ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
Laura Cahill
A class of 2023 graduate from the Harvard Kennedy School, Laura earned her Master’s in Public Administration along with a Management, Leadership and Decision Sciences (MLD) Certificate, concentrating in adaptive leadership. She serves on the HKS Dean’s Council.
A graduate of Boston College and University of Connecticut Law School, Laura served as U. S. Senator Joe Lieberman’s Deputy State Director and Counsel for 23 years. Currently, Laura chairs Connecticut Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz’s Power of Women PAC.
Over the past three decades, Laura has held leadership roles in alumni associations, religious and domestic violence prevention organizations, and local government. She has served as senior campaign advisor to 5 winning statewide Connecticut campaigns.
Rajesh D. Nayak
Rajesh is a policy consultant and the former Assistant Secretary for Policy at the United States Department of Labor in the Biden Administration, overseeing the Department’s regulatory agenda, forward-looking policy development, and evaluation offices. Raj previously served in a range of senior roles at the Department during the Obama Administration, including as the Secretary’s Deputy Chief of Staff, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, and Senior Counsel to the Solicitor.
Outside of government, Raj has worked in nonprofit organizations both as an attorney and a senior leader. He earned an undergraduate degree in public policy from the University of Chicago and a law degree from Yale.
Sam Bagenstos
Sam is an attorney and law professor specializing in civil rights, labor, health, and administrative law. General Counsel at U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in the Biden Administration, Sam also previously served as General Counsel at the Office of Management and Budget. He was Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Obama Administration, and served as Chair of the Michigan Employment Relations Commission under Governor Whitmer.
Seema Nanda
Seema Nanda is a lawyer and policy leader with experience across government, law, and national institutions. She is presently a fellow and consultant focused on strengthening worker voice and democratic governance through law and policy.
She previously served as Solicitor of Labor, where she was the chief legal officer of the U.S. Department of Labor and oversaw litigation and legal strategy across the Department’s worker protection agencies. She has also served as Chief Executive Officer of the Democratic National Committee, helping to build and manage the processes and infrastructure supporting the selection of the Democratic presidential nominee. Across these roles, she has worked to strengthen institutions, advance participation, and translate legal frameworks into practical impact. Her work reflects a sustained commitment to effective governance and durable systems that support workers and democracy.
Justice Janet Stumbo
In 1993, Janet Stumbo was the first woman elected to the Kentucky Supreme Court, where she served until 2004.
Previously, she was a judge on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, representing the 7th Appellate District, Division 2. She was first elected to the court in 1989 and served until 1993. Stumbo was elected to the Kentucky Court of Appeals for a second time in November 2006.
Stumbo also served as an assistant county attorney for Floyd County for three years. From 1983 to 1989, she served on the board of directors of the Appalachian Research and Defense Fund of Kentucky. She taught at the Appalachian School of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Among the honors she received during her career were the Women Lawyers of Achievement Award from the Kentucky Bar Association for Women and the Bull’s Eye Award from the Women in State Government Network. The Kentucky Women Advocates awarded her with its Outstanding Justice Award for her support of adopting gender fairness into state judicial language and its Justice Award for her use of spousal abuse evidence as grounds for setting aside settlements in divorce cases and for her support in creating a shelter for abused women in Floyd County, Kentucky.