JoAnne A. Epps

JoAnne Adrienne Epps (May 28, 1951 – September 19, 2023) was an American legal scholar and academic. After serving as the executive vice president and provost of Temple University, she was the university's 13th president. She was the first Black woman to be permanently appointed and serve as President of the University.

Early life and education Joanne Adrienne Epps' father was a machinist, and her mother was an administrator at Temple’s Tyler School of Art (then in Elkins Park). She was born on May 28, 1951, and grew up in Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, graduating from Cheltenham High School in 1969. She was recruited as a promising African-American student to enroll in Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she became a member of the first class of women at that school. In 2026 Epps posthumously received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Temple University

Career Epps began her legal career in 1976, as a deputy city attorney in Los Angeles. She served as dean of Temple University Beasley School of Law from 2008 to 2016 before becoming provost. She became acting president in 2023, following the resignation of Jason Wingard.

Epps' primary areas of teaching included criminal procedure, evidence, and trial advocacy. She taught Litigation Basics, a course for first-year law students at Temple. and her work on curricula and experiential learning in legal education served as inspiration for a new center at Temple Law School for training on accessing civil justice (the Stephen and Sandra Sheller Center for Social Justice).

On September 19, 2023, Epps was onstage at a memorial service for Charles L. Blockson at Temple's Performing Arts Center, when she abruptly fell ill and lost consciousness in her seat. She was taken to Temple University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at age 72. A colleague announcing her death described her illness as a "sudden episode".

Tributes 2026 - Posthumously Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters - Temple University 2024 - JoAnne Epps Hero of Justice Award - Pennsylvania Innocence Project 2023 - President Emerita designation - Temple University 2023 - JoAnne A. Epps Beasley School of Law Scholarship - Temple University 2017 - JoAnne Epps Award - Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia 2016 - Business Leadership in Diversity Award - Fisher Phillips Law Firm 2016 - Inaugural Class Philadelphia Business Hall of Fame - Philadelphia Inquirer 2016 - Spirit of Excellence Award - American Bar Association 2015 - Ashley Dickerson Award - National Association of Women Lawyers

The 12 Secrets of Persuasive Argument, with Paul Mark Sandler & Ronald J. Waicukauski, American Bar Association, 2009, 101 Vignettes for Improving Trial Evidence: Making and Meeting Objections with Anthony Bocchino and David Sonenshein, , National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 2nd edition: 2023, 1st edition: 2005 Trial Evidence: Making and Meeting Objections (book, videotape and teacher's manual) with D. Sonenshein & A. Bocchino, , National Institute for Trial Advocacy, 3rd edition: 2004; 2nd edition: 1990 The Winning Argument, with P. M. Sandler & R. J. Waicukauski, American Bar Association, 2001, "Ethos and the Art of Argument", 26 Litigation 31, with Paul Mark Sandler and Ronald J. Waicukauski, 1999 "Clarifying the Meaning of Federal Rule of Evidence" 703, 36 Boston College Law Review, 53, 1994 "Passing the Confrontation Clause Stop Sign: Is All Hearsay Constitutionally Admissible?" 77 Kentucky Law Journal, 7, 1988