Advocating for A Better America with Maya Wiley '86
Wed Dec 17 2025
This special episode was recorded live at the Dartmouth Social Impact Summit, where Maya Wiley '86 served as the keynote speaker. In the interview and conversation that follows, Maya unpacks the struggles she faced while a student at Dartmouth, and her path to law and politics from there, where civil rights became the lodestar of her career.
Wiley is president and CEO of both the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and its Education Fund. A nationally respected civil‑rights attorney, she has served as a litigator, program architect, and policy advocate across philanthropy, nonprofits, government, and higher education. Wiley made history as the first Black woman counsel to New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, and later ran for mayor of New York City. Her distinguished legal career includes work with the ACLU, NAACP, and other leading organizations, as well as international human‑rights projects. A frequent commentator on NBC and MSNBC, Wiley is also the author of the memoir Remember, You Are a Wiley.
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This special episode was recorded live at the Dartmouth Social Impact Summit, where Maya Wiley '86 served as the keynote speaker. In the interview and conversation that follows, Maya unpacks the struggles she faced while a student at Dartmouth, and her path to law and politics from there, where civil rights became the lodestar of her career. Wiley is president and CEO of both the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and its Education Fund. A nationally respected civil‑rights attorney, she has served as a litigator, program architect, and policy advocate across philanthropy, nonprofits, government, and higher education. Wiley made history as the first Black woman counsel to New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, and later ran for mayor of New York City. Her distinguished legal career includes work with the ACLU, NAACP, and other leading organizations, as well as international human‑rights projects. A frequent commentator on NBC and MSNBC, Wiley is also the author of the memoir Remember, You Are a Wiley.