"The Evolving Landscape of Campus Title IX"
NAME IT: Higher Education Track
Askwith Hall (Longfellow, Floor 1)
1:00-2:30PM
Dr. Leena Akhtar is a lecturer at Harvard University and the founder and principal of The Greater Us, LLC. Her work is concerned with deep cultural change around problems of power-based violence. She earned her PhD in the History of Science and Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality, where she focused on changes in how sexual assault and harassment were understood, issues facing women and minorities in the sciences, and discrimination in institutional environments. Her dissertation was about the evolution of psychiatric understandings of rape, sexual violence, and trauma in the US in the 20th century. Previously, she worked in the financial industry and then as the Director of Exhibits and Archives at the Museum of American Finance, where she became interested in issues of harassment, discrimination, and power in the workplace. She served as a rape crisis counselor for 7 years in Pittsburgh and New York City and studied at New York University’s Trauma and Violence Transdisciplinary Studies program. At Harvard, she taught seminars on power-based violence and the evolution of trauma psychiatry, helped create and teach the university's first general education course on gender and science, and developed equity and inclusion trainings for teaching fellows through the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning. She also engaged in advocacy work on behalf of minorities, LGBTQ+ persons, and on Title IX-related matters, and advised on implementing comprehensive training on harassment and sexual violence for resident advisors in undergraduate housing. Dr. Akhtar founded The Greater Us in order to put into practice the theoretical and historical insights of her work on violence and cultural change.
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Laura L. Dunn, Esq., advances victims' rights through legislative & policy efforts, as well as direct representation of survivors in campus, criminal & civil systems. While a law student, Dunn contributed to the 2011 & 2014 Title IX guidance issued by the U.S. Department of Education. She also worked with Congress to pass the 2013 Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act & its federal regulations. For this advocacy, Vice President Joe Biden & Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy have publicly recognized Dunn. Upon graduation from Maryland Law, she founded the survivor-led & DC-based legal organization, SurvJustice. It is still the only national nonprofit representing victims of campus sexual violence in hearings across the country & is currently the lead plaintiff in a pending federal lawsuit against the Trump administration over Title IX. She is currently a practicing attorney with the Fierberg National Law Group. As a nationally-recognized victim-turned-victims’ rights attorney & social entrepreneur, her work has been featured by National Public Radio, PEOPLE Magazine, Forbes, the National Law Journal, the New York Times, & many more. For her work, Dunn has received a 2015 Echoing Green Global Fellowship, the 2016 Benjamin Cardin Public Service Award, the 2017 Special Courage Award from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime, & a 2018 TED Fellowship, along with other honors and recognitions over the years.
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Venkayla Haynes is an organizer, on the Campus Advisory Board for It’s On Us, member of the Biden Foundation Advisory Council to End Violence Against Women, and assists Communications at Know Your IX. Her work around sexual violence began in November 2015 by serving on It’s On Us’ inaugural Student Advisory Committee. Venkayla helped facilitate a program which brought Vice President Joe Biden to the Atlanta University Center to talk to students and faculty about issues surrounding sexual assault and how to get involved. Venkayla continued her activism with educating the community by informing students of their Title IX rights and consent education, helping other college students host events at different institutions, working directly with school administration, protesting against harmful bills, public speaking, and directly working with survivors. Determined to get the community involved with ending gender-based violence, Venkayla partnered with the Mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed, and his sexual assault campaign Take A Stand to launch Atlanta as an official It’s On Us City, and coordinated an engagement fair in City Hall to educate city council and the Atlanta community on sexual violence and prevention. Throughout her activism Venkayla has worked with survivors at many different colleges across the United States. She also visits high schools in Atlanta to talk to different classes consisting of seniors and juniors about gender-based violence and its impact in K-12 schools and on college campuses.
Venkayla has also been a featured panelist at different venues throughout the United States and has worked with many national organizations. Her activism led to her being invited to the White House and receiving letters from Vice President Joe Biden, Michelle Obama, and President Barack Obama honoring her work. Venkayla is a recipient of the 2017 Georgia 40 Under 40 Award, 2017 Walmart Community Playmaker Award where she was honored by the Atlanta Hawks and Walmart at an NBA game for her activism, among many other awards. Her work focuses on centering the experiences of marginalized groups who are impacted by sexual violence such as black women, trans men and women, undocumented survivors, queer survivors, and those with disabilities. |
Nicole Merhill is the Title IX Officer at Harvard University. In her role, Nicole oversees Harvard’s overall Title IX system, including direct support and consultation to the University’s 50+ Title IX Coordinators, development and implementation of education programming and prevention efforts, and direct support to community members. Nicole joined the Harvard Title IX Office in 2016 and has more than 15 years of civil rights experience in various protected class statuses, including sex, race, color, national origin, disability, and age. In her most recent position prior to joining Harvard, Nicole served as the Program Manager for the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, in Boston, where, as a member of the Senior Management Team, she was responsible for oversight, management, and strategic planning. Nicole has been recognized for her civil rights training expertise and is regularly sought out at the local and national level to train students, staff, faculty, and administrators.
Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and English from Purdue University, and a Masters in Education Law and J.D. from University of New Hampshire School of Law. |
Since 2005, Patrick Donovan has worked with youth, adults, and institutions to prevent and address sexual violence and intimate partner abuse. He holds a master’s of social work from Boston College and a bachelor’s in Spanish-English bilingual education from Boston University.
Patrick is the Interim Director of Community Awareness and Prevention Services at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, or BARCC. BARCC provides confidential and free supportive services for survivors of all types of sexual violence, as well as for their loved ones and support people. BARCC empowers survivors to access Title IX accommodations, and also provides a range of supports through our Legal, Hotline, Medical Advocacy, Case Management, and Clinical programs. In his role, Patrick directs a comprehensive education and prevention program that engages campuses, communities, and individuals in supporting survivors and preventing sexual violence. He trains administrators, staff, students, and faculty in responding to disclosures and taking action as bystanders, and he provides technical assistance on policy and practice. |