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The Ms. JD Woman of Inspiration Award is given to a woman who inspires others by her commitment and passion to her work. Diane L. Rosenfeld, who has a long history of advocating for issues concerning violence against women, truly embodies the spirit of the Woman of Inspiration Award! 

Previously, Ms. Rosenfeld served as an Executive Assistant Attorney General in Illinois where she provided legal policy advising on women’s rights, among other issues. She then moved on to serve as the Senior Counsel to the Violence Against Women Office (now the Office of Violence Against Women) of the U.S. Department of Justice. Additionally, she has served as a Commissioner on the Governor’s Commission on Sexual and Domestic Violence in Massachusetts. 

Currently, Ms. Rosenfeld is a Lecturer on Law and Director of the Gender Violence Program at Harvard Law School. Her courses include “Gender Violence, Law, and Social Justice,” “Title IX: Sports, Sex, and Equality on Campus,” and “Theories of Sexual Coercion.” Additionally, Ms. Rosenfeld supervises the Gender Violence Legal Policy Workshop, where she works with Harvard law students to develop cutting-edge legal policy initiatives for the U.S. and abroad. Furthermore, Ms. Rosenfeld acts as an advisor for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights. In this capacity, she works to eradicate sexual assault in schools by training administrators and faculty from colleges around the country on Title IX compliance and assists students with representation at school adjudications. 

In addition to sharing her passion with students, Ms. Rosenfeld lectures around the country and abroad. Ms. Rosenfeld speaks on various legal and social policy issues concerning violence against women, as well as the documentary film that she co-produced entitled “Rape is…” Ms. Rosenfeld also shares her passion through her extensive literary works. For example, she has been published in the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender for her article entitled “Changing Social Norms? Title IX and Legal Activism” and in the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review for “Correlative Rights and the Boundaries of Freedom: Protecting the Civil Rights of Endangered Women.” 

Ms. Rosenfeld’s commitment and passion to preventing violence against women is an inspiration. Please join me in congratulating Ms. JD honoree Diane L. Rosenfeld, a woman of inspiration!