Gail Wright Sirmans is a nationally recognized mediator, civil rights attorney, and scholar. She is a Distinguished Fellow with the International Academy of Mediators and serves on the Council of the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. She is a consultant to federal agencies, academic institutions, private corporations and public organizations. A graduate of Harvard Law School, she was an Associate Counsel with the Legal Defense Fund, where she litigated class action cases across the United States. Gail has held professorships and academic positions, authored numerous articles, and is a widely sought-after lecturer. An active member of bar associations, she spearheads efforts to increase the involvement of diverse communities and address the inequities within our legal systems. Gail is a steadfast supporter of community organizations designed to protect and promote the rights of the underrepresented and the unrepresented. An avid patron of the arts, Gail has served on the boards of the Parsons School of Design, Cinque Art Gallery, and New Federal Theater. She is a Trustee of the American Folk Art Museum and a member of the Black Trustee Alliance for Art Museums. Gail and her late husband Dr. Meredith Sirmans shared their contagious enthusiasm for art from the African diaspora. With great passion, Gail champions the arts and the power of art as a vehicle for positive change within our world and our spirits, how arts and culture can be vital tools for community development through evaluation, field building, program development, and planning. She has also served on the boards of the Easton Mural Project and the Karl Stirner Arts Trail, chairing the public programming and environmental action committees.

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