Drake University Law School is proud to announce this year’s alumni award honorees. Anjela Shutts, LW’96, is Alumna of the Year; Elizabeth Van Arkel, LW’12, is Recent Alumna of the Year; and Judge Mark W. Bennett, LW’75, will be recognized with the Alumni Distinguished Public Service Award. We will honor award winners at the 88th annual Supreme Court Celebration Banquet on Saturday, April 5, 2025. Visit the Supreme Court Celebration events page for event and registration information.
Each year, alumni, faculty, and staff are invited to nominate individuals for alumni awards. Law School Board of Counselors and Recent Alumni Engagement Board members consider all nominations and vote to determine who will receive the annual honors.
Alumna of the Year
The Alumna of the Year award recognizes Drake Law School alumni who have demonstrated outstanding service to the legal profession, the community, and the Law School.
Anjie earned her B.A. from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa in 1993 and her J.D. at Drake University Law School in 1996. While in law school, she was involved in the National Mock Trial Team, the Client Counseling Team, was a recipient of the Carlucci Award for Professionalism and Civility, and served as President of the Drake Law Women. Anjie was an adjunct professor in family law at Drake University Law School 2011 – 2012. She was a member and served as chair of the Drake University Law School Board of Counselors. Anjie was named to the Drake University College of Law “150 in 150” list of outstanding alumni in 2015. In 2018, Anjie received the Luther College Distinguished Service Award. Since 2018, she has been a member of the Luther College Board of Regents.
She joined Whitfield & Eddy Law in Des Moines while attending Drake University Law School as a law clerk. After graduating and passing the Bar, she joined the firm as an attorney in 1996 and established a practice representing individuals and families in family law matters. Her focus is on domestic relations and she has represented parties in complex dissolutions involving business owners, highly compensated executives, high net worth individuals and families, as well as highly contested custody matters. The firm’s practice group now includes ten attorneys and administrative assistants. Anjie is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and has been recognized by Chambers USA High Net Worth, Best Lawyers in America and Great Plains Super Lawyers. She recently celebrated her 30th anniversary at the firm.
Anjie has served as co-chair of the Whitfield & Eddy Law Associate Professional Development Committee, Professional Recruitment Committee, co-chair of the Family Law Practice Group, and served for six years as a member of the three-person Executive Committee.
Anjie is a founding board member of the Iowa Center for Children’s Justice and has served as board chair since 2023. She was the President of the Iowa State Bar Association 2021—2022. She was a member of the Iowa Family Law Case Processing Reform Task Force Steering Committee and the Iowa State Judicial Nominating Commission for Polk County. Anjie was vice-chair to the Iowa Supreme Court Access to Justice Commission from 2016—2021 and also served on the Remote Testimony Task Force – Family Law work group for the Iowa Supreme Court. She currently serves a member of the Iowa Supreme Court Child Support Guidelines Review Committee and the Iowa Supreme Court Civil Rules of Procedure Task Force. She has served as president of the Polk County Bar Association, the Polk County Women Attorneys, and the Iowa Organization of Women Attorneys.
Anjie was recognized as one of The Des Moines Register’s 15 People to Watch in 2019. She received the Polk County Women Attorneys Willie Stevenson Glanton Award, the Iowa Supreme Court Voice of Justice Award, and the Luther College Distinguished Service Award in 2018. She received the Polk County Bar Association Award of Merit in 2017. A graduate of the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute, she received the Alumni Community Vision Award in 2014. She was recognized as a member of the Des Moines Business Record’s Forty Under 40 in 2002.
Recent Alumna of the Year
The Recent Alumnus of the Year award recognizes Drake Law School alumni who have graduated in the past 15 years, have seen a high level of professional success early in their careers, and have made an impact on the community through public service.
Elizabeth’s passion is helping foreign nationals navigate the U.S. immigration system, whether coming to the U.S. for a visit, work opportunities, family-based immigration, or escape from domestic violence or dangerous conditions in their home countries. Elizabeth offers guidance in an often changing and complicated system and guides her clients through the entire immigration process, from preparing and submitting the forms and application, through consular processing and scheduling visa appointments at the consulate.
