A LEGACY OF LOVE IN ACTION
Lisa Brodoff, retired Seattle University Law Professor Emerita, and her spouse Lynn Grotsky, a retired clinical social worker, have spent the last 42 years embracing pressing community challenges and advocating for others. They have also found a passion for giving at Seattle University as a way to extend their impact far beyond their own reach through the Lisa E. Brodoff Endowed Scholarship.
Seattle University is a natural fit to focus their passions, while creating a lasting impact. Brodoff and Grotsky both love SU's mission to educate future leaders and promote justice, not just in the classroom, but in the broader community.
"For us," Brodoff says, "Seattle University walks its talk. The mission is not just words."
In their own lives, the pair embody this mission in their chosen careers—Grotsky through social work and Brodoff by addressing legal protections and legislation through the field of law.
Last year Brodoff retired from the Seattle University School of Law after 25 years working as a beloved and award-winning professor. Her areas of expertise include disability law, elder law and the rights of sexual minorities. She also served as the director of the Ronald A. Petersen Law Clinic, which helps students gain the practical skills of lawyering while providing supervised pro bono legal counsel to clients in need.
For children and youth in communities who face neglect, abuse or are stigmatized and mistreated based on their identity, Grotsky is a champion for creating spaces for healing, therapeutic care and belonging. In 1988, her advocacy work led to the creation of the Monarch Children's Justice & Advocacy Center in Thurston County where children receive therapy from an interdisciplinary team, free of charge. She also is the co-founder of Pizza Klatch, a nonprofit organization that provides high school lunchtime educational and support groups for LGBTQ+ students and allies.
As much as they are dedicated to advocating for the critical services and legal structures that support flourishing communities, they also understand what it's like to face challenges. When Brodoff gave birth to their daughter, Evan, there was no process to ensure that Grotsky would have the rights and responsibilities to parent on behalf of their daughter.
Together, the couple won the first same-sex adoption case in Washington in 1989. The decision was one of the first in the country to allow for second-parent adoption. The judge's opinion from the trial has been used in jurisdictions throughout the country to grant parental rights to unmarried same-sex couples, a right that Brodoff and Grotsky, along with thousands of other committed couples, were not guaranteed until this ruling.
Their own professional and personal journeys shape their philanthropic giving. When they realized there were no scholarships at the School of Law designated for students with disabilities, they knew it was the perfect place to focus their energy.
"The students with the greatest challenges to overcome are the greatest advocates for others," Lisa shares, reflecting on what she learned from her students. To that end, the Lisa E. Brodoff Endowed Scholarship was created in 2022 and will be awarded annually to students with financial need who also have disabilities.
Brodoff and Grotsky made an initial gift to create the scholarship fund so they can see in their lifetime its impact on students. They also added the Brodoff Scholarship to their estate plans with a gift by will. Their future gift will more than double the amount in the endowed scholarship.
Says Grotsky, "We included the Seattle University School of Law in our estate plans because we wanted our plan to be an extension of the love we have for the people at Seattle U and our love for the School of Law's commitment to service to the community."
