Dr. Damon A. Williams
Chief Catalyst, Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership & Social Innovation
Dr. Damon A. Williams is a visionary and inspirational leader, and one of the nation’s recognized experts in strategic diversity leadership, youth development, corporate responsibility, and organizational change.
For four years, he led a $250M social impact portfolio for the world’s largest youth development company, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, representing the interests of nearly 4M diverse youth
and teens as Senior Vice President for Programs and Chief Education Officer.
One of the original architects of the Inclusive Excellence concept in
American higher education, he is author of the best-selling Strategic Diversity Leadership and co-author the Chief Diversity Officer, he is a global thought leader having worked with more than 1,000 colleges and universities, Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, as keynote speaker, strategist, consultant, and leader.
As the University of Michigan celebrated her 200-year anniversary, he was awarded the Bicentennial Leadership Award, a one-time honor given to 20 trailblazing alumni, who exemplify the best of the
academic and leadership values of the Universities 200,000 living alumni. He was a founding member of the Journal of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, and a member of the boards of the National Diversity Council (NDC), and Insight into Diversity, for five years respectively. While a board member for Insight, he reimagined their Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award, transforming the academies premiere strategic DEI leadership recognition program instrumentation.
He is currently chief catalyst for the Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership & Social Innovation and a Senior Scholar and Innovation Fellow at the Wisconsin Equity, and Inclusion (Wei) Laboratory of the
University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he previously served as Associate Vice Chancellor and inaugural Chief Diversity, Equity, and Educational Achievement Officer.
Some notables featuring Dr. Williams include the American Airlines, Clemson University, Brooklyn Nets, Community Health Network, BMO Financial Services, Syracuse University , Goldman Sachs, WKKF, US Airforce, Ohio State University, Ohio Health, Wella Beauty, P & G, Airforce Institute of Technology, UC Berkeley, Carnegie Melon, Teach for America, Harvard University, and hundreds of others.
Dr. Williams received his PhD from the University of Michigan Center for the Study of Higher and Post- Secondary Education (CSHPE) in Organizational Behavior and Management, and his MS and BS degrees from Miami University in Educational Leadership, Sociology, and Black World Studies, respectively.
Assistant Dean Monica Monroe
Monica E. Monroe was named Harvard Law School’s new Assistant Dean for community engagement, equity, and belonging in February 2022. Prior to working at Harvard, she was the inaugural associate dean for equity and inclusion at the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law.
At Penn Law, Monroe has worked to strengthen a culture of inclusion and engagement, to advance equity, and to implement more inclusive practices. As its dean of students between 2016 and 2019, she was responsible for creating vibrant and strategic programming and social activities; overseeing student journals; and supporting student organizations. Prior to working at the University of Pennsylvania, she served as the associate and assistant dean of students at George Washington University Law School. She also taught classes in legal drafting, and legal research and writing.
Monroe earned her J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and her B.A. from Boston University.
Assistant Dean Lisa Taylor
Lisa Sonia Taylor is the Assistant Dean for the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Leadership Developement at American University Washington College of Law. In her work, Lisa advocates for diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice as foundational requirements for academic excellence, community building, leadership, and service in law school education. Her work focuses on strategic planning, collaborative initiatives, and policies promoting organizational cultural competence. She regularly speaks on practical strategies for creating inclusive communities where diverse members experience belonging and thrive. For her work, In 2018, Lisa was honored by Missouri Lawyers Media for significantly advancing diversity, inclusion, and exceptional legal work that promotes dignity and justice for all.
Lisa’s vast experience includes service as Director of Inclusion and Diversity Education at Saint Louis University School of Law and as Managing Director of the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University School of Law. She recently completed the Southern Education Foundation and AccessLex PLEDGE Fellowship, focused on promoting diversity programs using empirical research to design, administer, and assess programs. Lisa also has experience in institutional advancement and enrollment management.
