The University of Iowa Staff Council is proud to sponsor the 2007 kick-off event for Martin Luther King Day and the UI Human Rights week with a panel discussion featuring Marcella David, Alfred Ramirez and Jonathan R. Narcisse. The discussion will be held Wednesday, January 10 at 4 p.m. in Shambaugh Auditorium at the UI Main Library. A reception will follow. This event is open to the public.
Marcella David
In the 2004-2006 academic years, Professor David served as Interim Associate Provost for Diversity of the University of Iowa. She is currently serving as Special Assistant to the President of Equal Opportunity and Diversity and Associate Provost for Diversity.
Professor David joined the law faculty in 1995. From 1991-92, she studied Human Rights and Comparative Law as a Ford Foundation Fellow in Public International Law at the Harvard Law School. In that capacity, she participated in an investigatory mission to Iraq, traveled through South Africa, and researched the impact of economic sanctions in both countries. Her research interests include the use of economic and other sanctions, international criminal law, and questions related to international organizations.
At Iowa, Professor David teaches, among other subjects, Introduction to Public International Law, International Organizations, US Foreign Relations Law, and Human Rights. She is a member and past chair of the Governing Board of the Worker Rights Consortium, a non-governmental organization that assists in ensuring that university-logoed goods are manufactured under conditions that respect the rights of workers. Her publications include a chapter on “The US Government and Women” in a multi-volume sourcebook on the International Rights of Women (Transnational Press), and articles published in the Harvard International Law Journal, Michigan Journal of International Law and Human Rights Quarterly. She recently served as a guest editor to a symposium edition of Transnational Law and Contemporary Problems addressing economic sanctions on Iraq.
Alfred Ramirez
Mr. Ramirez leads a local initiative, Diversity Focus, for multicultural awareness in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City corridor. He is a frequent keynote speaker, trainer and facilitator for public and private organizations, businesses and universities in communities nationwide.
Mr. Ramirez earned a B.A. in Political Science and Urban Studies from Columbia University in New York and attended graduate studies in Public Administration at Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York. Mr. Ramirez has served in various leadership positions in both the public and private sectors. He has held several White House appointments. He was named Special Assistant to the President and Associate Director in the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. He later served as Senior Advisor at the Corporation of National Service and Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. His commitment to national and community development has been recognized throughout the country. He has received several prestigious awards: the Council for Opportunity in Education Distinguished Alumnus Award, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s National Leadership Fellowship, the National Urban Fellowship, National Network of Hispanic Women Award, and recognition as one of Hispanic Business Magazine’s 100 Influentials.
Jonathan R. Narcisse
Writer for the Iowa Bystander.
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This event was organized by the Staff Council Diversity Committee. Members of the Committee are Chris Anderson, Kathleen Lilli, Kathleen Renquist, Julie Sexton, Karen Shemanski, Sheri Sojka, Carlette Washington-Hoagland.