Redefining and recommitting

Q & A with Emory Law’s new Chief Diversity Officer 

In the summer of 2020, Derrick Howard was named chief diversity officer (CDO), a new position he holds along with his role of associate dean for academic programs and students. He is tasked to work collaboratively on the development of the law school’s academic programs and class schedules, supervising the Registrar’s Office and the Office of Academic Engagement and Student Success. In his role as CDO, he is responsible for leading development and implementation of new initiatives — over and above current law school and university processes and procedures — that are designed to address racism and to promote diversity and inclusion. As part of that charge, he chairs the law school’s new Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.  

At the start of the fall 2020 semester, Howard announced the committee’s members and goals. In a Q&A with Emory Lawyer, he explained some of those goals and the action steps to accomplish them.

Q: You have a lot of work ahead of you. Where do you start?

A: We’ll start with a review of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Taskforce recommendations previously approved by former interim dean Jim Hughes Jr. And we’ve built our committee, which was a vital first step. The committee includes seven faculty members, four staff members, and four student representatives. We’ve gathered this team to represent a cross-section of the Emory Law community, which is vital to meeting the needs of every person in our community. 

Q: Will there be programming to come from the committee, or is it more of an information gathering entity? 

A: We will gather information by reviewing previous recommendations, as I mentioned earlier, and by reviewing information shared with us as submitted to the university’s internal bias incident reporting system, but our broader focus will be developing both short- and long-term programs and initiatives that influence Emory Law’s path toward becoming a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community in theory and fact. 

Q: What kinds of programming can be initiated in a virtual or digital environment— or is the committee waiting until we are in person again to launch anything new? 

A: We will not wait. We have already held focus group meetings with faculty and staff, and we’ll support a lecture series called Conversations About 21st Century Racism that is the brainchild of Professors Dorothy Brown and Joanna Shepherd. This series, held digitally, features prominent scholars from the Emory University community. A student-led forum will also occur soon. And there is more on the horizon.

Q: I’d imagine a lot of your work begins with making it known where the institution stands on DEI issues. Can we expect any statements to that end? 

A: Yes. Emory Law has embarked on a new strategic planning process, and this committee will be an integral part of that. We will work within the process to revise Emory Law’s mission, values statement, and institutional goals to indicate commitment to antiracism. We are working to draft a faculty resolution supporting Black Lives Matter and a faculty resolution committing to ongoing incorporation of equal protection values in the curriculum. More important than statements, you can expect action.  

Q: A lot of diversity work centers, understandably, upon ensuring racial diversity. Is that where this committee’s work centers? 

A: Racial diversity is imperative, but our work includes championing diversity in gender, ability, identity, and ideas. For that reason, we support the Emory Immigration Coalition initiative and university-Led LGBTQ programs. I have joined the University’s Executive Leadership Council of CDO/DEI practitioners, led by Dr. Carol Henderson, to make sure we get this right.  

Q: Will your committee work to influence curriculum? 

A: Yes. We hope to develop a certificate in civil rights and work with partners to increase judicial clerkship opportunities for Black students, who are underrepresented in clerkships. We will also provide guidance to the faculty on adding cultural competence instructions and dialogue to their courses. And, for after law school, we hope to support graduates by working to increase bar association membership with affinity bar groups for students of diverse cultures.  

For more information about the new Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, email derrick.howard@emory.edu.

 

2020–2021 Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Students

  • Rebecca Johnson 22L 
  • Mason Mariney 22L 
  • Ariana Ortiz 22L
  • Julie Sher 21L 

Staff

  • Stephanie Dingle, Director of Student Life
  • A. Kenyatta Greer, Director of Communication 
  • Natasha Patel, Senior Director, Center for Professional Development and Career Strategy 
  • Marshall Sampson, Division Director of Human Resources 

Faculty

  • Derrick Howard, Chief Diversity Officer, Chair   
  • Dorothy Brown, Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law
  • Mindy Goldstein, Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Turner Environmental Law Clinic, and Director of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law Program
  • Paul Koster, Associate Professor of Practice
  • Robert Parrish, Associate Professor of Practice
  • Teemu Ruskola, Jonas Robitscher Professor of Law; Affiliated Faculty Member in Program in East Asian Studies, Department of Comparative Law, Department of History, and Department of Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies 
  • Joanna Shepherd (ex officio), Vice Dean and Thomas Simmons Professor of Law