She relishes the opportunity to help bridge the cultural divide between U.S. employers and their foreign-born employees. Companies trust Elizabeth to manage their talent needs by assisting with the recruitment and hiring of foreign nationals through non-immigrant petitions for H-1B workers and H-4 dependents, R-1 (religious workers), and TN workers based on the trade agreement between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Elizabeth further counsels employers on worksite compliance, including I-9 compliance, navigating the F-1 student OPT and STEM OPT programs, J-1 visas and J-1 visa waivers, and employment authorization (EADs). Her work with companies continues as they navigate the process to keep vital members of their team in the U.S. for good. Elizabeth assists employers and foreign nationals with the permanent residence process including immigrant petitions for PERM labor certifications and immigrant worker petitions to provide a path to a green card. These processes include I-140 applications as well as specialized applications for physicians in the Physician National Interest Waiver (PNIW) and I-360 applications for religious workers.
Individuals currently in the U.S. facing deportation rely on Elizabeth’s defense in U.S. Immigration Court as well as in Iowa criminal courts when a criminal conviction could impact immigration status. Elizabeth has successfully handled Cancellation of Removal cases in removal proceedings and has successfully closed deportation proceedings for those eligible to adjust status to lawful permanent residence. Elizabeth also advises individuals present in the U.S. in their affirmative and defensive asylum applications and arrived refugees pursuing more permanent status. Also included are those seeking fiancé visas (K-1), spousal visas (K-3), Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), U-Visas for victims of violence, I-601A and I-601 Waivers, I-751 Removal of Conditions, J-1 Waivers, Change of Status to F-1 Student, I-539 Change of Status, consular processing, green card renewals (I-90), and N-400 Naturalization applications. Elizabeth has counseled numerous families bringing relatives to the U.S. through family-based immigration as well.
Working at the intersection of immigration and criminal law, Elizabeth counsels clients and other attorneys on the effect of criminal charges and convictions on immigration. She negotiates plea agreements in an effort to avoid negative immigration consequences which could later affect her client’s immigration path in the U.S.
Elizabeth has a passion for conflict resolution in divorce and custody matters. She understands tensions are high during family law conflicts and advocates for her client’s best interests, and if involved in the dispute, the best interest of the children. Elizabeth has litigated high-asset property cases, successfully advocated for parents to have more visitation with their children, a fairer custody settlement, appropriate child support guidelines, and equitable distribution of property and assets when dividing marital property. Elizabeth also has experience with adoption cases, including same-sex parent adoptions, step-parent adoptions, and name changes. She has successfully advocated for a custody reversal from one parent as the primary physical care custodian to the other parent, reduced child support guidelines based on changes in circumstance, protected assets, and acquired fair resolutions to other property disputes. Elizabeth is sensitive to those individuals from different countries and cultures when she is negotiating in the family law realm on behalf of her foreign national clients.
Alumni Distinguished Public Service Award
The Distinguished Public Service Award recognizes Drake Law School alumni who have engaged in exemplary service to the community and demonstrated commitment to public service over the course of their careers.
Judge Mark W. Bennett dedicated his 49+ years as a lawyer and judge to public service. After graduating from Drake Law School in 1975 he started his own law firm where he specialized in civil rights, civile liberties and public interest law with an emphasis on pro bono cases. Judge Bennett served as the U.S. District Judge, Northern District of Iowa 1994-2019 (Chief Judge, 2000-2007) and as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Southern District of Iowa (1991-1994). He has taught at five law schools and published more than two dozen law review articles and numerous other articles. He has lectured at more than 500 CLE programs in 41 states and several foreign countries. Bennett was the first judge in the country to develop and use an implicit bias jury instruction and was a founding member of the National Implicit Bias Network and has been involved in educating more than 4500 state and federal trial and appellate judges, and many more lawyers from Alaska to Florida and Maine to Hawaii on implicit bias. After becoming the first Director of the Drake Law School’s Institute for Justice Reform & Innovation, he took emeritus status at the end of 2024. He currently has an active mediation and arbitration practice throughout the U.S.
— Taylor Johnson, Law School
