Mark C. Jefferson has been appointed assistant dean for Community Engagement and Equity at Harvard Law School.
Jefferson previously served HLS as director of Community Engagement and Equity and was promoted to assistant dean effective October 30. Prior to joining HLS in 2017, he was the assistant director of admissions at the University of Michigan Law School.
“Mark Jefferson displays an extraordinary ability to support and advise students from a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives,” said John F. Manning ’85, dean of Harvard Law School. “He is a wise and generous teacher and mentor to our students, and he brings tremendous insight and talent to bear on questions of how to deepen and strengthen the bonds of community at HLS.”
Jefferson will continue to work within the Dean of Students Office on issues ranging from academic advising to peer mentorship development. He creates and supports innovative programming that fosters community engagement and develops student leadership skills.
Jefferson said, “It would not be possible for me to access the words to express how humbled I am by this appointment or how much it means to me, but I can say how grateful I am to be a member of the HLS community. I am especially grateful to our students for welcoming me, working with me, and allowing me to learn from and grow with them. I am giddy with excitement about the many possibilities and opportunities that lie ahead!”
Jefferson holds a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School, and he graduated magna cum laude from Morehouse College. He also completed graduate coursework at the Boston University School of Theology.
He worked as a lawyer at the law firm of Thelen LLP in New York and at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. He has worked in education as director of alumni support at St. Ignatius Loyola Academy in Baltimore and as the founding dean of students and language arts teacher at the Seed Public Charter School in Washington.