Nefertari Pross

Nefertari KB Pross is a legal scholar, arts advocate and former federal civil rights advisor with more than a decade of service in federal civil rights enforcement. She has held key federal roles advancing civil rights across multiple agencies. Most recently, she served as a Senior Advisor in the Office of Civil Rights and Compliance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, where she advanced civil rights compliance and advised on federal civil rights laws and regulations. She previously served as a Senior Equal Opportunity Advisor in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), working across the New York, Chicago and Detroit offices, where she enforced federal fair housing and civil rights laws and conducted compliance investigations. During her time in Detroit, she was appointed to HUD’s federal response team for the Flint water crisis and selected by the Obama Administration to serve as a White House Summer Opportunity Ambassador to the City of Flint, where she worked to expand employment opportunities for youth in one of the nation’s most underserved communities. In recognition of her service, she received awards from the Flint Housing Commission and the Flint Federal Executive Board.

Additionally, Pross has participated in numerous rule of law initiatives globally. She served in Butare, Rwanda, at the University of Rwanda School of Law, and participated in the U.S. Department of State’s People-to-People program in Cuba. She has also participated in legal and cultural exchanges in China, Ecuador, South Africa, France, Germany and Ethiopia.

In addition to her commitment to civil rights and international development, Pross works closely with museums and arts institutions, reflecting her extensive background in the arts and music. Her research focuses on First Amendment protections of museums and cultural arts institutions, cultural property and the role of cultural institutions in advancing cultural, artistic and historical understanding. She serves on the Arts & Cultural Heritage Law Committee of the American Bar Association’s International Law Section and on the Editorial Review Board of the American Alliance of Museums.

She holds a master of museum studies from Harvard University, a Juris Doctor from the University of Colorado School of Law, a master of music from Georgia State University and a bachelor's degree from Hampton University.
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