June 12, 2023
On June 10, Misty Sanford, West Coast Chair of Willkie’s Real Estate Department, was honored by the Mexican American Bar Foundation at its 32nd Annual Scholarship & Awards Gala in Los Angeles. Misty received the Community Impact Award for her many contributions to the community, including diversifying the legal profession, a strong commitment to pro bono work, mentoring and advocacy, and leading by example.
Throughout her career, Misty has been involved in the community through various initiatives and activities, including as a founding board member and treasurer of For People of Color, Inc. (FPOC), a nonprofit dedicated to empowering students of color to become attorneys. She previously served as a mayoral appointee to the City of Los Angeles Board of Recreation and Parks Commissioners (which oversees operations, programming and maintenance of the city’s parks and recreational centers) and the City of Los Angeles Environmental Affairs Commission. Additionally, Misty is a founder and former chair of the board of the Los Angeles Neighborhood Land Trust, a nonprofit that converts blighted parcels of land into parks and gardens. Misty also served on the board of trustees of her alma mater Whittier College (where she reviewed all major institutional policies including academic programs and financial assets of the college) and as an officer of the Executive Committee of the Real Property Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.
In addition, Misty is deeply committed to pro bono work, where she assists park, social justice and homeless/affordable housing organizations (such as Community Coalition, Downtown Women’s Center, T.R.U.S.T. South LA, the Los Angeles River Revitalization Corporation, Los Angeles Room & Board and Disability Community Resource Center) in leasing, acquiring, developing and preserving land.
The mission of the Mexican American Bar Foundation is to enhance the diversity of the legal profession through education. The organization does this by supporting the dreams of young women and men of Latino heritage who are pursuing careers in law.