Rev. Dr. Yvette Wilson-Barnes
Rev. Dr. Yvette Wilson-Barnes is a transformational leader and equity advocate with a career spanning higher education, nonprofit management, real estate, and finance. She is dedicated to ensuring that everyone she encounters feels a sense of belonging and has equal access to the resources they need to thrive.
Dr. Wilson-Barnes served as Associate Dean for Student Affairs for 13 years—9 years at Union Theological Seminary and 4 years at CUNY School of Law—advancing student success, inclusion, and leadership development. Her leadership is deeply rooted in a commitment to diversity, equity, including, and belonging, particularly for communities historically excluded from access to power and resources.
For the past 14 years, she has been a board member of the Fair Housing Justice Center and currently chairs the 2024-25 Executive Doctorate Alumni Advisory Board at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, where she has served for 3 years. Additionally, she serves as a Chaplain at Sentara Hospital, providing spiritual care and emotional support to patients and families.
With over 25 years of leadership experience, Dr. Wilson-Barnes has also served as Executive Director of a residential employment program shelter, developing holistic services for formerly homeless adults seeking stability and self-sufficiency. As a Certified Executive Coach and Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt, she collaborates with organizations and leaders to create inclusive, equitable, and impactful strategies that drive meaningful change.
Her work in real estate and finance extends her commitment to equity by helping individuals and businesses access capital, homeownership, and financial education as tools for generational wealth-building. She was a 2023 HBCU Executive Leadership Institute Fellow.
Dr. Wilson-Barnes holds several degrees, including a Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctor of Law (J.D.) from CUNY School of Law, and a Master of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary.
Her mission is to break down barriers, cultivate belonging, and ensure equal opportunities for everyone.
Professor Saucha Coupet
Professor Coupet joined the Loyola law faculty in 2004. Her research focuses on the regulation of families, including the privileges, rights and interests of those within the family. Her scholarship on policy and practice issues in child and family welfare have been published in, among other journals, The Michigan State Law Review, American University Journal of Gender, Social Policy and the Law and the New York University Review of Law & Social Change. Together with Prof. Ellen Marrus (Houston), Prof. Coupet is the editor of Children, Sexuality and the Law (NYU Press, 2015), a groundbreaking book that contributes greatly to the dialogue about children’s agency. Prof. Coupet presents nationally on issues related to family law, child welfare, children’s rights, LGBTQ youth and diversity & inclusion in law practice. Her research aims to incorporate empirical inquiry into legal discourse with a particular emphasis on the use of social science in the development of law and policy.
Prior to joining the law school, Professor Coupet received her Ph.D. in Psychology (Clinical) from the University of Michigan, serving, while in graduate school, as a psychological consultant to the Michigan Child Welfare Law Resource Center, the Child Advocacy Law Clinic at the University of Michigan Law School, county juvenile court and state human service departments. While at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, as a James Wilson Fellow, she continued her psychological consulting practice and served as an Associate Editor of the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. She clerked for the Honorable Theodore A. McKee of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, and then for the Honorable Joseph A. Greenaway, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.
Immediately prior to joining Loyola’s faculty, Professor Coupet was a Dean’s Fellow at the University of Michigan Law School, where she taught for two years in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic. She continues to teach in the University of Michigan Law School’s Bergstrom Child Welfare Summer Fellowship Training program and is a Distinguished Fellow at the University of Houston Law Center, Center for Children, Law and Policy. In 2006, Professor Coupet co-founded the AALS Section on Children & the Law and currently serves as Chair-Elect of the AALS Section on Poverty Law. In 2011, Professor Coupet served as the Reporter for the American Association of Matrimonial Lawyers, Child Custody Evaluation Standards.
Misty Levingston
Misty D. Levingston is a Southern California native with family roots in Chicago and Houston. She approaches her work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) with a profound love for community empowerment. A loving mother, daughter, sister, auntie, mentor, and friend, Misty values the connections that shape her life and inspire her work. An avid traveler, she loves learning about different cultures, which has deepened her commitment to fostering diverse and inclusive spaces.
