The convocation, at 11:30 a.m. in Neumann Auditorium, is free, and the public is invited.

Gideon’s Army shares the stories of three public defenders struggling with long hours and low pay and challenging the assumptions that drive a criminal justice system. Each year 12 million people are arrested in the United States, and millions of those cases will proceed through the criminal justice system. Most will be assigned public defenders who represent low-income people accused of crimes.

The film was awarded the editing prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO in July 2013.

Terry Letsche, the convocation committee chair, said Porter was chosen because of student interest in documentary filmmaking and new academic programs in peace and justice studies and criminal justice.

“Ms. Porter brings real-world experience to encompass these priorities of the college,” he said.

Porter, founder of Trilogy Films, directed and produced Gideon’s Army. The documentary is up for a News & Documentary Emmy, which will be awarded Sept. 30.

Before becoming a filmmaker Porter was the director of news standards and practices at ABC News, vice president of standards and practices at A&E Networks, and an attorney at Baker & Hostetler and AB Television Networks. She is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Georgetown University Law Center.