GeDá Jones Herbert

Chief Legal Counsel

GeDá Jones Herbert joins Brown's Promise as its Chief Legal Counsel, bringing with her a wealth of experience as both an education attorney and former public school teacher. GeDá specializes in school desegregation and ensuring publicly-funded schools comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

GeDá previously worked as the inaugural Director of Programming for the Education Rights Institute at the University of Virginia School of Law and as Education Special Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF). At the LDF, she managed a large, nationwide school desegregation litigation docket while also supporting advocacy and education policy efforts. GeDá worked in partnership with families and community members who have been historically underserved to ensure that all children were afforded a high-quality, equitable public education.

Before joining LDF, GeDá was an attorney at the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, AL, focusing on appellate litigation and community education, and drawing the connections from slavery to mass incarceration in America. She began her legal career in private practice but has since focused on education, civil rights, criminal defense, and public policy.

GeDá received her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School. She also holds a Master’s degree in School Administration and Leadership from Lipscomb University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Spelman College. She is a longtime New Orleans resident, proud public school parent, wife, and active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.