As a young single mother, Misty faced unique challenges, yet she embraced every obstacle with unwavering determination. Balancing multiple responsibilities, she proved that perseverance and passion can lead to success. Her journey serves as an inspiration to others, demonstrating that with commitment and resilience, you can achieve your goals.
She holds multiple degrees and is pursuing a doctorate in Organizational Leadership in Education, writing her dissertation on the narratives of DEI professionals in higher education during these changing times. With over 20 years of experience in higher education, Misty has worked in Student Affairs and DEI with a strong focus on equity, visibility, and sense of belonging for students. She is also a dedicated diversity, inclusion, and LGBTQ+ safe space trainer.
Currently, she serves as the Director for Black Excellence and Achievement in the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Chapman University, where she works to build a more inclusive space for students, faculty, staff, and the greater community.
Misty has served in leadership roles for California Cultural Centers in Higher Education (CaCCHE) and the Black Staff and Faculty Forum at three universities and works with numerous community organizations including the NAACP of Orange County, local community colleges, and the National 100 Black Women of Orange County to foster pathways to Chapman University. She was recently recognized for her service to the community by Congressman Luis Correa and received the Staff Award at the MLK Community Service Awards, honoring her dedication to service and advocacy. She is also a 2025 Women of Distinction Honoree for the 34th Senate District by Senator Tom Umberg.
Victoria Hamscho, Esq.
Victoria Hamscho is an Associate in the Public Policy and Law Practice of K&L Gates LLP. Victoria focuses her practice on legislative and regulatory matters impacting large employers and stakeholders in the health care, higher education, and technology sectors. As part of this role, Victoria works closely with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and serves on the Advisory Council of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. Victoria serves as President-elect of the Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia and is an active member of the Hispanic National Bar Association.
Victoria received her J.D. from New York University School of Law, where she was co-president of the NYU Latinx Law Students Association. She has an M.P.H. in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and a B.A. from the University of California, Davis.
Professor Luz Herrera
Luz Herrera is a Professor at Texas A&M University School of Law. She teaches Entrepreneurship and Community Development. She served as the Associate Dean for Experiential Education at TAMU Law and the Assistant Dean for Clinical Education, Experiential Learning, and Public Service at UCLA School of Law. Prof. Herrera taught clinical and doctrinal courses at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Chapman University and was a clinical fellow at Harvard Law School. Before entering academia, she started her own law office and established a nonprofit organization in a low-income community in Los Angeles County. She is a graduate of Stanford University and Harvard Law School.
Professor Juan Perea
Juan Perea joined Loyola University Chicago’s full-time law faculty in 2011. Prior to joining Loyola, he was the Cone, Wagner, Nugent, Johnson, Hazouri & Roth Professor of Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He has also served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, Boston College Law School, and the University of Colorado School of Law. During the 2012-13 academic year, he was the Lee Distinguished Chair in Constitutional Law at John Marshall Law School. In 2011, he was the Reuschlein Distinguished Visiting Professor at Villanova Law School. Perea has written extensively on racial inequality, the legal history of race relations in the United States, and the civil rights of Latinos. His articles have appeared in Harvard Law Review, California Law Review, New York University Law Review, Michigan Law Review, UCLA Law Review, Minnesota Law Review and William and Mary Law Review, among others.
Upon graduation from law school, he clerked for the Hon. Bruce M. Selya, U.S. Court of Appeals, First Circuit. He joined the Boston law firm Ropes & Gray, where he specialized in labor and employment law. In addition to his experience in private practice, he spent a year as an attorney for the National Labor Relations Board (Region One). He has testified as an expert before the U.S. Senate, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
Christina Guerola Sarchio, Esq.
