Ariana Abadian-Heifetz

Engagement Manager, KONU

Ariana Abadian-Heifetz is a passionate experiential educator with expertise in social-emotional learning (SEL) and gender-based violence. Over the past decade, Ariana Abadian-Heifetz has deployed a variety of approaches to support the growth and agency of educators, parents, and mission-driven executives in India and the US. She created a novel approach to SEL called The Human Framework and co-authored a curriculum that explored the themes of religious diversity and interfaith dialogue, gender and discrimination, and caste and human rights. Her work has been featured in Teacher Plus Magazine and The New Indian Express, and she has published pieces in India Today, Deccan Chronicle, and Daily Pioneer. Based on her prior work leading trainings for young women on adaptive leadership, menstrual health, and discriminatory social myths across Uttar Pradesh, she authored an acclaimed graphic novel, Spreading Your Wings, to inspire body-positive mindset shifts around menstruation and gender norms. She continues to be a visiting faculty for I am a Teacher and a Senior Advisor on SEL for the Delhi Public School Gurugram.

Ariana holds a Master’s Degree from NYU in Identity Development. She draws insight from navigating her own liminal identities as an Iranian-Zoroastrian and American-Ashkenazi-Jew.

Joshua Albert

Associate Partner, KONU

Before his role as Associate Partner at KONU, Josh Albert worked for eight years with a health justice non-profit, Last Mile Health. He joined the organization in Liberia and served there for four years, including during the 2014 Ebola Outbreak. As the Country Director and Chief Operating Officer, he was responsible for strategy and management. 

From that journey, Josh learned how heartbreaking it can be to scale values of love and equity in the face of crisis, systemic injustice, and complexity. He learned that it is possible to achieve profound change at scale, but that leadership work is often overwhelming for individuals and organizations; it demands new ways of making sense of the world, connecting to deeply held purpose, and partnering with one another across differences. 

Today Josh helps clients think systemically about the challenges they face and exercise creative leadership to discover new possibilities and latent capabilities. He has a Master’s in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Anna Aurilio

Federal Campaign Director, Economic Security Project

Anna Aurilio has fought for the public interest for more than three decades. In her role as Economic Security Project’s Federal Campaign Director, she runs advocacy campaigns that turn big ideas into federal action. As the DC director for Environment America and, prior to that, as the Legislative Director for U.S. PIRG, Anna led a team of advocates and mobilized grassroots members and state networks to enact policies to cut pollution, protect public lands, and boost renewable energy and auto fuel economy. She helped create the Climate Action Campaign, a coalition of national environmental groups working to advance national climate action, and the Green Scissors campaign which recruited bi-partisan support to cut billions of dollars in government spending for wasteful, harmful programs. 

Anna has testified in Congress numerous times, been quoted in major news outlets, and was annually named a top grassroots lobbyist by The Hill for nearly a decade. Anna is on the board of directors of Voices for Progress and the National Environmental Law Center.

Rep. Rebecca (Becca) Balint

(D-VT)

Rep. Rebecca (Becca) Balint is a mom, teacher, progressive leader, and the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to represent her home state of Vermont in the US House of Representatives. As the daughter of a working-class mother and immigrant father, Rep. Balint is deeply committed to defending American democracy and protecting vulnerable communities.

Becca taught middle school for fourteen years and was then an activist, State Senator, and ultimately the President Pro Tempore in 2021. While Majority Leader of the Vermont State Senate, Rep. Balint led the passage of the first gun safety laws in the state’s history. She also worked tirelessly in the state senate to secure housing investment to rebuild housing stock and expand middle income housing.

Rep. Balint serves as Congressional Progressive Caucus Vice Chair for New Members and as a Co-Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus. She is a member of the House Judiciary Committee, and the Budget Committee.

