Osler's Razor

I have been devoting (most) Wednesdays to profiling the pretty remarkable members of my law school class. Sadly, Yale Law '90 just had our reunion canceled (understandably), so I will not get to catch up with all of the people I have written about!

For Akosua Barthwell Evans, Yale Law was just part of her post-college education: she has an undergraduate degree from Barnard, and a M. Phil. and a Ph.D. from Columbia. Like me, she was born in Detroit, the daughter of Sidney Barthwell, an entrepreneur who started a chain of drugstores and an ice cream company (Akosua tells his remarkable story here).  Her family, including her brother Sidney, was well-known in Detroit for their business and community leadership.

After law school, Akosua became a Managing Partner at JP Morgan, where she launched two national businesses and advised a wide variety of clients. She then returned to Detroit to become a consultant at Coopers & Lybrand, where she became the first female manager of the consulting group.

In time, she formed her own consulting company, the Barthwell Group, a boutique multi-dimensional firm with a remarkable client list. She is involved in many community groups, including the board of the Detroit Historical Society, which basically steered me towards my lifelong interest in history when I was a kid.

Detroit is lucky to have her back. I'm amazed at all she has done, and the legacy of her family that she has continued and enlarged in that place I hold dear.