Christina Guerola Sarchio focuses her practice on general commercial litigation, class actions and white-collar defense, with significant experience in the consumer products, financial, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, technology and sports industries. A former prosecutor and experienced trial lawyer, Ms. Sarchio has successfully tried cases in federal and state courts throughout the country. She also regularly appears before several agencies and regulators, including the DOJ, FDA, SEC and various U.S. Attorney offices.
Ms. Sarchio has been recognized as a leading and innovative lawyer by several publications, including Forbes Top 200 Lawyers in its inaugural 2024 listing, Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers for 2019-2024, The Legal 500 U.S. for 2017-2024, and among the Top 250 Women in Litigation by Benchmark Litigation, where she is also listed as a D.C. litigation star. Additionally, she was recognized by LMG Life Sciences in 2024 for White-Collar and Government Investigations. The Financial Times commended Ms. Sarchio for Innovation in Dispute Resolution in 2022. Ms. Sarchio was named to Diversity MBA’s Top 100 Under 50 Executive and Emerging Leaders list, selected as a 2018 Woman Worth Watching by The Diversity Journal, and received MCCA’s 2017 Rainmaker Award. Her class action jury win in 2016 was named a Top 10 Defense Verdict by The Daily Journal. Ms. Sarchio has also received a number of community service awards, including the HNBA Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year, George Washington Law School’s Belva Lockwood Award, HBA-DC Hugh Johnson Award, and named by Hispanic Business Magazine to its Top 20 Elite Women and 100 Most Influentials lists. Ms. Sarchio was voted in as the Hispanic National Bar Association’s President for 2024-25.
Ms. Sarchio’s management experience at Dechert also includes overseeing Talent and she is the immediate past chair of the Global Women’s Initiative. Prior to joining Dechert, Ms. Sarchio was a member of the Board of Directors at another international law firm. Her previous experience includes serving as prosecutor with the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
Ms. Sarchio has also served as an Arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association since 2011.
Dean & Professor Anthony Varona
Anthony E. Varona has served as dean of Seattle University School of Law since July 2022. During his tenure he has overseen the recruitment of the most diverse entering class in the law school’s history, which also is the academically strongest class in nearly 15 years. He led the greatest expansion ever of graduate program enrollment, recruited top faculty and staff leaders, conceived a new Hybrid Hubs initiative to serve legal deserts in the Pacific Northwest, launched new international and SJD programs, and new programs in sports law and technology, innovation law and ethics. He served as the co-chair of the Washington Supreme Court Bar Licensure Task Force, whose recommendations in favor of alternative pathways to licensure were adopted by the Supreme Court in early 2024. Varona was named one of the 20 most influential leaders in legal education by National Jurist in 2024, and Seattle U Law was named one of the most innovative law schools in the nation in 2023.
Dean Varona is the first Hispanic/Latinx dean of any law school in the Paciific Northwest of the United States. He serves on the Association of American Law Schools Membership Review Committee, as Co-Chair of the National Hispanic Bar Association’s Task Force on Law Professors and Deans, and has served on various national boards of directors, including those associated with the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and the Stonewall National Museum and Archives.
Dean Varona is an award-winning scholar and teacher, and before entering the legal academy served as the first national General Counsel and Legal Director for the Human Rights Campaign, and as an associate at Skadden Arps and Mintz Levin. He holds an AB and JD from Boston College and an LLM from Georgetown.
Laura Fonseca
Laura Fonseca is senior director of DEI programs and initiatives at LSAC. Through this role, Fonseca engages with internal and external constituents to develop and support efforts that increase access and equity along the legal education journey. Prior to this role, Fonseca served as the inaugural director of DEI at a law school and previously worked as a director of career services. Her career began in the field of international development which set the foundation for her commitment to collaborative practices and data-informed, community-led solutions. Fonseca has an MA in Latin American development and a doctorate of education in higher education.
Will Jawde
Will Jawde is the Director of Institutional Research at CUNY School of Law. He has served in this role for nearly 6 years. Prior to working at CUNY, Will was a consultant. He also held research roles at Hofstra University and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service. Will received his Ph.D. and MA from the University of Florida and his BA from the University of Connecticut.