Ellen Buchman

Chief Field Engagement Officer, NCJW

Ellen Buchman is NCJW’s Chief Field Engagement Officer. She joined NCJW in August 2024 and has spent her 30+ year career striving to underscore how we are all better served through unity, coalition, organizing, and collaboration. Ellen is a practiced servant leader with extensive experience in all matters related to oversight of building and growing non-profit organizations; creating and executing strategic plans, institutional development, and programmatic models; executing values based communications campaigns; and coordinating, managing and/or contributing to all manner of teamwork, staff development, and partnership with a range of stakeholders for a greater impact. She is also a seasoned organizer with experience in developing field outreach models toward advocacy and social change. After serving for 15 years at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, where Ellen was Executive Vice President for Field and Communications, Ellen served as President of The Opportunity Agenda, where she doubled the budget and staff size and oversaw the organization’s application and acquisition of its non profit, 501(c)(3) status. Ellen then began her work as a consultant for organizational innovation, and strategic planning, and she prides herself as being a professional collaborator who leads with equity and inclusion, with an optimistic and aspirational world view. Ellen has a deep commitment and practice in building leader-full professional environments for racial and gender justice, and transformative social change.

Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker

Rabbi of Temple Emanuel, Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Rabbi Charlie has long worked to bring a sense of spirituality, compassion, and learning into the lives of the community he serves. Before his current role at Temple Emanuel in Winston-Salem, NC, he served at Congregation Beth Israel (CBI) in Colleyville, TX, where he was the first full-time rabbi. There he developed positive relationships with local school districts and helped organize interfaith gatherings. 

On January 15, 2022, Rabbi Charlie and three CBI congregants were held hostage by a gunman in the CBI sanctuary. After an 11-hour standoff, Rabbi Charlie threw a chair at the gunman, distracting him long enough for the hostages to escape. Since then, he has spoken out on the importance of security training for religious communities and the need to build stronger bridges between faith communities, especially on a local level. He has spoken at the White House, testified before U.S. Senate and House Committees, has been published in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal, and has been interviewed and/or profiled on other news outlets including CNN and CBS.

Rabbi Charlie attended Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion at its Jerusalem and Cincinnati campuses, receiving his rabbinical ordination in 2006 and M.A. in Hebrew Letters in 2005.

Rep. Diana DeGette

(D-CO)

Rep. Diana DeGette is a fourth-generation Coloradoan who has dedicated her life to serving the people of Colorado’s First Congressional District.

DeGette is recognized as a leading voice in the nation’s health care debate. As the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, DeGette has played a leading role in overseeing the nation’s health care agencies and the nation’s overall response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She’s also led numerous efforts to ensure the nation’s environmental laws are being properly enforced, lower the cost of insulin for millions of Americans, and take on the climate crisis.

DeGette is committed to empowering our nation’s clean energy policies. She has led numerous efforts to hold the nation’s oil and gas producers accountable, reduce America’s overall emissions, and expedite our transition to cleaner forms of renewable energy. In fact, one of the first bills President Biden signed into law after taking office was legislation DeGette authored to drastically reduce methane emissions from drilling sites – a move climate scientists praised as critical to combatting the climate crisis.

Angela Ferrell-Zabala

Executive Director, Moms Demand Action

Angela Ferrell-Zabala serves as the first ever Executive Director of Moms Demand Action, where she is responsible for leading and growing the largest grassroots network in the gun violence prevention space. Angela has been with the organization since 2019, leading its movement-building work and overseeing grassroots organizing; external, cultural and corporate engagement; and national partnerships and programming. 

As a lifelong organizer, Angela is passionate about movement-building, uplifting and centering marginalized voices, and empowering the next generation of leaders. 

Rep. Lois Frankel

(D-FL)

Congresswoman Lois Frankel has dedicated her life to public service, championing the needs of Palm Beach County residents as a state legislator, mayor, and now in her seventh term in Congress. Lois serves as the lead Democrat on the House Appropriations National Security and Department of State Subcommittee, where she plays a pivotal role in shaping and overseeing the allocation of US foreign assistance. She is also Chair Emerita of the Democratic Women’s Caucus and Co-Chair of the bipartisan Women, Peace, and Security Caucus.

Lois is widely recognized for her tireless advocacy to defend reproductive freedom, protect Social Security and Medicare, and make health and family care more affordable. Her efforts have secured critical funding for projects that enhance health care, education, workforce development, clean water infrastructure, and crime prevention across her district.

