In the two decades since, Deborah has become one of Pennsylvania's most respected voices on education law and policy. As Executive Director of the Education Law Center, she leads a nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to ensuring that all children in Pennsylvania — regardless of background or circumstance — can access a quality public education. Her work spans some of the most consequential issues facing public schools today, from equitable school funding to fairness in discipline practices.  

 

Deborah has shared her expertise widely, teaching education law at the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and serving as a frequent statewide speaker on education policy and the law. She has served on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania's Juvenile Court Procedural Rules Committee and the Pennsylvania Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, and she is a member of The American Law Institute. She co-chairs both the Philadelphia Bar Association's Legislative Liaison Committee and the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Education Law Committee, and serves on the boards of Jewish Family and Children's Service of Greater Philadelphia and Congregation Rodeph Shalom.

Deborah Gordon Klehr's career is a testament to what it looks like to put expertise, dedication, and personal conviction in service of others. We are proud to recognize her outstanding achievements with the 2026 Distinguished Alumni Award.