TiShaunda McPherson

TiShaunda McPherson is an innovative and results-driven employment and education attorney, as well as a change management consultant celebrated for her extensive expertise and significant accomplishments in diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, antiracism, social justice, and allyship. Her visionary approach and analytical prowess have consistently enabled her to build inclusive and welcoming environments through equitable policies, transformative education, stakeholder engagement, and effective climate and accountability metrics. TiShaunda brings this visionary approach and dedication to her employment and education law clients.

TiShaunda has extensive experience in education law representing parents, guardians, and students in claims of discrimination (race, national origin, color, gender, sex, sexual orientation, parental status, religion, age and other protected categories); student discipline, suspension, and expulsion, special education (compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and Americans with Disabilities Act); bullying and harassment; and faculty, teacher, administrators and staff employment contracts, tenure, discipline, dismissal, and discrimination claims.

As the inaugural Senior Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at NORC at the University of Chicago, TiShaunda created and led the Office of Diversity, Racial Equity, and Inclusion (DREI). She executed the DREI Strategic Framework and Action Plan, providing visionary thought leadership on the Executive Council. Her leadership in developing and revising policies promoted equitable interactions and accountability across employment levels.

At Northwestern University, TiShaunda served as the Senior Associate Vice President. She led the Office of Equity, supervising a team across investigations, training and community outreach, and accommodations review. Her role involved developing, revising, and implementing university-wide discrimination, harassment, and retaliation policies. She drove an equity, antiracism, and social justice education campaign, increasing multicultural competency, compassion, and allyship among the university community. Her efforts led to the development of a university-wide restorative practices program and a Northwestern-specific antiracism training program.

As Corporate Counsel at Adtalem Global Education, TiShaunda developed and implemented employment policies and programs for ten domestic and international subsidiaries. She advised leaders on federal and state Equal Employment Opportunity statutes and international employment laws. Her expertise ensured compliance and consistency in handling investigations across institutions, leading to the development of new case management systems and revised employee handbooks.

As the Director of Regulatory Compliance – Equity and Access at Adtalem, she created and oversaw the Office of Equity and Access, ensuring compliance with discrimination, harassment, and accessibility laws. Her leadership involved developing policies and procedures for handling complaints and overseeing employee accommodation requests. TiShaunda’s efforts included leading anti-discrimination compliance programs and amending investigation procedures for multiple institutions.

During her tenure as a Senior Civil Rights Attorney at the U.S. Department of Education, TiShaunda oversaw the response to and investigation of complaints against public entities and recipients of federal financial assistance. Her work ensured appropriate remedies for violations of federal antidiscrimination statutes. She was vital in resolving high-profile Title IX complaints and collaborated with senior officials on effective case management. Her contributions included presenting seminars on strategies for preventing and responding to discrimination and harassment.

TiShaunda’s career began as an Associate at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, assisting in trial strategy and preparing employment discrimination cases. She also represented pro bono clients in settlement negotiations for special education services. As a Judicial Law Clerk at the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, she drafted opinions on civil and criminal motions, supervised interns, and researched various legal matters.

TiShaunda has a JD from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law (served as Executive Articles Editor for the Journal of Law and Social Policy; judicial extern to Hon. Joan B. Gottschall; Poverty Law Clerk at Bluhm Legal Clinic representing clients in unemployment insurance administrative hearings and negotiated settlements in housing discrimination disputes with the Chicago Housing Authority; legal research associate at Equip for Equality). he earned two master’s degrees, a Master of Divinity (MDiv) in youth Ministry from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and a Master of Public Policy and Social Policy from the University of Minnesota. She completed her Bachelor of Science (BS) in Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

TiShaunda is an active member of her community. She is an Associate Minister at her church, a member of the Children’s Defense Fund & Garrett-Evangelical Seminary Advisory Council, and leads the school district’s Cultural Diversity & Parental Engagement Advisory Committee.

Throughout her career, TiShaunda has demonstrated exceptional skills beyond her legal experience, including public speaking, process improvement, diversity program development, policy analysis, and strategic human resources leadership. Her commitment to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion and her legal expertise have made her a transformative leader in creating inclusive environments and driving organizational excellence. We are honored to have her on the team at Loftus and Eisenberg.