Directive 15 » Agenda » Panelists
Panelists
Brief History of OMB Race and Ethnicity Data Standards
Terri Ann Lowenthal, Census expert and consultant to The Leadership Conference
Terri Ann Lowenthal is a nationally recognized expert, consultant, and frequent speaker on the U.S. census and policy issues affecting federal statistics. During a 14-year career as a U.S. House and Senate aide, she was staff director of the House census oversight subcommittee for eight years (1987-94). She later covered the Census Bureau and broader federal statistical activities for the Obama Presidential Transition Team. Since 1995, Terri Ann has advised census stakeholders — including civil rights organizations, philanthropy, cities, sector-focused
nonprofits, and business associations — on census policy and operational issues. Current clients include FCCP’s Funders Census Initiative, The Leadership Conference Education Fund, and Bloomberg Associates (the nonprofit consulting arm of Bloomberg Philanthropies), for whom she advises several U.S. cities on census issues. She has written reports for several organizations on topics such as the measurement of race and ethnicity in the census, the role of race and ethnicity in U.S. social and economic institutions, and 2010 Census implementation challenges in the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita along the Gulf Coast.
Now living in her home state of Connecticut, Terri Ann served on the 2020 Census Complete Count Committees for the state and the City of Stamford. She holds a B.A. from Cornell University in Africana Studies and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Terri Ann was a member of the Inaugural Class of John C. Stennis Congressional Staff Fellows (103rd Congress) and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission; she served on the Cornell University Council and the President’s Council of Cornell Women. In her “other life,” Terri Ann was a figure skating coach for 45 years and serves on the board of Fort Dupont Ice Arena in Washington, DC. For more information, please visit www.terriannlowenthal.com.
Initial Proposals For Updating Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 – Chair and Co-Chair of Federal Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnicity Standards
Bob Sivinski, Senior Statistician in the Office of the Chief Statistician of the United States Office of Management and Budget’s Office (OMB)
Bob Sivinski is a Senior Statistician in the Office of the Chief Statistician of the United States, the Chair of the Interagency Technical Working Group on Race and Ethnicity Standards, and a third-generation civil servant. He designs and implements policies that support the integrity, objectivity, accuracy, and usefulness of federal statistics. He’s always looking for opportunities to help federal statisticians and scientists coordinate across agencies, tackle difficult measurement challenges, and communicate effectively with the public.
Karen Battle, Chief of Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau
Since 2014, Karen Battle has served as the Chief of the Population Division at the U.S. Census Bureau. In that role, she oversees the research, development, analysis and dissemination of statistics related to the population and demographic characteristics of the United States and selected countries around the world. This includes managing the development of annual population estimates for the United States, states, and counties by age, sex, race and Hispanic origin, as well as research to improve the measurement of race, ethnicity and other special population topics.
Ms. Battle began her career at the Census Bureau in 1998 in the Special Population Statistics Area within the Population Division where she worked on analyzing data and developing products that focused on race and ethnicity. Since then, much of Ms. Battle’s career has been spent leading the production and analysis of statistics from decennial censuses and household surveys on the demographic characteristics of special populations in the United States.
Spotlight on U.S. Census Bureau Research to Inform Discussions for Improving Federal Race and Ethnicity Data Standards – U.S. Census Bureau Subject Matter Experts
Nicholas A. Jones, Director of Race/Ethnicity Research & Outreach, U.S. Census Bureau
Nicholas Jones is the Director for Race/Ethnicity Research and Outreach in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division. He joined the Census Bureau in 2000 as an analyst in the Racial Statistics Branch, and served as Chief of Racial Statistics from 2007 to 2014. His research over the past couple decades has helped shed light on race reporting patterns and the demographic characteristics of Multiracial children and interracial families, the size and distribution of racial and ethnic groups, and the racial/ethnic diversity of the United States population.
