After instructing in the University of Denver Sturm College of Law's Civil Rights Clinic, Jenipher Jones Bonino now manages programs for Denver Law’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice Initiatives, helping to advance institutional commitments to DEI and social justice. Working closely with Associate Dean Alexi Freeman and other staff members, Bonino supports a range of student-related initiatives, including academic advising, academic success, inclusion, well-being, and professional development, as well as pipeline partnerships.
Prior to joining Denver Law, she graduated with honors from the HBCU Bennett College for Women with a BA in political science. She then attended law school at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she was a member of the Loyola Maritime Law Journal and the International Legal Honor Society of Phi Delta Phi.
Bonino began her career in civil and human rights as a fellow at the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship at the Southern Poverty Law Center. She has worked on law enforcement accountability issues, including a clerkship at the civilian law enforcement oversight agency, the City of New Orleans Office of the Independent Police Monitor, and a landmark federal consent decree involving the New Orleans Police Department. She has also practiced at the National Employment Litigation Unit of the United States Postal Service, handling class action employment discrimination matters.
Most recently, at a civil rights law firm, Bonino litigated complex civil litigation cases involving prisoners’ rights, law enforcement misconduct, and employment discrimination. She has been published in both domestic and international publications. Bonino has also advocated for the rights of prisoners in the United States before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the United Nations Association, and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor.
A member of the Executive Committee for the American Association of Law Schools Balance Section and Scholarship Committee, she promotes diversity and wellness in the legal profession, particularly among law students and lawyers of color. Bonino is also active in the community and serves on the board of directors for The Blue Bench of Colorado and supports the arts and humanities.
