Gail Drakes is an interdisciplinary scholar with graduate degrees from the History Department at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and the Program in American Studies at NYU. Her current teaching and research interests focus on the cultural implications of intellectual property law and African-American historical memory. Gail has held administrative positions at Columbia University and CUNY, and has taught courses in U.S. history, media studies, Asian/Pacific/American Studies and African-American studies. Before arriving at Gallatin, Gail worked in the philanthropic sector, serving as a consultant to the social justice philanthropy portfolio at the Ford Foundation and as the Program Officer for the OUT Fund at Funding Exchange, an activist-advised fund which supported LGBTQI-led social justice organizing efforts throughout the U.S.