Nicholas led the Census Bureau’s extensive research and outreach to explore and discuss alternative approaches for improving data on race and ethnicity and to prepare for analyzing and communicating the results of the 2020 Census. He has presented at numerous academic conferences and professional meetings, and discussed race and ethnicity research and trends with a wide variety of media outlets and national and local organizations. Nicholas earned three Department of Commerce Bronze Medal Awards for the review and analysis of 2000 and 2010 race data and leadership in Tribal Consultations with American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Nicholas received a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology and Anthropology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Roberto R. Ramírez, Assistant Division Chief of Special Population Statistics, Population Division, U.S. Census Bureau
Roberto Ramirez is Assistant Division Chief of Special Population Statistics in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division. During his 20 years at the Census Bureau, Ramirez has studied Hispanic and other minority ethnic and racial population groups, and published reports based on related data from the Current Population Survey, the American Community Survey, and the 2000, 2010 and 2020 Censuses.
Ramirez has presented key Census Bureau findings about the Hispanic population to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and during numerous radio, newspaper and TV interviews including C-SPAN’s “America by the Numbers” weekly program.
Ramirez received coveted Census Bureau Bronze Medal Awards for his analysis of Hispanic data from the 2000 and 2010 Censuses, and among key Census Bureau experts responsible for providing leadership and guidance for the 2015 National Content Test.
Panel discussion: Combined Race and Ethnicity Question
Thomas A. Saenz, President and General Counsel, MALDEF
In 2009, Thomas A. Saenz returned to MALDEF as President and General Counsel. He leads MALDEF’s national efforts to promote the civil rights of all Latinos living in the United States. Previously, as Counsel to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Saenz served on the four-person executive team to the mayor, where he provided legal and policy advice on major initiatives. During his four-year tenure with the Mayor’s Office, Saenz helped to lead the legislative effort to change the governance of Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and served for two years as lead liaison on labor negotiations, with a goal of addressing serious financial challenges in partnership with the City’s workers.
Saenz previously practiced civil rights litigation at MALDEF for 12 years, including four years as Vice President of Litigation. He was MALDEF’s lead counsel in the successful challenge to California’s anti-immigrant Proposition 187, and he led numerous civil rights cases in the areas of immigrants’ rights, education, employment, and voting rights. Saenz achieved several victories against ordinances unlawfully restricting the rights of day laborers, served as lead counsel in the 2001 challenge to California’s congressional redistricting, and initiated the employment discrimination lawsuit resulting in a $50 million settlement with Abercrombie and Fitch. He also served as MALDEF’s lead counsel in two court challenges to Proposition 227, a California English-only education initiative. Saenz was also the lead drafter of the amicus brief on behalf of Latino organizations supporting affirmative action in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Grutter v. Bollinger. More recently, in 2016, Saenz argued before the Supreme Court in United States v. Texas, representing intervenors defending Obama Administration deferred action initiatives.
Arturo Vargas, Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund
Arturo Vargas is the Chief Executive Officer of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Educational Fund, a national non-profit, non-partisan organization that strengthens American democracy by promoting the full participation of Latinos in civic life. NALEO Educational Fund’s programmatic activities include U.S. citizenship outreach and assistance, civic participation and integration, voter engagement, technical assistance to elected and appointed Latino officials, research on Latino demographic and electoral trends, and policy analysis and advocacy on access to the democratic process. Headquartered in Los Angeles, NALEO Educational Fund is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors; maintains offices in Houston, New York, and Washington, D.C.; and has an annual budget of $13.5 million. Arturo also serves as the CEO of NALEO, an affiliated national membership organization of Latino policymakers and their supporters, which is governed by a 36-member Board of Directors. Arturo has held these positions since 1994.
Arturo also serves as the CEO of NALEO, an affiliated national membership organization of Latino policymakers and their supporters, which is governed by a 36-member Board of Directors. Arturo has held these positions since 1994.
Angela Manso, National Outreach Director, Natural Resources Defense Council
Angela Manso is currently the National Outreach Director at the Natural Resources Defense Council where she directs partnership development with state and national level organizations. She previously served as the Washington, DC Policy Director for the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials where she focused on policy affecting Latino access to the political process. Manso, a former Obama Administration appointee from 2009-2017, served as the Senior Policy Advisor in the Western Hemisphere Affairs Bureau at the U.S. Department of State, and the Chief of the Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs at the U.S. Census Bureau. She spent eight years on Capitol Hill, working for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer and former U.S. Rep. Charlie González.