Rep. Laura Friedman

(D-CA)

Rep. Laura Friedman proudly represents California’s 30th District, which includes Burbank, Glendale, West Hollywood, and parts of Los Angeles and Pasadena. She is committed to making meaningful progress on the issues that matter most to her district: making housing more affordable, safeguarding access to clean water, protecting communities from wildfires and other disasters, and creating an economy that works for everyone. Friedman serves on two key committees: the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Before joining Congress, Friedman represented the 44th district in the California State Assembly, where she built a reputation as a tireless advocate for the environment, housing, and transportation.

Laura got her start in the private sector working as a film and television producer. She then served on the Glendale City Council and as the Mayor of Glendale. As a member of the California state legislature, Laura served in several pivotal roles and led a historic bicameral and bipartisan reform of the legislature’s response to sexual harassment that’s become a model for other states and local governments.

Paula Garret

Board Director, NCJW

Paula Garret has a broad background in leadership positions in not-for-profit organizations. She is in her third term on the Board of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) and currently serves as the Chair of the Strategic Plan Implementation Task Force and the Investment Committee. Paula has deep leadership roots in the NCJW Pittsburgh Section as well, including as a past President, Executive Vice President, Treasurer, and Finance Chair. 

Paula currently serves on the Board and as Assistant Treasurer of the FISA Foundation, which is devoted to partnering with nonprofits across southwestern Pennsylvania who are working to advance equity and justice for women, girls, and people with disabilities. Paula is the prior Co-Chair of the Jewish Women’s Foundation of Pittsburgh and continues to be deeply involved through the Future Planning Committee. She also served as President of the Tree of Life Congregation and remains involved as a member of the Founders Committee, bridging the gap between the Congregation and Tree of Life Inc, a newly formed organization committed to uprooting Antisemitism and identity-based hate through education and national coalition partnerships.

Prior to her recent retirement, Paula was CEO of a privately held manufacturing company in Pittsburgh which provides commercial lighting throughout the United States.

Laura Monn Ginsburg

President, NCJW

Laura Monn Ginsburg runs a public affairs business, Apparatus, that she co-founded in 2016 after spending a decade in corporate marketing at software companies ranging from $0 start-ups to $3B multi-national outfits.

Apparatus is a General Benefit Corporation that works to advance social justice and equity and environmental sustainability. Projects range from political campaigns to grassroots and grass-tops lobbying to running multi-channel media and marketing campaigns to creating and leading a statewide campaign to legalize recreational cannabis and end policies of prohibition that have disproportionately affected underserved communities. Laura’s most proud that her women-owned, women-run business has been able to stand out as a good company doing good things for Minnesota.

When not running her company, Laura’s running and sitting on various nonprofit boards. She is currently the board chair of National Council of Jewish Women, and a member of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the School Committee of The Blake School. Past nonprofit roles include National Council of Jewish Women MN (2018-2020 chair), the Citizens League (2021 board chair and 2020 interim executive director), and the Junior League of Minneapolis (2014-2015 chair). She is an advisory board member of Love Takes Root (education in Haiti) and Move Minneapolis (transportation equity).

Fatima Goss Graves

President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center

Fatima Goss Graves is a nationally recognized leader in the fight for gender justice and an expert in law, policy, and culture change. She is President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center, President of the National Women’s Law Center Action Fund, and a co-founder of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund.

 Fatima has a distinguished track record working across a broad set of issues central to the lives of women and girls – including income security, child care, equal pay, ending sexual harassment and violence, health and reproductive rights, education access, and workplace justice – with a particular focus on outcomes for women and girls of color. She is widely sought after for her effectiveness in the complex public policy arena at both the state and federal levels and regularly testifies before Congress and federal agencies.

 Fatima has appeared as a legal and social commentator on several news programs. She is a graduate of UCLA and Yale Law School.

Brittany Hacker

Bolder Advocacy Counsel, Alliance for Justice

Brittany Hacker is a lawyer activist who serves as Bolder Advocacy Counsel at Alliance for Justice. In this role, she empowers nonprofit organizations to expand their advocacy and lobbying efforts by educating on applicable state and federal rules and providing technical assistance. 

