Law School Admission Council

Search for Chief Diversity Officer

 NEWTON, PENNSYLVANIA

The Law School Admission Council (LSAC) seeks an experienced, engaging, and inspiring leader to serve as its next Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). LSAC is a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting quality, access, and equity in law and education worldwide by supporting individuals’ enrollment journeys and providing preeminent assessment, data, and technology services. LSAC closely collaborates with its over 200 member law schools, the American Bar Association, Association of American Law Schools, National Association for Law Placement, and other organizations that share LSAC’s mission. The Chief Diversity Officer will be joining LSAC at a challenging and exciting moment in legal education and at a pivotal period for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the legal profession. The next CDO will help shape the future of LSAC, of law and education, and of access to justice in America. 

At the core of LSAC’s products and services is an ongoing commitment to expanding educational opportunities and building a more just and prosperous world. For over 70 years, LSAC has developed and administered the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) which was created to promote access, eliminate bias, and reward potential not privilege. Among LSAC’s other products and services, DEI initiatives such as Discover Law help students from underrepresented groups find pathways into the legal profession.

Especially important in these times of heightened awareness of racial injustice and systemic racism that impedes the aspirations of individual students and their communities, DEI programs at LSAC are mission-critical and highly valued by LSAC’s members, leadership, and governing body. The CDO oversees LSAC’s DEI programs and will work closely with other LSAC professionals, law school administrators, higher education experts, and leaders of the bench and bar to eliminate the barriers to access to the legal profession and increase the number of qualified attorneys and other legal professionals in underserved communities; the next CDO needs to keep their focus accordingly and enlist others in that worthy endeavor.

The successful candidate will convincingly demonstrate a strong commitment to DEI work, a deep understanding of higher education admission policies, particularly at the graduate and professional school level, a track-record of achievement as an administrator and leader, and the ability and aptitude to engage all stakeholders in a common and challenging enterprise. LSAC is seeking both a problem-solver and a visionary leader who can inspire others to innovate and reach beyond today’s problems to create a better future.

In preparing for this search, LSAC has consulted intentionally and extensively with its members, governing board, staff, and other leaders in legal education and practice, to determine the opportunities and challenges that await the next CDO, and the qualifications that are necessary to prepare the CDO for this critical role. LSAC’s CEO, Kellye Testy, who will be the decision-maker in selecting the next CDO, has appointed an advisory search committee of accomplished legal educators and practitioners, each of whom has dedicated years of service and thought leadership in the pursuit of DEI for the legal profession; the committee will be co-chaired by Dean Marcilynn Burke of the University of Oregon’s College of Law and Assistant Dean Michael States of the Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University, both of whom are members of LSAC’s governing board.

The Law School Admissions Council has retained Isaacson, Miller to assist in this search. Bud Moseley and Tim McFeeley are leading this search with Kahn Lee. Inquiries, nominations and applications should be directed in confidence to: www.imsearch.com/7613.

LSAC takes great pride in its dedication of being an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, including minorities, women, and people who are disabled.