Maya Berry, Executive Director, Arab American Institute
Maya Berry is executive director of the Arab American Institute (AAI). In 1996, she established AAI’s first government relations department, which she led for five years before becoming a legislative director for U.S. House of Representatives Minority Whip David Bonior, where she managed the congressman’s legislative strategy and developed policies on international relations, human rights, immigration, civil rights and liberties, and trade. With a deep knowledge of public policymaking, Maya has helped expand AAI’s work on combating hate crime, protecting the rights of securitized communities, and strengthening our democracy. In her personal capacity, Maya is a long-time Democratic Party activist who served as a member of the 2016 Democratic National Convention’s Platform Standing Committee and has attended all but one Democratic National Convention as a Delegate, Alternate or Standing Committee Member since 1992.
Moderator: Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean, President, Fair Count
Dr. Jeanine Abrams McLean is the President at Fair Count, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, founded by Stacey Abrams. The goal of Fair Count is to ensure that every person in Georgia and the nation is seen, heard, and counted for a fair and accurate census and to building pathways to continued civic participation, including voter education and redistricting. Jeanine is a highly skilled researcher with over 15 years of experience designing, managing, and implementing population-based studies and projects. While at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she applied her expertise in computational biology and population research to advance public health initiatives. She has extensive project management experience as well as work in community organizing. In addition to her work in public health, she is passionate about finding creative ways to tackle community-based issues using both strategic planning and innovative ideas.
Keynote Speaker
Dr. Karin A. Orvis, Chief Statistician of the United States & Branch Chief for Statistical and Science Policy, Office of Management and Budget’s Office (OMB)
Dr. Karin Orvis currently serves as the Chief Statistician of the United States, as well as the Branch Chief for Statistical and Science Policy with the Office of Management and Budget’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA). In this capacity, Dr. Orvis is responsible for leading and coordinating the decentralized Federal Statistical System to ensure it continues to provide the gold-standard for impartial, trusted Federal statistics foundational to informing decisions across the public and private sectors. Dr. Orvis also oversees implementation of OIRA’s science policy responsibilities, and is charged with ensuring the quality, objectivity, utility and integrity of the information disseminated by Federal agencies and used in decision-making.
Panel discussion: Adding a Middle Eastern/North African (MENA) Ethnicity Category
Dr. James Zogby, Co-Founder, Arab American Institute (AAI)
Dr. James Zogby co-founded the Arab American Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based organization which serves as the political and policy research arm of the Arab American community, in 1985 and continues to serve as its president. Since 1992, he has written a weekly column on U.S. politics appearing in major newspapers in 12 countries in the Arab world. In 2010, he published the highly-acclaimed book, Arab Voices. Dr. Zogby has also been personally active in U.S. politics for many years; in 1984 and 1988 he served as Deputy Campaign manager and Senior Advisor to the Jesse Jackson Presidential campaign. In 1988, he led the first ever debate on Palestinian statehood at that year’s Democratic convention in Atlanta, GA. In 2000, 2008, and 2016, he served as an advisor to the Gore, Obama, and Sanders presidential campaigns. In 2013 and 2015, President Obama appointed Dr. Zogby to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. For the past three decades, he has also served in leadership roles in the Democratic National Committee and continues his work today in support of civil and human rights.
Dr. Rita Stephan, Research Fellow, Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies at North Carolina State University & Senior Visiting Demographer, Arab American Institute (AAI)
Dr. Rita Stephan is a research fellow in the Khayrallah Center for Lebanese Diaspora Studies at North Carolina State University and a senior visiting demographer with the Arab American Institute. She was the regional coordinator for religious and ethnic minorities at the United States Agency for International Development and a Survey Statistician at the Population Division of the U.S. Census Bureau. Stephan holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a co-founder of the Arab American Studies Association and a former board member of the Arab Americans in Foreign Affairs Agencies (AAIFAA). Her academic publications focus on women’s movements in the Middle East and MENA communities in the US Census. She edited COVID and Gender in the Middle East (2023), Women Rising: In and Beyond the Arab Spring (2020) and In Line with the Divine: The Struggle for Gender Equality in Lebanon (2015). She is currently working on a book entitled, Our Story in Numbers: A Demographic Perspective of the Global MENA Communities.
