Building the Next 250 Years: Hosting Community Conversations at Your History Organization (Info Session)

An experienced changemaker, creative problem solver, and strategic thinker deeply committed to equity, Emily Chiang brings more than twenty years of advocacy and policy reform experience to her role as principal in Raben's Issue Campaigns practice area, along with deep ties to the social justice sector. She is a trusted thought partner who specializes in co-creating campaigns that help her clients better serve the communities they care about. 

As the legal director of the ACLU of Washington, one of the country’s largest ACLU affiliates, Emily oversaw all litigation filed in Washington state and coordinated advocacy efforts with government agencies and other nonprofits. She led the office’s legal strategy on everything from criminal justice reform to free speech, immigrant rights, reproductive freedom, LGBTQ rights, and racial justice. Emily’s department worked in community, with community, and on behalf of community. One of her proudest achievements was leading the legal team that helped end the Trump administration’s ban on refugees. 

Emily has also served as a public policy manager with Facebook. There, she worked to understand how the technology of the future will impact our lives — while also building connective tissue across teams and advocating for ethical, equitable, and privacy-oriented innovation. Her work supported the advanced research teams at Facebook Reality Labs, including augmented reality, hyper-realistic avatars, and human-computer interfaces. 

During her tenure as an associate professor at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, Emily created and directed the Public Policy Clinic and taught a number of courses, including Constitutional Law; and Equality, Race, and the Law. Her clinic made the issue of shutting down the school-to-prison pipeline a topic of state-wide conversation, and her students provided legal analysis and testimony on a number of bills before the state legislature. 

Prior to her stint in academia, Emily also worked at Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, where she was the lead associate on the team that successfully sued for public defense reform in Montana; the Brennan Center for Justice; and the ACLU’s National Legal Department, where she was a staff attorney with the Racial Justice Program. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and her Juris Doctor from Harvard University School of Law, where she was also an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Emily has watched every single movie in the Fast and Furious franchise. 

N’dia Webb is a senior associate in Raben's strategic communications practice area. She balances her people skills with her diverse experience in journalism, strategic communications, and public relations to support her commitment to mission-driven work.  

While at Howard, N’dia served as managing editor of The Hilltop, the oldest Black collegiate newspaper in the nation. In its centennial year, she co-led a staff of over 60 students. As part of her role on The Hilltop’s Centennial Committee, N’dia helped raise over $100,000 to continue the legacy of the paper she loves. 

N’dia has experience coordinating interviews with high-profile individuals such as Fani Willis, Stacey Abrams, and Letitia James, advancing her communication and relationship-building skills for greater public affairs initiatives. She has also represented Howard University and The Hilltop at several White House events. Additionally, N’dia is well-versed in using analytic data and research to develop the most effective strategies for clients. 

She has experience interning in various strategic communications and public relations roles for both Howard University and private firms, most recently at Scott Circle Communications. 

N’dia gained valuable experience developing public relations strategies, creating content for organizations and campaigns, including the National Organization for Women, and building relationships with journalists. She collaborated on organizing press conferences for high-profile events, such as the D.C. Trump arraignment, authored press releases, memos, media pitches, and short/long-form writing on relevant topics. 

Before graduating, N’dia contributed thought-provoking opinion pieces to significant outlets, including USA Today, Axios, and Inside Sources, addressing pressing social issues on behalf of various clients. Her work reflects a commitment to impactful storytelling across various timely topics.  

N’dia graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Media, and Film Communication, with a minor in Sociology, from Howard University in May 2024. In her free time, N’dia enjoys cooking, playing NYT games, reading, and spending time with her cat. 

In Spring 2024, Michael Asher brought his programming, media, and professional writing skills to Florence Arts and Museums. As Program Specialist, Michael has had the opportunity to organize and facilitate various programs. Michael has also served as the researcher, director, and editor for two of the African American Neighborhoods of Florence documentaries. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts in Black Media Studies from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Before joining Florence Arts and Museums, he supported higher education students’ social, academic, and professional development.  

Brian Murphy is the Director of Florence Arts and Museums, where he oversees a collection of the Shoals' most iconic cultural landmarks—including Pope’s Tavern Museum, the Florence Mound Museum, the Kennedy-Douglass Art Center, and the Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House. A graduate of the University of North Alabama’s Public History program, Brian serves on the boards of the Alabama Museums Association, the Alabama Historical Association, and the Friends of the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Alongside his dedicated team, interns, and volunteers, Brian works to strengthen community bonds by connecting art, history, people, and places. We are thrilled to have him share his expertise on leveraging local cultural assets at this year’s conference. 

After an 11-year walkabout, Nathan returned to his native Colorado in 2010 to serve as director at GHM&P. He holds an MA in Museum Studies from John F. Kennedy University and a BA in American History from Colorado State University. Previously, Nathan served as Director of Exhibits and Programs at the McCormick Freedom Museum in Chicago and as Curator of Collections and Programs at the Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana.