2026 Gender Justice Summit: New Developments in Discrimination and Harassment Law

Advocacy and Survivor Leadership Director at the Human Trafficking Legal Center | Survivor of Child Labor Trafficking | Anti-Trafficking Activist and Public Speaker

Senior Legal Advisor at the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights, where she spearheads initiatives on labor rights, corporate accountability and protection of human rights defenders | Focuses on combating Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs), advancing freedom of association, and strengthening access to justice. | Previously worked as Human Rights Attorney for EarthRights International, where she litigated cases seeking corporate accountability for human rights abuses committed by corporations.

Columnist for The Guardian and writer-in-residence at Stanford Clayman Institute which focuses on “cutting-edge gender research across academic disciplines.” | Work seen in publications such as New York Times, the New Yorker, New York Review of Books, and more.

Senior Staff Attorney at the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) | Civil rights advocate with experience across litigation and policy, focusing on disability rights issues including marriage equality, the rights of parents with disabilities, and access to the legal system | Former clerk to Justice Allison Eid (Colorado Supreme Court) and Judge Juan F. Vasquez (U.S. Tax Court); former fellow at the ACLU National Office and ACLU of Michigan | J.D. and LL.M. in Taxation, NYU School of Law

Clinical Supervising Attorney, International Human Rights Law Clinic | Former staff attorney at the Center for Justice and International Law, litigating cases before the Inter-American Human Rights System on behalf of Indigenous communities, migrants, asylum seekers, and human rights defenders | Former attorney at the Institute for Women in Migration (IMUMI), advancing advocacy, research, education, and strategic litigation on U.S.–Mexico border policy | Former fellow at Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

Feminist attorney | Co-CEO of She’s the First, organization advocating for girls and women in education | CSO Board Member at the United Nations Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund

Director of the Civil Rights Department for California | Civil rights attorney dedicated to public service and advancing justice for disadvantaged communities | Formerly served as director of the Employment Rights Project at Bet Tzedek Legal Services, where he led the firm’s employment litigation, policy, and outreach initiatives.

Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education until January 2025, following earlier service in the same role during the Obama Administration | Deputy Assistant to the President for Racial Justice and Equity in 2021 | Chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 2016 to 2021 | Legal Affairs Secretary to California Governor Gavin Newsom from 2019 to 2021 | Civil rights litigator with prior roles at the ACLU, the National Center for Youth Law, and Public Counsel | Clerked for Judge William A. Norris, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit

Partner at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP | Represents survivors of sexual abuse, bullying, police & prison abuse, wrongful convictions, and other forms of discrimination | Handles high-profile commercial and civil rights cases for clients including Martha Stewart, Everytown for Gun Safety, the NAACP| Clerked for Judge John M. Walker, Jr., Second Circuit

Attorney and mediator | Conducts trauma-informed investigations into sexual harassment, gender-based discrimination, and workplace bullying | Background in labor law and social justice advocacy, including community education and legal research on major human rights litigation

Professor of Law at UC Berkeley | Studies law and inequality, focusing on race-based economic inequality and the legal role of federal administrators in racial segregation | Former Skadden Fellow at NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, clerked for Judge A. Wallace Tashima, Ninth Circuit | Scholarship published in Yale Law Journal, Virginia Law Review, UCLA Law Review, NYU Law Review, and Annual Review of Law & Social Science

Founding partner of the Law Offices of Wendy Musell PC | Represents employees in discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and whistleblower cases in both state and federal courts. | Past president of the California Employment Lawyers Association | Daily Journal Top 100 Women Attorneys in the State and among the nation’s leading employment lawyers.

Professor at UTS Law conducting research at the intersection of equality law and the biosciences| Expert in sex and disability discrimination and the regulation of emerging biotechnologies | Former senior leader at the Australian Human Rights Commission, where she led national inquiries on pregnancy discrimination, immigration detention, and paid maternity leave | Co-founder of the Feminist Legal Research Group

American political advisor | Served as Chief of Staff to CA Governor Gavin Newsom & senior policy advisor to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 Presidential Campaign | Partner at international law firm Jenner & Block | Founded numerous non-profits upholding progressive policies on income inequality, education, & health care

Founding Partner at Oppenheimer Investigations Group | Leading expert in workplace investigations with over 40 years of experience in employment law | Former administrative law judge | Conducted hundreds of investigations involving harassment, discrimination, and retaliation | Founding leader of the Association of Workplace Investigators (AWI) and frequent speaker on harassment prevention, bias, and workplace equity

