Ray Li is Policy Counsel for education equity at LDF, where he works on ensuring equal educational opportunities for all students. Ray’s federal advocacy work before Congress and the Executive Branch focuses on ensuring fair and equitable administration of federal civil rights laws as well as promoting policies that advance educational equity.
Prior to joining LDF, Ray served as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights as a lawyer on the policy team addressing race, color, and national origin discrimination. In that role he drafted and published policy documents, assisted with appellate and Supreme Court litigation, provided technical assistance for novel or complex issues in civil rights enforcement, and oversaw the civil rights review process for the Magnet Schools Assistance Program.
Previously, Ray worked as an associate in the education practice at Hogan Lovells where he advised institutions of higher education, school districts, and associations on education regulatory and civil rights matters. He also has spent time as an intern with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Educational Opportunities Section and the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
Ray’s writing and thoughts on education civil rights matters have been featured in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed.
Ray holds a J.D. from Stanford Law School, M.A. in Education from the Stanford Graduate School of Education, and B.A. in Political Science, Public Policy, and Education from Duke University. He is a native of Phoenixville, PA.
Ray is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.
