspiring others to give generously of their time, talent and treasure. A former president of the Laurel Alumnae Association, a class reunion planner and even a pinch-hitting performing arts photographer, Michael Anne recently concluded nine years of service on the Board of Trustees, including a term as the chair of the development committee. In that role she helped guide fundraising initiatives to secure vital resources for scholarships, facilities and innovative programs that will ensure that future generations of young women benefit from the same transformative education she is grateful for and so deeply values.

In recognition of her unwavering service to fairness and justice and her lifelong commitment to the promise of Laurel’s mission, the Laurel School Alumnae Association bestows its Lifetime Achievement Award on Michael Anne Johnson, Class of 1964.