AILA Presents Amy Nice with the 2023 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, June 7, 2023

WASHINGTON, DC - The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) recognizes Amy Nice with the 2023 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award for excellence in advancing the practice of immigration law.

Amy M. Nice has been an immigration lawyer for 35 years, with a broad range of experiences in the private practice of immigration law (for more than 20 years) and in the policy realm (since 2010), primarily focused on employment-based immigration. She is currently a Distinguished Immigration Fellow and Visiting Scholar with Cornell’s Immigration Law and Policy Program.

From June 2021 to January 2023, Ms. Nice served as an Assistant Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, responsible for leading efforts on STEM talent policy. Her policy efforts also encompassed supporting coalitions between academia and industry, addressing high-skilled immigration during the Trump Administration, and serving during the Obama Administration at the Office of the General Counsel at DHS headquarters. Prior to that, she worked as the Executive Director of Immigration Policy at the US Chamber of Commerce for almost five years where she primarily pushed legislative reforms including involvement on S. 744, the bipartisan immigration reform bill that passed the U.S. Senate.

Among the reasons given for her nomination included her exemplary career and deep understanding of the immigration system. She “has made a difference in the development of immigration law and practice wherever she has been” with “a full command of every nook and cranny of the INA.” She was highlighted as a notable mentor, guiding new immigration lawyers and instilling in them strong values and outside-the-box thinking. Lauded for her work on S. 744, her nominators noted that “Although that legislation ultimately did not pass, many provisions in that bill—including the program for essential workers—form a blueprint for legislation today.” Now at Cornell, there is “no doubt [she will] continue to exercise her creativity and passion for immigration law to advance law and practice, and will mentor others to become thought-leaders and change-makers as well.”

The American Immigration Lawyers Association is the national association of immigration lawyers established to promote justice, advocate for fair and reasonable immigration law and policy, advance the quality of immigration and nationality law and practice, and enhance the professional development of its members.