Meet the HRGJ Team

Cynthia Soohoo a Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Human Rights and Gender Justice Clinic. Her work focuses on reproductive health and justice, gender justice, and human rights advocacy in the U.S. She has authored submissions to the U.S. Supreme Court, appellate courts and international forums on access to abortion, forced sterilization, criminalization of reproductive choices and pregnancy outcomes, remedies for trafficking survivors, and youth in the adult criminal justice system. Prof. Soohoo served as Director of the U.S. Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights from 2008-2011. From 2001-2007, Prof. Soohoo was Director of the U.S. Human Rights Program at the Human Rights Institute, Columbia Law School and a supervising attorney for the law school's Human Rights Clinic. Read Cindy Soohoo's full bio.

Lisa Davis is the Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Programs, Professor of Law and Co-Director, Human Rights & Gender Justice Clinic. Professor Davis also formerly served as the Special Adviser on Gender Persecution to the International Criminal Court (ICC).  In this role, Davis drafted the first-ever policy on the crime of gender persecution. Professor Davis has written and reported extensively on gender-based crimes and human rights issues in conflict and other crisis settings, including on women’s rights and LGBTQI+ rights. Davis has testified before U.S. Congress, European Parliament, U.K. Parliament, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and several international human rights treaty bodies. Read Professor Davis’s full bio.

Sarah Bruchmann (she/her) is the Special Projects Director in the Human Rights & Gender Justice Clinic. She is a seasoned project manager with over 15 years of experience in various industries including non-profit, fashion and academia. She has had the opportunity to work both nationally and internationally, bringing a wealth of knowledge, creative problem-solving and expertise to every project she works on. She is a strong communicator, collaborator and leader who has successfully managed projects. Sarah's passion for project management is rooted in her belief that a well-managed project can make a significant impact on the world.

J. Lester Feder, Senior Fellow, Human Rights & Gender Justice Clinic J. Lester Feder is a journalist and researcher who has reported from more than 50 countries. As a senior world correspondent at BuzzFeed News, he was the first reporter dedicated to covering international LGBTQ news for a major news organization. He is a winner of a GLAAD Media Award for feature reporting, the former Journalist of the Year of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists, and a winner of a FeatureShoot Emerging Photography Awards. His work has appeared in outlets including The New York Times, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and The Washington Post. Lester also holds a PhD from UCLA and an MA from the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism.

Kirby Anwar is a human rights lawyer who provides technical support for women and LGBTIQ+ advocates seeking meaningful participation and justice in the context of peacebuilding and peace negotiations. She has worked with grassroots women's organizations living in contexts of armed conflict on multiple continents to facilitate their long term social change goals through legal advocacy at international, regional and local levels. She writes and reports on women human rights defenders' protection needs, gender violence in situations of conflict and disaster, and gender justice under international criminal and human rights law. She has also provided technical expertise to Colombia’s Special Jurisdiction for Peace regarding crimes committed on the basis of gender and ethnicity, and co-authored reports on gender persecution in Afghanistan for advocates and judicial actors.