Faculty Directory

Kiana Baskin

Bio

Associate Dean Kiana Baskin’s professional and community work centers on social justice advocacy. As a member of both the teaching faculty and as associate dean for belonging, Dean Baskin takes a leadership role at Northeastern Law in creating an inclusive, supportive campus environment by developing programs for student engagement and well-being while also ensuring all students feel connected and have equitable opportunities for success.

At Northeastern Law, Dean Baskin previously served as associate dean for belonging and student affairs and as assistant dean for diversity, equity and inclusion. Prior to joining Northeastern, Dean Baskin was a senior law lecturer, pre-law advisor and course coordinator in the Law and Taxation Department at Bentley University, where she taught a variety of business law courses and led classes focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, such as Race and the Law and Social Justice Law, an embedded travel course, and co-created the diversity, equity and inclusion major.

At Bentley University, Dean Baskin received numerous awards recognizing her excellence in advising and mentoring students, leadership in advancing DEI initiatives, and outstanding teaching abilities. In her home community of Sharon, Mass., Dean Baskin was the first Black person elected to the Select Board and currently serves as chair. She previously chaired the town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is also the president and a board member of the Sharon Racial Equity Alliance (SREA), a nonprofit organization dedicated to addressing racial inequities affecting BIPOC individuals in Sharon.

Beyond her local community, Dean Baskin was appointed by the Massachusetts governor to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and serves on the DEI Advisory Committee for the Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA). Additionally, she is a member of the Boston Bar Association’s DEI Steering Committee.

Dean Baskin has been recognized for her social justice work, including a nominataion for the 2021 Massachusetts Black and Latino Caucus Black Excellence on the Hill and honored as Sharon’s Citizen of the Year in 2021. Her business and legal expertise have been highlighted by the Massachusetts Conference for Women, where she delivered one of the most-watched Learning Bursts on building self-confidence and was a top-rated podcast speaker, offering advice on overcoming chronic underpayment.

Earlier in her career, Dean Baskin practiced civil litigation, corporate law and criminal defense at two small law firms. In 2004, she became a partner and owner at Perkins & Baskin, where she specialized in real estate law, corporate law and civil litigation. In 2009, she chose to close both firms to focus on teaching and her family.