KINGSTON, R.I. – Nov. 15, 2023 – The University of Rhode Island has named Markeisha Miner, an accomplished student services leader and experienced litigator, as its next vice president for community, equity, and diversity. Miner, who currently serves as senior associate dean for student services and dean of students at Cornell University Law School, will begin her role at URI on Jan. 2, 2024.

“We are incredibly happy to welcome Markeisha to URI,” said President Marc Parlange. “Markeisha is a student-focused academic leader who possesses considerable education law and commercial litigation experience. She is a well-regarded member of the Cornell community, recognized for her tireless advocacy on behalf of students and her proven dedication to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion.” 

“I am honored to join President Parlange, the leadership team, and the Office of Community, Equity and Diversity,” said Miner. “During my campus visit, I was warmly welcomed and enjoyed meeting the vibrant community of students, faculty and staff who I look forward to partnering with to build on the important work already being done at URI to promote inclusion and belonging. Together, I am confident that we will cultivate community, enhance equity, and demonstrate diversity as outlined in the robust strategic plan.”

Miner joined Cornell Law School in July 2015 and has served in her current role since 2020, advising on all aspects of the student experience and supervising the school’s career and academic support offices. A well-regarded member of the Cornell community, she was recognized with the law school’s Anne Lukingbeal Award for her tireless advocacy to improve the experiences of women law students.

Previously, Miner served as assistant dean of career services and outreach at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, overseeing career planning and professional development. Prior to that, she practiced as a commercial litigator in Dickinson Wright PLLC’s Detroit office, where she was an inaugural member of the firm’s diversity committee and co-authored the firm’s diversity mission statement. She also clerked for the Honorable Anna Diggs Taylor of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Miner earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, magna cum laude, from Mount Holyoke College, where she currently serves on the Board of Trustees and on the board’s diversity, equity, and inclusion task force. She earned a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Michigan Law School. She was executive editor of the Michigan Journal of Race and Law, placement chair of the Black Law Student Alliance, and a student attorney in Michigan’s Legal Assistance for Urban Communities Clinic, where she assisted community development organizations in Detroit with transactional legal needs. She also completed an externship at the Commission on Gender Equality in Durban, South Africa.

Miner has been active in several bar and community organizations. Her prior involvement and honors include selection to the American Bar Association’s Tort, Trial and Insurance Practice Section Leadership Academy; the State Bar of Michigan’s Character and Fitness Committee; and as one of Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Women in the Law.

She has served on the Board of Trustees for the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan Foundation and the Board of Directors for Alternatives for Girls.

Miner is a member of the National Association for Law Placement and the National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals, for which she previously served on the board as northeast region representative. She serves on the Cayuga Medical Center Foundation board and the Scheinman Institute board of directors.

“URI is a diverse and inclusive community,” Parlange said. “Our strategic plan, developed together with broad community engagement, calls upon all of us to celebrate the uniqueness of our community members and foster a culture of valuing people, excellence, and giving back. Markeisha has shown a shared commitment to those values and will be a valued partner in helping us foster an inclusive, people-centered community.”