Lunch with Jill Collen Jefferson

Join us for lunch with Jill Collen Jefferson as she discusses how to navigate a career in civil and human rights law.

Jill Collen Jefferson is a civil rights and international human rights attorney who grew up the racism and de facto segregation of rural Mississippi. Prior to her legal career, in brief, she researched civil rights cold cases, was one of four speechwriters on President Barack Obama’s 2012 campaign, and served in various roles on Capitol Hill, The White House, national and state political campaigns, think-tanks, and advocacy nonprofits. She is the founder of JULIAN, a civil rights and international human rights organization, providing legal services to victims and survivors of discrimination. She earned her bachelor’s degree with distinction in English and History along with a minor in French at the University of Virginia and her J.D. from Harvard Law School. She hails from a farm in southeastern Mississippi.

Danai Nhando (moderator) is a human rights lawyer and social impact programs specialist with 17 years of experience in human-rights litigation, strategy, education technology, policy, advocacy, and grassroots campaigning. Most recently, as the Founding Country Director of Change.org South Africa, Nhando spearheaded the platform’s expansion into Africa, driving grassroots campaigns focused on democracy and accountability. She previously served as the global head of legal and operations at Delta Philanthropies and as the regional general manager at HigherLife Foundation, where she launched Zimbabwe’s first e-learning platform. Nhando is currently a Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, where she is pursuing an MPA. She holds a BCom (law and economics) and an LLB from Rhodes University and an MBA from the University of London. Among other accolades, she was one of Avance Media’s most influential African women in 2023 and one of Humanitarian Awards Global’s most impactful changemakers in Africa in 2023. Nhando serves as a global advisor for the Atlantic Council's Women for Prosperity Project and sits on the Innovation Advisory Board for the Zimbabwe Human Rights Association.

This event is only open to Harvard ID holders. Preregistration for this event is required.