Morad Ghorban, Director of Government Affairs & Policy, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA)
Morad Ghorban is the Director of Government Affairs & Policy at the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA). From 2008 through 2010, he served as PAAIA’s Legislative Director. Working closely with the Executive Director, Morad was responsible for setting PAAIA’s strategy and direction on policy initiatives and electioneering activities. From 2003 to 2008, Morad served as the Political Director of the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC) – which merged with PAAIA in 2008 as the organization’s registered bipartisan Political Action Committee (PAC). Prior to joining IAPAC, Morad served on the staff of U.S. Representative John Linder from 1995 to 2000. Given his extensive work helping to mobilize the Iranian American community in support of an accurate census count, Morad served as a member of the U.S. Census Bureau National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic, and Other Populations (NAC). Morad earned his Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Tulane University and his Master’s degree in International Studies and Diplomacy at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
Moderator: Maya Berry, Executive Director, Arab American Institute (AAI)
Maya Berry is executive director of the Arab American Institute (AAI). In 1996, she established AAI’s first government relations department, which she led for five years before becoming a legislative director for U.S. House of Representatives Minority Whip David Bonior, where she managed the congressman’s legislative strategy and developed policies on international relations, human rights, immigration, civil rights and liberties, and trade. With a deep knowledge of public policymaking, Maya has helped expand AAI’s work on combating hate crime, protecting the rights of securitized communities, and strengthening our democracy. In her personal capacity, Maya is a long-time Democratic Party activist who served as a member of the 2016 Democratic National Convention’s Platform Standing Committee and has attended all but one Democratic National Convention as a Delegate, Alternate or Standing Committee Member since 1992.
Panel discussion: Self-Identification and Intersectionality
Saundra Mitrovich, she/her, Director of External Engagement, National Congress of American Indians
Saundra Mitrovich, she/her, Tyme and Yahomee Maidu, is serving as the National Congress of American Indians Director of External Engagement. In her current role, she works in coalition with National Native serving organizations, Tribal Nations, American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) individuals to strengthen voter access, education, and engagement across Indian Country and advancing AIAN data equity. Saundra serves in various task force groups to enhance and promote civic education, data collection, and election protection as part of NCAI’s mission to enhance, promote, and protect tribal sovereignty. Prior to her work at NCAI, Saundra worked for decades in higher education to develop and expand college and career pathway programs for American Indian and Alaska Native youth. Her research interests include, creation and promotion of education and access to voting in AIAN communities, best pathways to strengthening civic participation, and advancing policy related to voting rights and equal representation of AIAN data across all federal data collection. Additionally, Saundra works with the NCAI youth Commission in support of youth leadership development. Finally, Saundra has helped manage and lead several grant funded programs in supporting civic engagement initiatives, youth development programs, and overall community development. She is an alumni of several organizations including McNair scholars program, AmeriCorps VISTA, United National Indian Tribal Youth, and founded the Indigenous Research Institute for Student Empowerment (IRISE) at the University of Nevada, Reno. Saundra resides in Numu (Northern Paiute) and Wasiw (Washoe) lands in northern Nevada with her partner Sam and their daughter Sasha.
Estella Owoimaha-Church, Executive Director, Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC)
Estella Owoimaha-Church is the first-generation of her family born on Tongva Land (for now known as Los Angeles). While identifying as an Angeleno, deeply connected to the lands that raised her, Estella’s roots burrow deep beyond the asphalt of South Central L.A.. Her maternal grandparents are from the villages of Satufia of Savai’i and Saleilua of Upolu, Samoa; her paternal grandparents are from Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria. She transitions into the role of Executive Director at Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) post nearly two decades of service as an educator. Estella was the first Samoan to be named a finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2018 and awarded California Theatre Teacher of 2020. As a Black-Pacific Islander (PI), mother to a Black-PI child, and eldest sister of two Black-PI young men, she holds dear her responsibility to serve generations of past, present, and future. So long as she is capable, Estella will advocate for all those who look like her, step up as co-conspirator for others in the margins, and forge clear paths for young people where there once were none.
