CONCLAVE REVIEW CLOSED BANQUET
INFORMED INVOLVED & INVESTED
W hen Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford (Nu Alpha 1993) addressed the Conclave in Phoenix as the 87th Grand Chapter Meeting Closed Ban- quet Speaker, he brought more than a résumé—he brought a roadmap. Ford’s journey from first-generation college student and single father to Nevada’s top law enforce- ment officer served as a living brief on what it means to be informed, involved, and invested in one’s studies, one’s community, one’s craft, and one’s family. For undergraduate brothers, his story is not distant inspiration; it provides actionable guidance. Ford recounted that his climb started far from the cor- ridors of power. As a 21-year-old single father, he relied on Section 8 and WIC while pushing through his bachelor’s degree. Asked what kept him moving, he put it plainly, “my motivation was to be different than what I experienced grow- ing up … I want my kids to see what a real man looks like.”
That resolve carried him through five degrees—including a J.D. and Ph.D.—and, ultimately, to statewide office, where he made history as Nevada’s first African American to hold a statewide constitutional office. For brothers balancing academics, work, and service, Ford’s path is a reminder that rigor and resilience can coexist—and that neither excuses you from the other. His public service is organized around a simple motto and an expansive mission. “Our Job Is Justice,” he wrote, describ- ing his office’s daily focus; “I pursue my mission of securing justice for every Nevadan, every day.” That mission has yielded measurable outcomes. Under his leadership, Nevada secured more than $1.1 billion from opioid settlements—funds designated to help communities recover from a crisis that touched every zip code. He’s also taken on the modern public-health challenge of online harms to youth, filing suits and joining bipartisan
SUMMER 2025 ♦ THE JOURNAL 41
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