Student Affairs

david jaffe

Associate Dean of Student Affairs
djaffe@wcl.american.edu | (202) 274-4052

Dean David B. Jaffe is the Associate Dean of Student Affairs. He oversees all aspects of the Office of Student Affairs, which includes support for JD students from Orientation, through academic and personal counseling, organization development, to Commencement. A committed steward of law student wellness, Jaffe serves on the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs (CoLAP) as co-chair of the Law School Assistance Committee, and in 2015, he received the CoLAP Meritorious Service Award in recognition of his commitment to improving the lives of law students. He received a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis and his J.D. from American University Washington College of Law.

Publications:

• David Jaffe, The Key to Law Student Well-Being? We Have to Love Our Law Students, Washington College of Law Research Paper No. 2017-02 (Feb. 2018). Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3123262
• David Jaffe, et al., The Path to Lawyer Well-Being: Practical Recommendations for Positive Change (The Report of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well-Being), Part II, Recommendations for Law Schools, American University, WCL Research Paper No. 2017-19 (Aug. 2017). Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3021218  
• David Jaffe, Jerome Organ & Katherine Bender, Suffering in Silence: The Survey of Law Student Well-Being and the Reluctance of Law Students to Seek Help for Substance Use and Mental Health Concerns, 66 Journal of Legal Education 1 (Sept. 2016). Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2839290
• David Jaffe, Jerome Organ & Katherine Bender, Helping Law Students Get the Help They Need: An Analysis of Data Regarding Law Students’ Reluctance to Seek Help and Policy Recommendations for a Variety of Stakeholders, 84 The Bar Examiner 4 (Dec. 2015). Available at: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2815513

Lucinda D. Gardner

Assistant Director of Student Affairs
lgardner@wcl.american.edu| (202) 274-4031

Cindi is the Assistant Director of Student Affairs.  She is the primary wellness advisor to students in the JD program, provides situational counsel and referral, develops wellness programming, serves as liaison to student organizations for events and programming, and supports school-wide efforts to provide advising to first-year students. She formerly practiced law in Charleston, South Carolina litigating medical negligence and employment law cases.  Most recently, she worked on the multi-district opioid litigation against pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors.  She is a Riley Institute Diversity Leadership Fellow, served on the South Carolina Bar Wellness and Diversity Committees, has written several articles about wellness in the legal profession, and is especially fascinated by the intersection of law and neuroscience.  She received her B.A. from Furman University, her M.A. in Experimental Psychology from Wake Forest University, and her J.D. from the University of South Carolina School of Law.  She is a native of Miami, Florida, and proud mom of Joseph, Lucy, and Theo. She is a fan of the US Women’s National Soccer Team, Liverpool FC, interval training, and dark chocolate.

MIRANDA HARRIS

Student Affairs and Accommodations Senior Coordinator
harrism@wcl.american.edu | (202) 274-4033

Miranda Harris (she/her) is the Student Affairs and Accommodations Senior Coordinator for the Office of Student Affairs. She provides support to students and the community by planning wellness programming and assisting students with ADA accommodation implementation. Miranda has worked previously with residential students, having directed the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, where she worked to create an accessible, cooperative living and dining environment for a significant portion of the Oberlin College student body. Miranda received her Bachelors of Arts degree in Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies and Law and Society from Oberlin College, where she completed extensive research on the Americans with Disabilities Act and its enforcement. She is passionate about disability rights and justice, mutual aid and community care, and the development of cooperative education efforts. 

rachel dietrich , licsw , lcsw

WCL Embedded Staff Clinician, Center for Well-Being and Psychological Services

Rachel is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in DC and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia. She is thrilled to combine her passion for wellness, higher education, and mental health by serving the WCL as our Staff Clinician. She has experience as an individual and group therapist in a variety of outpatient treatment settings including private clinics, community clinics, and college health centers, in addition to serving as a treatment team member for an innovative Family Recovery Court. Rachel’s presence will continue to strengthen ongoing support for the well-being of our students.