Professor Chaumtoli Huq
Chaumtoli Huq founded Law@theMargins in 2013 and serves as its Editor-In-Chief. Law@theMargins is a law and media advocacy organization highlighting issues of law and social justice. Chaumtoli’s expertise lies in labor and employment, immigrant workers, and human rights.
From August 2014 to June 2015, she was a Senior Researcher with the American Institute for Bangladesh Studies (AIBS) based in Dhaka, Bangladesh where she examined the labor rights of garment workers. She produced a short documentary based on her work called Sramik Awaaz: Workers Voices. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1uzkEmWmlY She has also focused on Bangladeshi women organizers in New York in a documentary project called Naree Shongothok (Womxn Organizers). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYgKhhSMkMQ Through her work, she is interested in building transnational grassroots links between South Asian workers in South Asia and the diaspora.
Professor Huq was an Associate Professor of Law at New York Law School where she taught Legal Practice and an adjunct professor at City College of New York and Rutgers University, where she taught Immigrant Workers Rights, Employment Law, and Asian Americans and the Law.
For more than 15 years, Chaumtoli devoted her career to the public interest, serving as Director of the first South Asian Workers’ Rights Project in the country at the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund and as the first staff attorney to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a multi-ethnic, immigrant, worker-led labor organization of taxi-drivers.
Saba Ismail
Saba Ismail is the Advocacy Associate for Global Coalitions working on the Advocacy team at Scholars at Risk. In this role, Saba contributes to strengthening regional coalitions of academics and human rights practitioners dedicated to protecting and promoting academic freedom worldwide, including in Africa, the Americas, and Southeast Asia. Prior to joining SAR, Saba worked with at-risk communities, including refugees and asylum seekers, through her involvement with UNHCR and the International Rescue Committee.
At the age of 15, Saba co-founded Aware Girls, a young women-led organization working towards gender equality and peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. From 2016 to 2018, she served as an advisory group member to the UN on Youth, Peace and Security. Saba has received several awards, including the Chirac Prize for Conflict Prevention (2016), and was recognized as one of the “100 Leading Global Thinkers” by Foreign Policy. She was also named among the “30 Under 30” youth activists by the National Endowment for Democracy.
Saba holds an M.A. in International Human Rights, supported by a fully funded tuition fellowship from the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, in 2023. Additionally, she has a Master of Science in Biotechnology from COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Apratim Vidyarthi, Esq.
Apratim Vidyarthi is a litigation associate in the New York office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. His practice focuses on appellate and constitutional law, including First Amendment litigation and the media, entertainment, and technology industries.
Among his matters, has represented a large technology company in First Amendment litigation against a government data sharing law; and currently represents a reporting organization in a high-profile defamation/free speech lawsuit. Apratim maintains a robust pro bono practice, focusing on First Amendment, Second Amendment, constitutional policing, Executive power, and Equal Protection issues. Apratim has filed amicus briefs at the Supreme Court in Free Speech Coalition v. Paxton, Gonzalez v. Trevino, and Hungary v. Simon.
Apratim earned his J.D. cum laude in 2022 from the University of Pennsylvania. Prior to law school, Apratim worked at Deloitte Consulting in their technology consulting group. He also has a Masters of Science in Engineering and Technology Innovation Management from Carnegie Mellon, and Bachelors degrees in Nuclear Engineering and Applied Mathematics and a minor in Public Policy from the University of California, Berkeley.
Apratim’s scholarship on technology and constitutional law has been published in various leading journals. Among his work, Apratim authored A Sword and a Shield: An Antidiscrimination Analysis of Academic Freedom Protections, 26 U. Pa. J. Const. L. 471 (2024). That work arose from his advocacy against a professor accused of racist acts within the classroom at Penn, and assesses how academic freedom intersects with antidiscrimination law.