Akshaya Kumar

Akshaya Kumar is a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School and the Director of Crisis Advocacy at Human Rights Watch.12 Here are some key details about her background and career:

Education and Professional Experience

Akshaya holds a JD from Columbia University and an LLM in human rights, conflict and justice from the School of Oriental and African Studies.23 She is currently a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.3

Role at Human Rights Watch

As the Director of Crisis Advocacy at Human Rights Watch, Akshaya:

• Oversees the organization's advocacy response to emergencies
• Develops innovative strategies to respond to evolving crises
• Previously served as Deputy United Nations Director from 2015-2019, representing HRW at UN headquarters in New York2

Career Path

Before joining Human Rights Watch, Akshaya:

• Worked at the Enough Project
• Helped launch The Sentry, an initiative aimed at freezing war criminals out of the international financial system2

Teaching at Columbia Law School

Akshaya serves as a Lecturer in Law at Columbia Law School, where she teaches a course on United Nations Fieldwork.5

Personal Background

• Born in India and later moved to the United States
• Speaks multiple languages including Tamil, Hindi, Spanish, Arabic, and English2
• Mother to two children, Ameya and Ojas4

Akshaya describes her current role at Human Rights Watch as her "dream job," allowing her to use her legal education to represent people who deserve to be heard but don't have access to corridors of power.1