Brenda Tausch Lapora is a lawyer and educator committed to partnering with communities most impacted by structural inequality to further social and racial justice. Brenda has taught for Comm Lead since winter of 2014. Brenda is currently the Director of Legal Services at Communities Rise (formerly Wayfind and the Nonprofit Assistance Center), a nonprofit that fosters movements to build power in communities impacted by systemic oppression. Communities Rise provides capacity-building and legal services to community organizations and small businesses.

Brenda’s professional background includes teaching law students at Haramaya University in Ethiopia, launching a legal clinic for the Urban Justice Center’s Veteran Advocacy Project in New York City, and working for a brief stint as a dance company manager, also in NYC.

Brenda earned a J.D. from the University of Washington (UW) School of Law, and a B.A. in cultural anthropology from the UW. She received a Fulbright grant to Brazil, has served on the board of six nonprofits, and was a 2017 JustLead Leadership Academy Fellow.