Officers

 

 

 

 

Nakia King — Chief of Staff

Contact: nakia.king@duke.edu

Nakia is a current 2L. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where she studied sociology. After graduating, Nakai worked as a receptionist at a spa.

At Duke Law, Nakia, is involved in BLSA and is a legal writing tutor. Nakia spent her 1L summer as a Summer Associate at Vinson & Elkins in Dallas, TX. Next summer Nakia will be working as a Summer Associateat Foley & Lardner in Tampa, FL. In her free time, Nakia enjoys workout classes and watching reality TV.

As BLSA’s Chief of Staff, Nakia facilitates communication between the board and general body members and ensures the BLSA community is aware of events and opportunities available to them.

 

 

 

Chinaelo Chukwuelue — Internal Vice President

Contact: chinaelo.chuk@duke.edu

Meet Chinaelo, a Duke Law Class of 2025 student from Miramar, Florida. With a background in community health work, she’s an active member of Duke Law’s Communication Department. She’s passionate about empowerment and inclusion through her involvement with the Womxn of Color Collective. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, music festivals, and spending time with friends. Next summer, she’s set to continue her journey at Clifford Chance in New York.

 

 

 

 

Taylor Grant — External Vice President
Contact: taylor.b.grant@duke.edu

Taylor is a current 2L. She graduated early from Vanderbilt University, where she studied Communication Studies & Law, History and Society, before taking a gap semester then coming to law school.

At Duke, Taylor serves as External Vice President of BLSA, Co-President of the Sports & Entertainment Law Society, and Vice President of the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association. Taylor spent her 1L summer as a Legal Intern at the National Basketball Association (“NBA”) in New York. Next summer, Taylor will be a Silver Scholar and Summer Associate at Proskauer Rose in New York. In her free time, Taylor enjoys working out, reading, and trying new restaurants with friends.

 

 

 

Amber Holder — Director of Programming
Contact: amber.holder@duke.edu

Ashari Hankerson — Director of Finance

Contact: ashari.hankerson@duke.edu

Ashari Hankerson is a current 2L. She graduated from Georgia State University where she studied Philosophy.

Before coming to Duke, Ashari worked for three years as a legal assistant and compliance specialist. Ashari had the amazing opportunity to be an SEO Fellow the summer before law school At Duke Law, Ashari is involved in BLSA, the Academic Chair for First Class, Social Media Chair, and Case Manager for the Innocence Project, Staff Editor for the Duke Journal of Comparative and International Law (DJCIL) and an RA to Professor Geovanny Martinez. Ashari spent her 1L summer as a 1L Summer Associate at King & Spalding in Atlanta, GA. Next summer, Ashari plans to return to King & Spalding as a 2L Summer Associate in their Government Investigations and Special Matters Group. Ashari aspires to start her own non-profit tailored as an after-school program for underserved children in her neighborhood. To relax, Ashari enjoyed conquering the stair master at the gym, yoga, reading thrillers, sci-fi, and other genres with an emphasis on POC authors, watching reality TV (Housewives, Love is Blind, the Ultimatum), and watching every movie imaginable.

As BLSA’s Director of Finance, Ashari strives to help build a strong and interconnected community throughout law school and after.

 

 

 

Tyler Wallace — Director of Academic and Professional Development

Contact: tyler.wallace@duke.edu

Tyler is a current 2L. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 2013, where he studied Economics and Philosophy (and was one class shy of a minor in Flim History. After graduating, Tyler worked in the Global Health practice of an International Development Research firm in Washington D.C., edited and produced a feature-length documentary with a production company in Boulder, CO, and served as the Community Development Manager for Habitat for Humanity in Chapel Hill.

At Duke Law, Tyler is involved in BLSA, serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council, and is a Teaching Assistant for Civil Procedure. Tyler spent his 1L summer as a Summer Associate at K&L Gates in Raleigh where he will be returning next summer. In his free time, Tyler enjoys spending time with his family (including his cat and dog), trying new restaurants, hiking, snowboarding, watching films, and practicing photography.

As BLSA’s Director of Academic Affairs and Professional Development, Tyler will help BLSA students build relationships with faculty members, advocate for BLSA’s vision for programming and course offerings, support the pipeline of black students interested in Duke Law and support BLSA members to meet and exceed their academic and professional goals.

 

 

Alex Johnson —  Director of Communications

Contact: alex.johnson@duke.edu

Alex Johnson is a current 2L. She graduated from Villanova University, where she studied Political Science and Criminology.

At Duke Law, Alex is involved in BLSA, Broad Street Law, the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, the Active Investigations Team for the Innocence Project, and is a staff editor for the Duke Journal of Constitutional Law & Public Policy. Alex spent her 1L summer as a Legal Intern for the Federal Public Defender Office, District of Connecticut. Alex enjoys reading different genres of novels, watching reality TV, and traveling.

As BLSA’s Director of Communications, Alex’s goal is to allow people to stay informed about BLSA’s programming and encourage outreach within the Duke Law community and prospective students.

 

 

Morgan Shields —  Community Relations Chair

Contact: morgan.shields@duke.edu

Morgan is a current 2L at Duke Law. She’s from Upper Marlboro, MD, and attended the University of Maryland for undergrad. There she studied Sociology and Criminal Justice/Criminology.

At Duke Law, Morgan is involved with BLSA and WoXC. She spent her 1L summer as a law clerk in the Maryland Attorney General’s Department of Human Services. Next summer, she will be a summer associate in Dechert’s DC office.

As the Community Relations Chair, Morgan aims to connect BLSA with the greater Durham community.