Human Rights Program Faculty & Leadership

Leadership

Core Faculty

Core faculty with human rights expertise include the Human Rights Program’s leadership and the faculty members below:

Affiliated Faculty & Staff

Additionally, the Human Rights Program includes the following Miami Law faculty who teach, research or work in the area of human rights:

- David Abraham, Professor of Law Emeritus
- Nikita Aggarwal, Associate Professor of Law 
- Jessica Baptiste, Sr. Manager, Programs, Human Rights Clinic & Program
- Farah Barquero, Director of Law Reviews and Moot Court Programs
- Sara Baez, Associate Director, Programs, HOPE Public Interest Resource Center
- Sharon Booth, Associate Director, Programs, HOPE Public Interest Resource Center
- Andrea Jacoski, Associate Director, Immigration Clinic
- Dalgys Estrabao, Sr. Manager, Programs / Paralegal, Immigration Clinic
- Caroline Bradley, Professor of Law; Dean's Distinguished Scholar; Associate Dean, International and                    Graduate Programs
- Donna K. Coker, Professor of Law
- Caroline Mala Corbin, Professor of Law; Dean's Distinguished Scholar
- Sandra Friedrich, Assistant Dean, International Graduate Law Programs; Director, International                            Arbitration; Lecturer in Law
- Abigail Fleming, Associate Director, Environmental Justice Clinic; Lecturer in Law
- Robert Latham, Associate Director, Children and Youth Law Clinic; Lecturer in Law
- Marni Lennon, Assistant Dean, Public Interest and Pro Bono; Director, HOPE Public Interest                                  Resource Center; Lecturer in Law
- JoNel Newman, Associate Professor of Clinical Legal Education; Director, Health Rights Clinic,
- James W. Nickel, Professor of Law and Philosophy Emeritus
- Bernard Oxman, Professor of Law Emeritus
- Jessica Owley, Professor of Law; Faculty Director, Environmental Law Program.
- Bernard P. Perlmutter, Professor of Law; Co-Director, Children & Youth Law Clinic
- Madeleine Plasencia, Visiting Professor of Law/Scholar
- Ileana Porras, Senior Lecturer
- Doug Ruley, Associate Professor of Clinical Legal Education; Director, Environmental Justice Clinic
- Robin Schard, Librarian Professor; Director, Law Library
- Gabriel Scheffler, Associate Professor of Law
- Rebecca Sharpless, Professor of Law; Director, Immigration Clinic,
- Kele Stewart, Professor of Law; Co-Director, Children and Youth Law Clinic
- Melissa Swain, Associate Director, Health Rights Clinic; Lecturer in Law
- Craig Trocino, Associate Professor of Clinical Education; Director, Innocence Clinic

Visiting Faculty & Scholars

HRP is further pleased to host the following visiting faculty and Scholars:

Rosemarie Hidalgo is a Visiting Senior Researcher Scholar with the Human Rights Program for Spring '25 – Spring '26. Before joining UM, Ms. Hidalgo served as the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women at the U.S. Department of Justice. Prior to that she served as a special assistant to former President Joe Biden, and senior advisor on gender-based violence at the White House Gender Policy Council.

Dr. Rosario Concha is a Research Associate with the Human Rights Program for Fall ’24 – Spring ’26. Dr. Concha received her Ph. D. in Sociology from the University of Miami. She will be working with both the School of Law and Department of Sociology.

Denisse Córdova Montes is a Visiting Research Scholar with the Human Rights Program. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Legal Studies Department at the University of Central Florida (2024-present). Previously, she served as faculty with the University of Miami School of Law Human Rights Clinic (2019–2024), where she taught and supervised students in human rights litigation.

Oscar Londoño is a Visiting Research Scholar with the Human Rights Program for Fall ‘25 - Summer ‘26. Oscar is the Co-Executive Director of WeCount!, a non-profit organization that advocates for the labor and human rights of immigrant workers and families in South Florida. Previously, Oscar was a Skadden Fellow at the Community Justice Project and a Staff Attorney at the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON). He received his J.D. from New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern Public Interest Scholar, and his B.A. in Sociology from Cornell University

Shantanice Vaxter was a Fellow with the Human Rights Program for Fall 2025. She previously was a Legal Intern with the Human Rights Clinic for Spring 2025. She received her J.D. from Stetson University College of Law and is currently pursuing her LL.M. in International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law from American University.

- Valencia "Vee" Gunder joined the Human Rights Program as Visiting Research Scholar from Fall '23 - Spring '24.
- Javier García Amez, joined the Human Rights Program as Visiting Research Scholar for Spring '22.
- Shana Tabak, joined the Human Rights Clinic as Senior Visiting Fellow from Fall '21 - Spring '22.
- Christina M. Fetterhoff, joined the Human Rights Clinic as Visiting Fellow for Spring '22.