Margaret Huang

President and CEO, Southern Poverty Law Center

An advocate for human rights and racial justice for nearly three decades, Margaret Huang is the President and CEO of the Southern Poverty Law Center, which serves as a catalyst for racial justice in the U.S. South and beyond. Throughout her career, Margaret has championed social justice and human dignity, advocating an end to discrimination and oppression in all of its forms. Prior to the Southern Poverty Law Center, Margaret served as the Executive Director of Amnesty International USA, where she was responsible for leading campaigns to protect the human rights of migrants and refugees, torture survivors, gun violence victims, and activists and protestors across the globe. Ms. Huang received a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University and a B.S.F.S. from Georgetown University.

Rep. Sara Jacobs

(D-CA)

Congresswoman Sara Jacobs is in her third term in Congress and proudly serves California’s 51st Congressional District, which includes much of the City of San Diego and the surrounding area. She is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she serves as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa. She is also the Founding Co-Chair of the Protection of Civilians in Conflict (POCC) Caucus, Vice Chair of the New Democrat Coalition’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Working Group, and Vice Chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, where she is Co-Chair of the Transgender Equality Task Force.

Prior to serving in elected office, Congresswoman Jacobs spent years working to address, minimize, and prevent conflict, instability, and inequality around the world. She worked in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations at the United Nations, in the Innovation Unit at UNICEF, in the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the U.S. Department of State, and as a foreign policy advisor to Secretary Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Congresswoman Jacobs also served as the Founding CEO of Project Connect, a nonprofit dedicated to mapping schools and their Internet connectivity around the world, which has since become one of UNICEF’s flagship programs. She served as a Scholar in Residence at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego, and in 2018, she founded San Diego for Every Child, a coalition dedicated to ending child poverty in San Diego County.

Sheila Katz

CEO, NCJW

Sheila Katz is the CEO of National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW), a 130-year-old Jewish feminist civil rights organization with over 225,000 advocates working for the full equity and safety of women, children, and families in the United States and Israel. Through partnerships and coalitions, Sheila works to empower Jewish women and allies to engage in work that impacts those at the margins of society while centering the most impacted.

Under Sheila’s leadership, NCJW has responded to threats to abortion access, voting rights, childcare access, equal pay, and other issues of equity through protest, advocacy and campaigns that make it clear where Jewish women and allies stand on the most important issues of the day. Sheila spearheaded the creation of Jews for Abortion Access, engaging more than 2.5 million people. She also launched Rabbis for Repro, a network of more than 2,500 rabbis teaching about reproductive freedom and Judaism.

Prior to NCJW, Sheila was the vice president of student engagement and leadership at Hillel International, the largest Jewish on-campus community in the world. Sheila was recently named as one of the top 10 faith influencers by Religion News Service and as one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by the Jerusalem Post.

Emily Kuvin

NCJW Board Director and Washington Institute Co-Chair

Emily Mathes Kuvin is a jewelry designer and entrepreneur helming Emily Kuvin Jewelry. She arrived at professional jewelry design after years working in television journalism, law, and hospital fundraising. Her commitment to do good infuses all her work, and she strives to give back to her local and global communities through board and volunteer work, financial donations, and raising awareness of causes and issues that affect all of us.

Emily began designing jewelry in high school and continued to refine and develop her aesthetic and skills over the years. She has a BA and a JD from Cornell University, an MSJ from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University and has completed coursework at the Gemological Institute of America. Today, Emily designs from her studio in New York City

Emily is honored to serve as a co-chair of Washington Institute 2025 and is completing her second triennium as a director on the NCJW national board.

Rep. Jennifer McClellan

(D-VA)

A principled and progressive legislator, Representative Jennifer McClellan has always worked to ensure Virginians’ voices are heard in government. In the 119th Congress, Jennifer McClellan sits on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. In the 118th Congress, she sat on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Throughout her eighteen sessions in the Virginia General Assembly, McClellan passed more than 370 pieces of legislation, including landmark bills to protect and expand voting rights, combat climate change, preserve reproductive health care, and enhance workers’ protections and labor rights. McClellan holds a JD from University of Virginia School of Law.

