Yolonda P. Harrison

Yolonda P. Harrison (she/her) is an attorney, librarian, restorative justice practitioner, and the Founder/CEO of YPH Consulting LLC, where she collaborates with phenomenal humans working across a variety of sectors to transform their organizations for the better. Yolonda’s work centers around the importance of perspective taking and perspective giving — which are both essential to achieving diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (“DEIB”).

Prior to founding YPH Consulting, Yolonda worked as a Deputy Director for Perception Institute where she designed and facilitated workshops on implicit bias, intergroup anxiety, and stereotype threat; developed the Institute’s research protocol for assessments and its methodology for circle formation, trainer evaluation, and working group selection; and conducted qualitative data analysis via surveys, focus groups, and interviews for a variety of client organizations looking to reduce bias and discrimination.

Through prior positions as a DEIB practitioner, attorney, and librarian, Yolonda has created and implemented numerous initiatives, including climate surveys, bias reporting tools, and equity-centered codes of conduct. Her prior experience includes serving as the inaugural Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the Director of Student Services, Diversity, and Inclusion at Seton Hall University School of Law.  Yolonda has held law library faculty appointments at Florida International University, Seton Hall University, and North Carolina Central University where she taught legal research and writing, research analysis, and legal systems. She has also worked for the legal divisions of Thomson Reuters and Dignity Health where she drafted, reviewed, and negotiated contracts.

Yolonda received a joint Juris Doctor and Master of Library Science, summa cum laude, from North Carolina Central University.  She has certificates in constitutional law and civil rights as well as restorative justice; and is licensed to practice law in New York. Yolonda received a dual Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies and African American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.