Kohenet April N. Baskin

Senior Advisor on Diversity Equity, Inclusion, and Repair | She/Her

Kohenet April N. Baskin is a multi-award-winning Black, Cherokee, and Jewish leader, with over 20 years of expertise in multi-dimensional (trauma-informed, intersectional, and interculturally-relevant) social and racial justice leadership. Her education at Tufts University and graduate-level research at the Kennedy School of Government helped to lay the groundwork for her impactful career of consistently shifting institutions and communities toward more equitable, visionary outcomes.

April’s distinguished career includes significant roles such as a DEI+ Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism ($60 million dollar national nonprofit, representing 20 summer camps, 900 congregations, and 2 million members) and the inaugural Racial Justice Director at the Jewish Social Justice Roundtable, which supports 70+ social justice organizations. April has initiated and/or advanced the DEI+ initiatives of more than 300 organizations and launched transformative equity-focused executive and mentorship programs that have significantly accelerated and advanced the careers and leadership trajectories of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC professionals.

Her 10 years as an international, counter-oppressive trauma peer counselor highlight her commitment to trauma-informed support and advocacy. April’s exceptional intercultural adaptiveness places her in the global top sixth percentile of intercultural competence, underscoring her ability to effectively foster understanding and inclusivity across diverse groups. As an ordained Earth-based Jewish priestess (Kohenet) and the founder of Joyous Justice, she continues to drive social change and spiritual innovation and transformation, embodying her commitment of fostering harmoniously just, diverse, and inclusive communities.