Dani Menkin

Producer, Colleyville

A two times Israeli Academy Award winner, Dani Menkin’s award-winning narrative and documentary films include Picture of His Life, On the Map, Aulcie, Dolphin Boy, 39 Pounds of Love, Is That You?, and Colleyville. His movies have been sold world-wide including to Disney and HBO. Menkin is an internationally renowned speaker and film juror at International Festivals around the world, and he is a film professor in universities and colleges in Israel and the US. He co-founded Hey Jude Productions, which is dedicated to telling positive, entertaining, and inspiring stories to better the world. Menkin is known for exploring the courage of the human life through personal stories. He connects the extraordinary heroes of his films to a larger context and to their impact on the world.

Tim Mooney

Senior Counsel, Alliance for Justice

Tim Mooney, Senior Counsel at Alliance for Justice, has guided nonprofits through the maze of political and tax-exempt law for over two decades. His ability to present legal concepts in an interesting and accessible way is heightened by his passion for making a positive difference for every community. At the heart of his work, Tim empowers organizations to elevate their impact, challenge the status quo, and drive meaningful progress.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton

(D-DC)

As a third-generation Washingtonian, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton has represented the District of Columbia since 1991 and is the Chair of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit. She also serves on the Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

Before her congressional service, President Jimmy Carter appointed Norton to serve as the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She came to Congress as a national figure who had been a civil rights and feminist leader, tenured professor of law, and board member at three Fortune 500 companies. 

Congresswoman Norton’s accomplishments in breaking barriers for her disempowered district are matched by her success in bringing home unique economic benefits to her constituents. She has brought significant economic development to the District of Columbia throughout her service in Congress, creating and preserving jobs in D.C.

Dr. Deitra Reiser

Founder, Transform for Equity

Dr. Deitra Reiser (she/her) is the founder of Transform for Equity, which supports corporations, organizations, and their leaders to advance equitable belonging and psychological safety in the workplace. Dr. Reiser’s approach to organizational change centers on individual transformation as a catalyst for systemic progress. By fostering a comprehensive understanding of the impact of policies, practices, and culture, she supports leaders’ purposeful actions and initiatives.

Deploying a combination of her custom curricula, executive coaching expertise, learning sessions, and organizational assessments, Dr. Reiser empowers professionals to drive positive change at every level. Her collaborations include prominent organizations like the Union for Reform Judaism, Reconstructing Judaism, National Council for Jewish Women, and the National Park Service.

Sen. Jacky Rosen

(D-NV)

Senator Jacky Rosen works across the aisle to solve problems and achieve results for Nevada. Elected to the U.S. House in 2016 and then the U.S. Senate in 2018, Jacky is the second woman ever to serve Nevada in the U.S. Senate, alongside fellow Senator Catherine Cortez Masto. Before being elected to public office, Jacky served as President of Congregation Ner Tamid, Nevada’s largest synagogue. She holds the distinction of being the third female Jewish Senator in U.S. history, as well as the first former synagogue president to serve in the Senate. An outspoken supporter of Israel and combating antisemitism, she is now the co-founder and co-chair of the Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism and the bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus in the Senate.

Beth Salamon

NCJW Board Director and Washington Institute Co-Chair

Beth Salamon is a longtime volunteer in the Jewish community and an attorney. In addition to serving on the NCJW board, she is currently the Kentucky co-State Policy Advocate, the Chair of the Jewish Community of Louisville board, and a trustee at the Louisville Collegiate School. When she is not volunteering, Beth is an avid tennis player, chef, and loves to travel. She lives in Louisville.

Liz Schrayer

President, Schrayer & Associates

Liz Schrayer, a respected political strategist, founded Schrayer & Associates, Inc. in 1995 with an eye toward enhancing the political effectiveness of non-profits and businesses to impact policy in our nation’s capital and around the country. Through hands-on strategic planning, crafting of advocacy campaigns, and premier meeting facilitation in Washington, Liz has helped engage and mobilize tens of thousands of citizen advocates on a range of domestic & foreign policy issues. 