Jorge Luis Vasquez, Partner, Vasquez Segarra LLP
Jorge is an Afro-Boricua from New York City’s Lower East Side and a founding member of Vasquez Segarra LLP. He has been recognized for his work as a national civil rights lawyer, policy influencer, and democracy expert and was a fall 2020 fellow at Harvard Institute of Politics, Harvard Kennedy School. Jorge was recently appointed the co-chair of the HNBA Special Committee for Afro-Latinidad in the Legal Profession and previously served in various HNBA leadership roles, including his current role as the Chair for the Voting Rights Law Section.
Jorge has been featured as a legal expert on national and local news networks including CNN, ABC Live, NPR, NBC Telemundo, Univision, Spectrum News 1, and he has been an opinion contributor to USA Today, The Hill and other digital and print news outlets. You can follow his work @JorgeVasquezNYC.
Jeri Green, Census Senior Advisor to the National Urban League
A native of Washington, D.C., Jeri Green has an accomplished career as a civic engagement professional. She has held positions within national organizations and served in leadership positions for both local and federal governments. Formerly, Jeri served as Senior Advisor for Civic Engagement, Office of the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, where she engaged civil rights organizations and diverse national leaders on critical 2020 Census issues. In earlier positions with the U.S. Census Bureau, Jeri worked with decennial census stakeholders, Census Race and Ethnic Advisory Committees, professional associations and national leaders regarding decennial census operations and policies.
Following her departure from the Census Bureau in 2017, Jeri served as a Census Senior Advisor (consultant) to the National Urban League. In this role, Jeri spearheaded the National Urban League’s 2020 Census Make Black Count initiative. In addition, she established and led the National Urban League’s 2020 Census Black Roundtable, comprised of leading thinkers and organizers in the Black community working collaboratively toward an accurate 2020 Census count. Jeri continues to provide advice and counsel to the National Urban League on broad 2030 Census issues overall.
Jeri resides in the District of Columbia, holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and a master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
Moderator: Terry Ao Minnis, Senior Director of Census and Voting Programs, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
Terry Ao Minnis is the senior director of the census and voting programs for Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. Mrs. Minnis was part of the litigation team in LUPE v. Ross (D. Md. and 4th Cir.) (LUPE I) that challenged the administration’s attempted addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 decennial census. The team, including Mrs. Minnis, went back to court in LUPE v. Ross (D. Md.) (LUPE II) to challenge the administration’s plan to collect and provide incomplete citizenship data to the states for purposes of redistricting; the subsequent Presidential memorandum seeking to exclude undocumented immigrants from the constitutionally mandated apportionment; and the Census Bureau’s announced plan to end the counting of non-responsive individuals a month earlier than scheduled as an unconstitutional and racially discriminatory scheme intended to deprive Latinos, Asian Americans, and noncitizens of equal representation.
Mrs. Minnis ‘ experience on the census spans two decades, having served as a leading authority on census campaigns in 2010 and 2020. Currently, Mrs. Minnis co-chairs the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Census Task Force. In addition, she was part of the U.S Department of Commerce’s 2010 Census Advisory Committee from 2002 through 2011 and the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations for two terms from 2013 through 2019.
Panel discussion: Data Bridging, Disaggregation, and Emerging Issues
John C. Yang, Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC)
John C. Yang is the president and executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC in Washington, D.C., where he leads the organization’s efforts to advance the civil and human rights of Asian Americans and to create a fair and equitable society for all through policy advocacy, education, and litigation. Because of his expertise, John has appeared frequently in national and local media on issues of importance to the Asian American community. He has received numerous national and local awards for his community and public service.
John has been a leader in the Asian American community and broader civic community for over 30 years. John has served and continues to serve in leadership positions for numerous nonprofit organizations, and on the external diversity councils for several Fortune 500 companies.
He served in the Obama Administration as Senior Advisor for Trade and Strategic Initiatives at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he was the principal advisor to Secretary Penny Pritzker on issues related to Asia. Previously, John was a partner with the Washington, D.C. law firm Wiley Rein LLP, and also worked in Shanghai, China for several years as the legal director for the Asia-Pacific operations of Illinois Tool Works – a U.S. Fortune 200 company.
