President Obama Appoints Connecticut College Student to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

NEW LONDON, CT — Debo P. Adegbile, a 1991 graduate of Connecticut College and vice chair of the Board of Trustees, was appointed Thursday by President Barack Obama to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.

In his new role as a commissioner, Adegbile will lead the development of national civil rights policy and enhance enforcement of federal civil rights laws, according to a release. His work will advance civil rights through objective and comprehensive investigation, research and analysis on issues of fundamental concern to the federal government and the public.

The commission, created by the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, comprises eight commissioners, four of whom are appointed by the President and four by Congress.

“I am thrilled that Debo Adegbile will be a voice on this important commission. The Connecticut College community is exceptionally proud to have one of our own serving the American people in such an important capacity,” said Connecticut College President Katherine Bergeron. “And the commission should be equally proud to have one of the nation’s top civil rights attorneys joining its ranks. What a testament to the power of the liberal arts.”

Adegbile is a partner at WilmerHale in New York City where he practices in its Government and Regulatory Litigation, Strategic Response, and Criminal Litigation and Investigations groups. Until August 2014, he was Senior Counsel to United States Senate Judiciary Chairman, Patrick Leahy, where he advised the Senator on legislative and nomination matters.

Adegbile previously served as the Acting President and Director-Counsel and Director of Litigation of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., the nation’s leading civil rights legal organization. At LDF his work involved a broad range of complex civil and criminal cases before trial and appellate courts.

In the United States Supreme Court, Adegbile twice defended the constitutionality of core provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in oral argument.

As a result of his legal advocacy, Adegbile has received honors from the American Constitution Society, Southern Center for Human Rights, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Bronx Defenders, Stanford Law School, NYU School of Law and the George Washington Carver Community Center in Norwalk, Connecticut, among others.

At Connecticut College, Adegbile majored in government and was awarded the Anna Lord Strauss Medal at commencement in recognition of his outstanding work for the College and community. He earned a J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1994.

“I am deeply aware of the contributions, large and small, that Connecticut College has made to the journey that brought me to this point in my career," Adegbile said in a release. "One hundred percent of my college education was funded by scholarships, loans and employment. I was a government major and African Studies minor, and as a student I studied government, Constitutional law, American history, inequality, religion, and Socratic dialogue. My first exposure to a law office came through an internship in New London. Each informs my work.”

Adegbile was appointed to Connecticut College’s Board of Trustees in 2011. Pamela D. Zilly ’75, chair of the Connecticut College Board of Trustees, said Adegbile has been a wonderful asset to the College community and she has been honored to serve with him.

“He is a dynamic thinker and speaker who has been back to campus many times to meet with students,” Zilly said in a release. “He is an inspiring example for today’s students of how to put into action what is learned in the classroom.”

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