Liz also serves as the President & CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, an influential broad-based coalition of over 500 businesses and NGOs. She serves on the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation’s Development Advisory Council and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is also a member of the Weber Shandwick Geopolitical Risk Advisory Board. 

Prior to starting her own firm, Liz was the national Political Director of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) for more than a decade. Called one of the “architects” of the pro-Israel grassroots program, Liz was instrumental in developing AIPAC’s nationwide effort. She has worked in state government and on Capitol Hill, where she founded the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. 

Liz has been published in TIME, Newsweek, USA Today, and The Hill.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz

(D-FL)

As Florida’s first Jewish Congresswoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz has earned the respect of her colleagues for working tirelessly on behalf of seniors, children, and families for nearly three decades. First sworn in to the U. House of Representatives in 2005, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate. 

Known for vigorously defending her progressive values, the Congresswoman has demonstrated her ability to pass meaningful legislation in a bipartisan fashion. After announcing her own battle with breast cancer in 2009, Wasserman Schultz led the EARLY Act, legislation designed to increase breast cancer education and awareness. A leading advocate for women and girls, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz introduced the Rape Survivor Child Custody Act to encourage more states to allow women to terminate the parental rights of a rapist based on clear and convincing evidence. The bill was signed into law by President Obama in 2015.

Currently Wasserman Schultz serves as a Ranking Member on the Appropriations Committee. In the 117th Congress, she made history as the first-ever woman to Chair the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee. In the 119th Congress, Wasserman Schultz maintains her leadership role as a Co-Chair of the Steering and Policy Committee.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin

(D-MI)

A former CIA analyst who served three tours in Iraq alongside the U.S. military, Elissa then worked in national security roles at the Pentagon and White House under Presidents Bush and Obama. In the Obama Administration, she briefed the President on some of the most sensitive national security matters of the day and was eventually nominated to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs at the Pentagon.

Elissa ran for Congress in 2018, flipping a long-time Republican-held seat and helping Democrats retake the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives. Elissa was re-elected to the House in 2020 and again in 2022 by delivering on the things that mattered the most to her constituents – expanding access to affordable healthcare, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, and bringing critical supply chains and manufacturing back to Michigan.

In November 2024, Elissa was elected to serve Michigan in the U.S. Senate. In the Senate, Elissa is fighting to expand Michigan’s middle class, create jobs with dignity, and keep our communities and children safe.

Francoise Stovall

Senior Strategist, Greater Good Strategies

For nearly 20 years, Francoise Stovall has used digital strategy to strengthen democracy and win progressive victories. Francoise has worked with civic groups in emerging democracies on strategic communications planning and digital strategy implementation, and she has overseen digital strategy for campaigns that won important victories to change the way money flows through politics in the US. Francoise has implemented email fundraising campaigns for a number of nonprofits and political campaigns, and in the 2020 election cycle, she built the digital infrastructure and managed the campaign that registered more than 600,000 young voters and voters of color to vote. 

Francoise is also a mom and an abortion doula. She graduated from The George Washington University with a degree in International Affairs.

Maya Wiley

President and CEO, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Leadership Conference Education Fund

Maya Wiley is President and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and the The Leadership Conference Education Fund. She is a nationally respected civil rights attorney and activist who has dedicated her life to the fights for justice, equality, and fairness.

While serving as the first Black woman counsel to the mayor of New York City, Maya helped deliver on civil and immigrant rights. During her tenure, the city also saw an expansion of minority/women-owned business enterprises contracts. Following her time at City Hall, Maya moved to academia as a faculty member and senior vice president for social justice at the New School University. As chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), she led the release of the “hold” on proceedings against Daniel Pantaleo whose illegal chokehold killed Eric Garner. That move led to the CCRB’s successful administrative prosecution of Pantaleo that resulted in his firing. 

Maya previously worked at the ACLU, the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Following the September 11 attacks, she co-founded the nonprofit Center for Social Inclusion, which focused on transforming structural racism into fair opportunity. Maya earned her B.A. from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from Columbia Law School. She has served as a legal analyst for NBC News and MSNBC.