Hon. David Breen (’90) Recognized with Michael A. Tye Leadership Award
Presented annually by Fenway Health, the award honors leadership in the community.
The Honorable David J. Breen (’90), a justice for Boston Municipal Court’s Central Division and former clinical associate professor at BU Law, was recently recognized with the 12th Annual Michael A. Tye Leadership Award.
Given annually by Fenway Health, a LGBT health care, research, and advocacy organization, the award honors “living individuals who have made exceptional contributions on behalf of Fenway, whose efforts have built a stronger institution, better services, greater awareness, and/or deeper understanding and support for Fenway’s mission and the people for whom it cares.” John B. Koss (’05), chair of the Board of Directors and a former student of Judge Breen’s, was on hand to present the award.
A Fenway Health supporter since 1996, Judge Breen served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2003 to 2011. He has co-chaired the Men’s Event fundraiser, participated in both the Harbor-to-the-Bay and Boston-to-New York AIDS bike rides, and is a current member of the Board of Visitors. Previous honorees include Harvey Makadon, MD, Mayor Tom Menino, An Hinds, Harry Collings, Stewart Clifford, Jr., Joanne Ayoub, Sheriff Andrea Cabral, Arnold Sapenter, Allison Salke and State Street Corporation.
Judge Breen is a graduate of the Boston University School of Law Class of 1990 and former supervisor of the Criminal Law Clinic’s prosecutor program. He lectured on criminal law and procedure, as well as issues relating to search and seizure, custodial and non-custodial interrogation, and jury selection, and directly supervised more than 800 cases in Quincy District Court, including over 30 bench and jury trials prosecuted by law students in the clinic. In 2009, Breen supervised a group of students for a pro bono project in which they presented their research on board governance and fiduciary responsibilities before the Fenway Health Board of Directors.
Prior to returning to BU Law, Judge Breen distinguished himself investigating and trying complex criminal and civil matters in both New York and Massachusetts. He served as an assistant district attorney in the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, as an assistant attorney general for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as an assistant corporation counsel for the City of Boston, and as a special assistant district attorney in Quincy, MA. He was nominated to the Boston Municipal Court in October 2014 by Governor Deval Patrick, filling the seat left by Judge Raymond Dougan (’71), a former supervising attorney in the BU Law Criminal Law Clinic defender program.
