Up Close and Personal with Dr. Gleason
Author: The Crusader Staff Writer Salome Artola
“When you choose your career, be driven by the mission not the money.” Dr. Ann Gleason has been an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice department at Belmont Abbey since late 2022 full time but started off as an adjunct between the years 2014-2018 doing only part time teaching. Many may know her for teaching “American Criminal Courts.”
She initially began pursuing a B.S in Chemistry and a B.A in French at Chestnut Hill College in Pennsylvania in hopes of becoming an eye doctor. After obtaining these degrees in 1986, she decided to go to law school at Wake Forest University School of Law in Winston-Salem here in North Carolina. After graduating, she went on to become a law clerk for a judge in the 7th circuit court of appeals. She went on to be an associate attorney at a couple law firms then assistant DA in Mecklenburg County, she then went on to become Professor Gleason as she began her path as a professor teaching criminal justice courses as an adjunct at UNC Charlotte.
I briefly interviewed Professor Gleason to get a better outlook on and into the mind of both a criminal lawyer and a now professor:
How has being a professor versus a lawyer affected your life?
“It has affected my life in a sense that both have been rewarding but being a professor has allowed more immediate rewards that aren’t necessarily tangible but things such as connections with my students and I enjoy teaching CJ. Being a professor doesn’t have financial value compared to being a lawyer but interactions with my students are enough for me.”
What advice to give to students who are debating going into criminal justice?
“Studying criminal justice gives you a lot of background and career options into law enforcement and law and you study the behavior of people both good and bad in all walks of life. Knowledge that is always good to have.”
Do you think being a mom changed your outlook on being a lawyer?
“In a sense it has especially while practicing in criminal law. You tend to explain to your children a darker side of life due to what is seen or dealt with in this side of the law.”
If you are debating going into criminal justice or are even slightly interested in taking a class to know more, consider taking a class with Dr. Gleason. Her knowledge and outlook on law will give you a real face to face connection with criminal law.
This article was originally posted in the Spring 2024, Issue 2 of The Crusader Newspaper. Download the full issue here.
