Eboni S. Nelson is the dean of the University of Connecticut School of Law and an expert in equitable educational opportunities for underserved communities. She is the chief academic, budget, administrative, strategy and policy leader for the law school.
Committed to public service, Nelson serves on the board of several community organizations. The NAACP has recognized her as one of the 100 Most Influential Blacks in Connecticut, and she is the recipient of the George W. Crawford Black Bar Association Visionary Award. The Hartford Business Journal included her on its 2022 Power 50 list of influential leaders in the Greater Hartford area.
What have been your biggest professional accomplishments so far?
My biggest accomplishments include being appointed dean of UConn Law School and successfully leading the institution during a global pandemic and fraught time of national social and racial unrest. Another accomplishment has been encouraging and mentoring colleagues, particularly women and those underrepresented in the legal academy, to successfully seek and achieve leadership roles in law school administration.
What’s the next big goal you want to accomplish professionally?
The next big goal I’d like to achieve is to have a meaningful impact on significantly reducing students’ debt loads to enable them to pursue their passions and career aspirations without being overburdened by educational debt.
What’s one of the biggest professional challenges you’ve overcome?
One of the biggest professional challenges I’ve had to overcome is walking away from an opportunity that I really wanted and accepting the disappointing reality that the position was not for me. The good news is that another opportunity soon presented itself that catapulted me into my current position.
What legacy do you want to leave after your career is over?
I’d like to leave a legacy of having created institutional infrastructures that empower people and communities to dream bigger and achieve more.