Our Team
Danny DeWalt
Senior Vice President for Global Impact & Chief of Staff
Pepperdine University
Danny DeWalt has been an adjunct professor at Pepperdine Caruso Law since 2009 and was a full-time member of the law school's leadership team from 2014-2019. He currently serves as Senior Vice President for Global Impact and Chief of Staff for Pepperdine University. Prior to his time at Pepperdine, DeWalt spent his first career as a pastor and then transitioned into law, where he practiced for 15 years as a construction defect litigator. While practicing, he and his law partner founded a school to help children in northern Uganda affected by a militant group's insurgency. His efforts to support Ugandans have grown in size and scope over the last two decades and have, in turn, provided opportunities to serve many more countries across the African continent through his work at Pepperdine. DeWalt now leads Pepperdine's global efforts, including the work of the Sudreau Global Justice Institute.
Seth Bamburg
Executive Director
Sudreau Global Justice Institute
Seth Bamburg is a double alumnus of Pepperdine University, earning both his B.A. in Political Science from Seaver College in 2014 and his J.D. from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2017. Since joining SGJI in 2022, Seth has helped facilitate the growth of the Institute and its partnerships. His background spans both legal and operational leadership, including roles in both the legal industry and at Pepperdine, where he has worked since 2019. He is honored to serve at his alma mater within an institute whose work he fell in love with as a student.
Kyle Smith
Director of Global Legal Training & Development
Sudreau Global Justice Institute
Kyle Smith joined the Sudreau Global Justice Institute as the Director of Global Legal Training and Development in January 2025. Prior to joining SGJI, he was a prosecutor in Texas for eight years, handling a wide range of misdemeanor and felony cases. Kyle also served as a Legal Fellow in Ghana with International Justice Mission, where he worked with a team to investigate child trafficking cases and prepare prosecution memoranda. He earned his undergraduate degree from Abilene Christian University in 2009 and his Juris Doctor from Pepperdine Caruso School of Law in 2013.
Jenna DeWalt
Director of Operations
Sudreau Global Justice Institute
Jenna DeWalt joined the Sudreau Global Justice Institute in 2015 after graduating from Point Loma Nazarene University with a bachelor's degree in International Development. She went on to earn her MBA from Grand Canyon University in 2016, strengthening her capacity to support and scale mission-driven initiatives. Over seven formative years with the institute, she supported programs and international partnerships, helping to expand access to alternative dispute resolution. After a brief season away, she returned in 2025 to help oversee operations for the growing institute with renewed vision and commitment to the work. She is deeply motivated by the conviction that justice is foundational to human flourishing. Believing that sustainable poverty alleviation depends upon fair and functioning legal systems, she is passionate about seeing justice take root in ways that allow communities, institutions, and future generations to thrive.
Savana McWilliams
Executive Assistant to the Executive Director
Sudreau Global Justice Institute
Savana McWilliams joined the Sudreau Global Justice Institute as the Assistant to the Executive Director at the start of 2025. She received her B.A. in Sociology from Pepperdine University's Seaver College. Prior to Savana's time at SGJI, she worked in child protection, spearheaded an extensive volunteer program supporting Spanish-speaking elementary students in dual-language immersion programs, and was actively involved in children's ministry leadership through her local church. Through her roles working with children, she gained a heart for justice and care for the underserved. Savana is honored and grateful to partner with Pepperdine and this work in the human rights field.
McKamie Chandler
West Africa Program Manager
Sudreau Global Justice Institute
McKamie Chandler currently serves as the West Africa Program Manager in Accra, Ghana. While earning her J.D. at Regent University School of Law, she interned with the Sudreau Global Justice Institute, clerking for the Ugandan Supreme Court, and participating in an SGJI Prison Project. McKamie earned her B.A. from Bethany Global University. She now works full-time supporting SGJI’s justice initiatives across the continent of Africa.
Lauren Fieldhouse
Assistant Director for Advocacy & Impact Communications
Sudreau Global Justice Institute
Lauren Fieldhouse graduated magna cum laude from Pepperdine University with a B.A. in Integrated Marketing Communications and a minor in Nonprofit Management. Her academic experience shaped her interest in using strategic communication as a tool to advance mission-driven work. After college, Lauren worked in operations at a nonprofit focused on ending homelessness in California. She later worked in partner engagement at an international organization based in Kenya, where she supported efforts to help children living on the streets move back into stable home environments. Lauren returned to Pepperdine in 2025 to contribute to the work of the Sudreau Global Justice Institute.
Rachel Anderson
Manager of Student Engagement & Programming
Sudreau Global Justice Institute
Rachel Anderson joined the Sudreau Global Justice Institute after graduating from Pepperdine University’s Seaver College, with a deep desire to serve others and contribute to meaningful, justice-centered work. Since joining the team in 2024, she has stepped into a variety of roles that support the Institute’s mission of expanding access to justice globally. As Manager for Student Programming and Engagement, Rachel serves as a primary bridge between students and the Institute’s work. She leads the development of student programming throughout the academic year and oversees immersive summer opportunities, including international legal internships and Prison Projects in Uganda and beyond. Rachel is especially passionate about creating environments where students can grow in purpose, leadership, and a heart for service through firsthand engagement in global justice efforts.
Jackson Buck
Operations Manager
Sudreau Global Justice Institute
Jackson Buck joined the Sudreau Global Justice Institute in 2025 as the Operations Manager. He graduated from Pepperdine’s Seaver College in 2024 magna cum laude. During his time as an undergraduate, he interned at two international organizations: The Global American Business Institute in Washington DC and Fondation Hirondelle in Switzerland. Also, as a student, he worked part-time for three years at Pepperdine’s Office of International Programs, supporting work from visa processes to leadership development positions. Jackson is thrilled to serve the institute in all of its global justice initiatives.