A Conversation with Attorney & GirlsUp Executive Director, Debra Soltis

Debra Soltis is a founding partner of the law firm of Kiyonaga & Soltis, PC in Washington, D.C., where she specializes in employment discrimination, criminal defense and civil rights litigation. Much of her practice focuses on empowering women in the workplace to combat sexual harassment and other forms of gender discrimination. Debra has been repeatedly recognized by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the best attorneys in Washington, D.C. in employment law and has been repeatedly honored as a SuperLawyer by her peers for her criminal practice. Since 2009, Debra has served as the Executive Director of GirlsUP, Inc, a DC not-for-profit which inspires adolescent girls to figure out who they are before the world tells them who they should be. She is a sought out commentator on issues related to civil rights, criminal justice and the societal challenges faced by adolescent girls and has appeared on CBS Evening News, NPR, ESPN and numerous other media outlets. For over twenty years, Debra was on the adjunct faculty of Georgetown Law School, co-teaching a course of original design on critical film theory with her husband, Paul Kiyonaga. Debra also serves as an Advisor to the Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Debra was formerly an associate at Williams & Connolly, LLP, where she worked on a variety of civil and criminal matters for clients including Effi Barry, The Washington Post and Paramount Pictures. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown Law School and is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Maryland. She and her husband have four children, two girls and two boys, ranging from ages 14 to 24. See http://www.kiyosol.com and https://www.girlsup.org/.