Mahdavi's research interests include gendered labor, human trafficking, migration, sexuality, human rights, youth culture, transnational feminism and public health in the context of changing global and political structures. Mahdavi received her PhD in Sociomedical Sciences and Anthropology, MPhil in Anthropology and Master's in International Affairs from Columbia University. She also studied Diplomacy and World Affairs as an undergraduate at Occidental College.

 David Card is the Class of 1950 Professor of Economics at the University of California. Berkeley and Director of the Labor Studies Program at the National Bureau of Economic Research- His research interests include immigration. wages, education. and gender- and race-related differences in the labor market Hc co-authored the 1995 book Myth and Measurement The New Economics of the Minimum Wage and co-edited The Handbook of Labor Economics (1999), Seeking a Premier Economy: The Economic Effects of British Economic Reforms (2004); and Small Diffcrenccs that Matter.

Mary Thompson-Jones is the Chair of Women in National Security and Diplomacy at the U.S. Naval War College. Her book, "To the Secretary: Leaked Embassy Cables and America's Foreign Policy Disconnect" (Norton 2016), was praised by Joseph Nye as "a fascinating account of how diplomacy really works from the bottom up." Her diplomatic experience spans a 23-year career as a foreign service officer in leadership roles in the Czech Republic, Canada, Guatemala, Spain, and Washington, D.C.

Leigh Ann Davis is Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives at The Arc of the United States and directs The Arc's National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability. With over 20
years of experience working at the intersection of intellectual/developmental disability (I/DD) and criminal justice, Ms. Davis continually strives to build stronger lines of open communication and understanding between these two worlds.

An expert in civil and human rights, comparative constitutional rights, and international criminal law, Prof. Burnham has for 10 years investigated unsolved Jim Crow-era murders. She and her team have identified unknown victims, interviewed survivors, and facilitated community projects to restore justice across the South. Her talk will situate this work in our national conversation about the legacies of violence and the historical shortcomings of our criminal justice system, and in global movements to reclaim memories of past subordination and victimization. 

Survivor advocate and Emmons counselor will be present.

Shalmali Guttal is the Executive Director of Focus on the Global South, an activist think tank in Asia providing analysis and building alternatives for just social, economic and political change. Her work and research is focused on economic development, trade and investment, and issues surrounding ecological and social justice in Asia. She has worked in India, the United States, and Southeast Asia.