Ona Alston Dosunmu, J.D., joined NACUA as its President & C.E.O. in September of 2021. Ona is responsible for leading NACUA and managing its operations--including the internal staff team; supporting effective governance through working with the NACUA board and other volunteer leaders; and representing NACUA and NACUA’s interests with a variety of external stakeholders. Ona is also responsible for inspiring and encouraging everyone involved with the organization to model NACUA values in their work and interactions with others.
Prior to joining NACUA, Ona served as the inaugural C.E.O. and Executive Director of the California Lawyers Association. Before CLA, Ona spent over 16 years in various roles at The Brookings Institution in Washington, DC, a nonprofit public policy organization. At Brookings she was Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, and Chair of the Inclusion & Diversity Committee. Ona established Brookings’s first Office of General Counsel. In addition, she served a stint as Interim Chief Operating Officer. As an early career attorney prior to Brookings, Ona practiced law with several well-known, global law firms.
Ona holds a B.A., cum laude, in Journalism, and an M.A. in Sociology, both from Howard University; She holds her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center.