Mehrsa Baradaran

Mehrsa Baradaran is an Iranian-American law professor at the University of California, Irvine (UCI), where she specializes in banking law. Born on April 3, 1978, in Orumieh, Iran, Baradaran immigrated to the United States with her family in 1986. They settled in Los Angeles, where she learned English quickly after starting school. She earned her bachelor's degree cum laude from Brigham Young University and her Juris Doctor cum laude from New York University School of Law, where she was involved with the NYU Law Review.12

Baradaran's academic career began at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School, followed by a position at the University of Georgia School of Law, where she served as the J. Alton Hosch Associate Professor and later as the Robert Cotten Alston Chair in Corporate Law. At UCI, she teaches courses that address the intersections of banking law, race, and capitalism.12

She is a prominent advocate for postal banking, which aims to provide financial services to underserved communities. In her influential books, How the Other Half Banks: Exclusion, Exploitation, and the Threat to Democracy (2015) and The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap (2019), Baradaran explores themes of financial inclusion and racial economic disparities. Her work has received significant recognition, including awards from the Urban Affairs Association and mentions in major publications like The New York Times and The Atlantic.123

In addition to her academic contributions, Baradaran has been active in political discourse; she was a volunteer member of Joe Biden's presidential transition team focusing on Treasury-related issues and was considered for the role of Comptroller of the Currency.12 Her scholarship has influenced policy discussions on banking regulations and economic justice.2

Baradaran is married to Jared Bybee, a former president of the Clarke County Board of Education, and has a sister who is also a law professor.1