New Full-Time Staff for Fall 2023

Lisa Khandhar

Chief Diversity Officer

 

Lisa Khandhar, Kingsborough Community College's new chief diversity officer and 504/ADA coordinator, began her journey in upstate New York. She came to the city for law school over 20 years ago and never looked back. Lisa holds a juris doctor degree from NYU School of Law and a bachelor’s degree  from SUNY/Binghamton University.

A seasoned attorney with 18 years of experience, Lisa has worked as an associate for an international law firm, an agency attorney for the New York City Department of Education and as an advisor for the Maldives Mission to the United Nations, where she worked on issues dealing with the Maldives human rights policies for the advancement of women, the rights of the child, and freedoms of expression and opinion.

Her most recent role was with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights. Lisa’s work there involved investigating discrimination complaints against school districts and colleges. “After some time, I wanted to work on the higher education side of those complaints to help make college spaces where all students and staff felt welcome, understood, and nurtured,” she shared.

She deeply believes in the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). “To me, a big part of DEI is making sure that people with different perspectives in this community feel heard, respected and represented,” she noted. “I think that it will be important in my position to do a lot of listening and putting effort into making spaces that will help people feel supported.”

Beyond law, Lisa is an avid crochet enthusiast, a big musical theater fan and completed the NYC Marathon a few years back. She is looking forward to meeting many of you at upcoming events.