Title IX Office

The Title IX Office is a resource for the Yale community and is an important part of Yale’s efforts to foster an inclusive and respectful environment. Members of the Yale community may consult with the Title IX Office regarding concerns and questions related to sex discrimination, gender-based discrimination, or sexual misconduct. Where appropriate, the Title IX Office will collaborate with the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility to address these concerns. 

The Title IX Office offers prevention and education opportunities, provides information about resources, coordinates supportive measures, and tracks and reports patterns and trends. The Title IX Office also works with pregnant and parenting individuals to provide access to support and accommodations.

The Title IX Office works closely with campus partners including Deputy Title IX Coordinators from across campus, the SHARE Center, the University Wide Committee on Sexual Misconduct (UWC), the Yale Police Department(YPD), the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA), Discrmination and Harassment Resource Coordinators (DHRC), the Yale LGBTQ Center, and the Office of Gender and Campus Culture (OGCC).

Elizabeth Conklin (she/her)

Associate Vice President for Institutional Equity & Accessibility University Title IX Coordinator

Elizabeth Conklin, J.D., is the associate vice president for Institutional Equity and Accessibility, and University Title IX Coordinator. She works closely with other leaders across the university to support institutional equity and accessibility, and to guide strategy and initiatives that create workplace and learning environments founded on mutual respect. She oversees the work of the Title IX Office, the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility, Student Accessibility Services, Veteran and Military Affairs, Restorative Practices, and the Yale LGBTQ Center, along with education and outreach activities related to all of these areas. In her role as University Title IX Coordinator, Elizabeth has campus-wide responsibility for all policies, processes, and programs that address and prevent discrimination on the basis of sex, including sexual misconduct. Prior to joining Yale, Elizabeth worked for over ten years at the University of Connecticut, serving for nine years as associate vice president for the Office of Institutional Equity, Title IX Coordinator, and ADA Coordinator. Before her time in higher education administration, she was an associate attorney practicing labor and employment law with a Hartford law firm.

 

Jason Killheffer (he/him)

Senior Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Director of Title IX Programs

Jason Killheffer, J.D., is the Senior Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Director of Title IX Programs, with responsibility for overseeing and coordinating Title IX programs and resources University-wide. He previously served as Assistant Provost for Academic Integrity in the Office of the Provost, focusing on University-wide academic integrity initiatives that promote awareness relating to the ethical standards for the conduct of research and scholarship at Yale. He joined Yale in 2002 and, prior to joining the Provost’s Office in 2008, held management and project leadership positions in Finance and Information Technology Services. Before coming to Yale, Mr. Killheffer worked at Bayer Pharmaceutical, where he was responsible for coordinating strategic marketing initiatives across Bayer’s healthcare divisions and strategic alliance partners. He holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New Haven and a J.D. from Quinnipiac University. Jason enjoys morning walks, pick-up soccer games, and travel.

Raquel McDowell (she/her)

Associate Director, Title IX/OIEA

Raquel McDowell, J.D. is the Associate Director, Title IX/OIEA.  In the Title IX aspects of her role, she is responsible for responding to inquiries and concerns raised by members of the graduate and professional school community, providing accommodations and other supportive measures, facilitating access to other University support resources, and developing and delivering education and prevention programs. In the OIEA aspects of this role, Raquel is responsible for responding to allegations of protected class discrimination and harassment (including managing investigations and facilitating informal resolutions), supporting OIEA’s accommodation program for faculty members with temporary or permanent disabilities, and providing related trainings to employees.  Prior to Yale, Raquel served as the Assistant Dean of Students and Title IX Investigator at the University of Miami for five years; the Title IX and EEO Specialist at Florida International University; a Faculty Assistant at Duke School of Law; and a legal intern at the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C.  She was also an employment law attorney in the private sector.  Born and raised in South Florida, Raquel obtained a B.S. in Communications from the University of Central Florida and her J.D. from North Carolina Central University School of Law.  She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.

Erin Farley (she/her)

Manager, Title IX Prevention, Education, and Outreach

Erin Farley is the Manager of Prevention, Education, and Outreach with the Title IX Office. In her role, Erin works to develop and lead university-wide Title IX prevention and awareness programming and outreach efforts for faculty, staff, and graduate and professional students. Erin’s interest in prevention work started as an undergraduate student at Binghamton University where she served as a peer educator for a sexual assault prevention program. Since then, she has held a variety of education and prevention roles within higher education. Erin spent five years at Penn State University’s Gender Equity Center, first as a graduate assistant and then as a full-time programming coordinator. She also worked in the Office of Access, Equity, and Diversity at Oakton Community College, and prior to joining the Title IX Office, Erin worked as an education specialist with MIT’s Institute Discrimination and Harassment Response Office. Erin holds a M.S. in Higher Education from Penn State University and a B.S. in Human Development and B.A. in Sociology from Binghamton University. Erin loves coffee, dancing, and spending quality time with her friends, family, and cat, Gus.

October Mohr (they/them)

Title IX Program Specialist

October Mohr is the Title IX Program Specialist. October collaborates with the Title IX team on the planning, management, and implementation of Title IX-related programming, communications, and case management initiatives. Previously, October completed their Masters in Divinity and postgrad here at Yale, during which they were also a Title IX Fellow. October loves to DIY, hike, and spend time with their loved ones and pets. 

Stephanie Ranks (she/her)

Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Yale College

Stephanie Ranks is the Title IX Coordinator for Yale College.  In her role, she helps undergraduates access Title IX programs and resources.  Stephanie arrived at Yale in 2014 as a graduate student in the English Department, where her doctoral research focuses on the philosophy of science in the 17th century.  This interdisciplinary energy is part and parcel of her intellectual and academic trajectory, as she completed her B.A. in English, Celtic Studies, and Integrative Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, where she worked for several years in a paleobotany research lab.  She has taught courses on the history of censorship and the nature of truth in scientific literature, as well as on campus speech in particular.  Before joining the Title IX Office, Stephanie worked in the Poorvu Center with graduate students and postdoctoral scholars on equitable teaching in the classroom and beyond.  Stephanie loves home-improvement projects, wandering the Atlantic ocean in the dead of winter, and has a truly inordinate fondness for other people’s pets.

Clare Acosta

Deputy Title IX Coordinator, Yale College

Clare Acosta, J.D., is the Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Yale College. In her role, she works to educate undergraduate students about their rights and responsibilities related to Title IX and support them in accessing Title IX resources and programs. Most recently, Clare practiced public interest law in South Texas. Prior to her time as an attorney, Clare worked in higher education for over ten years. She served as the inaugural Director of Community Engagement, University Minister for Social Justice, a Title IX investigator, and an adjunct faculty member at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, she has a background in nonprofit management, and worked throughout Latin America. Clare is a certified mediator and is fluent in Spanish. She earned her dual degree, a J.D. and Master of Arts in International Relations, as well as a Graduate Certificate in Conflict Transformation from St. Mary’s University, her Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry from the University of Dayton, and her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Spanish from the University of Scranton. Clare enjoys running, cooking, coffee, and spending time with her rescue dog, Chulo Ignatius.