Andrea Hamilton Watson

Legal Director

Andrea Hamilton Watson is a civil rights attorney and former educator who brings extensive experience advancing educational equity for children in public schools. For over a decade, she served in the Educational Opportunities Section of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, including as Special Litigation Counsel and as a senior trial attorney. In those roles, she represented the United States in cases and matters involving discrimination against students in K–12 schools, colleges, and universities on the basis of race, national origin, disability, sex, and religion.

At DOJ, Andrea served as lead counsel on multiple school desegregation cases and helped monitor school districts’ compliance with their desegregation obligations. She supervised teams of attorneys and support staff engaging in litigation, conducting investigations, and negotiating settlement agreements. She also worked collaboratively with state and local educational agencies, community advocates, families, and other stakeholders to advance DOJ’s civil rights priorities.

Prior to joining DOJ, Andrea clerked for the Hon. Curtis L. Collier, U.S. District Court Judge for the Eastern District of Tennessee. She began her career as a teacher in rural Arkansas and has also served children and families through volunteer work as a court-appointed guardian ad litem.

Andrea received her J.D. from the Duke University School of Law and her M.P.P. from the Duke University Sanford School of Public Policy. She also holds a B.A. in Public Policy Studies from Duke University and grew up in North Carolina.