The Raben Group

Sunil Mansukhani works at the intersection of policy, people, and politics. He has guided over 50 clients at The Raben Group from all sectors — nonprofit, government, foundation, and corporate — and helped them navigate the labyrinth that is Washington, D.C. His craft is informed by over two decades of experience in education and civil rights policy, law, and advocacy.

Sunil has served in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) over the course of three administrations, serving presidents of both parties. Prior to joining Raben, he was the deputy assistant secretary for policy in the ED’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) during President Obama’s first term. As part of OCR’s senior management team, Sunil helped lead an office with over 600 employees, a budget of $100 million, and 12 locations across the country. 

While Sunil was at ED, he developed guidance for educational institutions that protected the civil rights of tens of millions of students involving a range of issues, including the consideration of race in K-12 and college admissions; harassment and bullying; sexual violence; documentation requirements for enrollment in public schools; and equal access for students with disabilities. In addition, he oversaw the update and implementation of the widely-heralded Civil Rights Data Collection, a survey that gathers equity-related information from every public school in the country.

Sunil’s previous positions include serving as a senior attorney in DOJ’s Civil Rights Division; executive director of the District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission; associate with the law firm Crowell and Moring; law clerk for Chief Judge Edward Cahn in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and, teaching fellow at Georgetown University Law Center’s Institute for Public Representation.  

Sunil is on the Board of Directors of the Center for Law and Social Policy and The Equal Rights Center. He is also the chair of the National Advisory Council for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC. He received his bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Economics, summa cum laude, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, his J.D. from Yale Law School, and an LL.M in Advocacy from Georgetown University Law Center. Born and raised in Chicago, Sunil is a lifelong fan of Chicago sports teams. 

Career Highlights

• Deputy Assistant Secretary, United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
• Executive Director, District of Columbia Access to Justice Commission
• Senior Attorney, United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division