Helen Samhan
Helen Hatab Samhan has over 40 years of experience in non-profit advocacy, research and cultural outreach work about Arab Americans and U.S.-Arab relations. From 1985 to 2010 Samhan served as a senior executive at the Arab American Institute (AAI) in Washington, D.C. where she led operational management, program development, governance, and leadership affiliations. She established and directed the program base for the AAI Foundation, formed in 1996, including an outreach and research program with the U.S. Census Bureau, and since 2001 directed the first and only Census Information Center to provide access to and analysis of demographic data on Americans of Arab ancestry.
Samhan is the author of several articles and chapters about the history of Arabs in the U.S., including “Not Quite White: Race Classification and the Arab American Experience.” She presently serves on the Census Bureau’s National Advisory Committee on Racial, Ethnic and Other Populations.
Dr. Bill O’Hare
Dr. O’Hare has more than 50 years of experience working with data from the Census Bureau. He has held positions in state government, non-profit organizations, and universities. He is the author of many articles based on Census data as well as a book on measuring quality in the U.S. Census and the undercount of young children in the U.S. Census. He was formerly a consultant to the U.S. Census Bureau, and he is currently a consultant to The Leadership Conference Education Fund and The Count All Kids Campaign.
For fifteen years he ran the KIDS COUNT project at the Annie. E. Casey Foundation where he used data from the Census Bureau to illuminate the well-being of children across the U.S.
Moderator: Dorian Caal, Director of Civic Engagement Research, NALEO Educational Fund
Dorian has led the organization’s Census and voter engagement messaging and general demographic research that has helped identify effective Get Out The Count and Get Out The Vote strategies. Through his research Dorian supports the organization’s policy and advocacy strategies. Dorian received his bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of California, Irvine and a Master of Public Administration from New York University.
Core Principles and Next Steps
Meeta Anand, Senior Program Director for Census & Data Equity, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights & The Leadership Conference Education Fund
Meeta Anand most recently served as census consultant to The Leadership Conference Education Fund. Prior to this role, she served as New York Immigration Coalition’s Census 2020 Senior Fellow where she spearheaded the organization’s efforts to ensure a fair and accurate count of New Yorkers, particularly immigrants, in the 2020 Census. In this capacity she also served as the facilitator and convenor of New York Counts 2020, the statewide coalition of CBOs engaged in the 2020 Census. She also recently served as Board Chair for Sakhi for South Asian Women, an organization dedicated to addressing gender-based violence in the South Asian community of NYC. Anand spent over 10 years working at the law firm White & Case, where she was an associate in the project and asset finance group and headed business development for the same group. Prior to that, she clerked at the Court of International Trade, interned at the Division of Appeals and Opinions at the New York State Office of the Attorney General, worked as a commercial banker at Banco Santander, interned at the Bureau of Human Rights at the State Department, and assisted research in economics at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. She received a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an M.A from the The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and a B.A. from Tufts University in Political Science and Economics, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
Closing Remarks
Damon T. Hewitt, President and Executive Director, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Damon T. Hewitt has more than 20 years of civil rights litigation and policy experience, including prior leadership roles in the nonprofit, philanthropic, and public sectors. Formerly, as executive vice president at the national Lawyers’ Committee, he coordinated the organization’s strategic, programmatic, and operational efforts to advance the fight for racial justice. Prior to joining the national Lawyers’ Committee, Hewitt was the inaugural executive director of the Executives’ Alliance for Boys and Men of Color—a philanthropic network of more than three dozen national and local foundation presidents focused on shifting policies, structures, and the false narratives that negatively impact our nation’s sons and brothers.
He worked for more than a decade as an attorney at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where he was lead counsel on a variety of litigation and policy matters and supervised teams of lawyers and policy experts. He started his career as a Skadden Fellow, eventually leading the organization’s Education Practice Group and pioneering its efforts to address the School to Prison Pipeline. He also coordinated organization-wide litigation and advocacy efforts in response to Hurricane Katrina, establishing a satellite office in his hometown of New Orleans.
Hewitt also served as executive director of the New York Task Force on Police-on-Police Shootings, an entity created to analyze police practices after off-duty African American and Latino police officers were killed by fellow officers after being mistaken for “criminal” suspects.
Hewitt appears frequently in broadcast media and is quoted in print publications. Hewitt holds a B.A. in Political Science from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. Following law school, he clerked for the Honorable Eric L. Clay on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Directive 15 » Agenda » Panelists