Clinical Professor of Law at UC Berkeley | Faculty Co-Director of the Pro Bono Program and Director of the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law | Former clerk to California Chief Justice Rose Bird and founding director of Berkeley Law’s Employment Discrimination Clinic | Scholar of civil rights and discrimination law, author of forthcoming book, The Diversity Principle

Trial Attorney and Founding Partner at California Civil Rights Law Group, handles plaintiff’s employment civil rights cases. | Won largest race harassment jury verdict in American history | Named “Super Lawyer”

Partner and trial attorney at Altair Law® | Litigates employment & wrongful termination matters, handles cases across negotiation, litigation, and trial | Former writer and speaker on employment law developments in the San Francisco Chronicle, Daily Journal, Forum, and Trial | Board member and chair of the Legal Affairs Committee for PRC, the San Mateo Trial Lawyers’ Association, the American Association for Justice, and the Western Trial Lawyers’ Association

Co-Managing Partner of Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight’s Washington, DC office | Firmwide Co-Head of Litigation and Co-Chair of the Discrimination and Harassment Practice Group | Represents individuals and classes in whistleblower, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage-and-hour matters | Former Deputy General Counsel for DoDEA | Served in DOJ Civil Rights Division focusing on disability discrimination investigations & litigation

Executive Director of the California Department of Rehabilitation | Former Deputy Director for Legislation and Communications at DOR and policy chief for In-Home Supportive Services at the California Department of Social Services | Past Assistant Legislative Director at United Domestic Workers of America

Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living in Berkeley (the world’s first Center for Independent Living), where he leads a team in advancing disability justice, accessibility, and community empowerment. | Lifelong disability rights advocate, global human rights expert, urban planner, and educator, championing equal access to education, healthcare, civic life, and economic opportunity for people with disabilities. | Advised the United Nations, the World Bank, and Save the Children, helping shape policies that uphold the rights of children and individuals with disabilities. | Ph.D. in Urban Planning from UCLA and author of Building the Inclusive City | Directs the Inclusive Cities Lab at UC Berkeley and serves as a Senior Fellow at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government.

Barrister and workplace investigator with a background in employment law | Graduate of the Association of Workplace Investigators’ Training Institute, member and leader of its New Zealand Circle | Conducted investigations into workplace bullying, sexual harassment, protected disclosures, and anonymous complaints for public and private sector entities

Lawyer | Founder of Africa End Sexual Harassment Initiative (AESHI), a law reform and social movement project which seeks to create regional dialogue on sexual harassment for national impact | Lead editor of the book Sexual Harassment and the Law in Africa: Country and Regional Perspectives | Co-Director of the Gender Justice and Harassment Working Group at BCCE

Recent UC Berkeley graduate and volunteer at Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality & Anti-Discrimination Law | Intern at Equal Rights Advocates | Plans to attend law school and pursue a career in public interest, focusing on advocacy for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault | Previously operated the crisis line at Family Violence Law Center and served as Youth Against Violence leader at STAND! For Families Free of Violence

Title IX attorney who represents survivors of sexual assault, stalking, dating violence, and harassment in K–12 and higher education| Credited with expanding Title IX definitions to include stalking & dating violence and holding universities accountable for sexual violence at fraternity houses | Former director of the U.S. Congressional Victims’ Rights Caucus

Policy Director and Deputy Legal Director at Equal Rights Advocates | Co-Chair of Stronger California Women’s Agenda | Former Legal Director of Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, Inc. (Center for Migrant Rights)

CEO and Co-Founder of Volare (formerly Network for Victim Recovery of DC) | National expert advising Congress, the DC Council, and the Department of Defense on sexual assault and victims’ rights | Co-chair of the Women’s Bar Association of DC’s Strategic Litigation and Nonprofit Subcommittees | Leader of Volare’s Trauma-Education Project and co-host of “TraumaTies” podcast

Partner & Co-Founder, Buehler Trapani LLP | Conducts workplace and Title IX investigations into complaints of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and other misconduct for public and private employers, universities, and school districts | Former civil rights and employment litigator representing incarcerated people, employees, and people with disabilities.

CEO of Tokiso and Advocate of the High Court | Internationally accredited commercial mediator at Center for Effective Dispute Resolution | Former Vice President of the South African Society Labour Law

Director of Client Advocacy and Supervising Immigration Attorney at Tahirih Justice Center, a national non-profit organization serving survivors fleeing gender-based violence | Former Graduate Research Fellow at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies