BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Goldburn P. Maynard Jr., assistant professor of business law and ethics at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business, will be the next presenter in Equity Now, a national online speaker series on race, gender, and how law and policy can facilitate equality, fairness and inclusion in organizations.
Goldburn Maynard
Maynard will lead a discussion on the topic, “Biden’s Push for Racial Equity in a Colorblind World,” which will begin at 6 p.m. (Eastern) on Tuesday, October 12.
The Kelley School of Business is co-sponsoring the Equity Now series along with the business schools at the University of Connecticut, Virginia Tech University, Temple University and the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. Registration is free and open to the public.
Speakers featured in the Equity Now series are esteemed business lawyers focused on legal and policy issues and how law and policy can promote diversity, equity and fairness in organizations and society.
On his first day in office President Joseph Biden issued an executive order to advance racial equity in communities through the federal government. As part of those efforts, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 directed the Department of Agriculture to implement a loan forgiveness program for farmers who had been harmed by decades of systematic discrimination.
Justice advocates applauded the move — which Maynard saw as major racial policy shift — but their hopes were quickly dashed when federal courts put a stop to the program.
“Despite the intent of the legislative and executive branches, courts have signaled that any race conscious efforts to remedy past injustices are on shaky ground,” said Maynard, who will discuss whether racial equity can be achieved with these limitations in place.
Maynard, who joined the Kelley faculty in 2020, teaches classes in business ethics. He previously served as an associate professor (untenured) at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, and also received an LL.M. in Taxation from the Northwestern University School of Law. His research focuses on issues of wealth distribution and inequality, tax policy, and America’s aging population. He is also interested in how the brain works and how best to approach teaching.
He also has been a visiting assistant professor at Florida State University College of Law and Washington University School of Law. Before entering law teaching, he worked as an estate tax attorney for the Internal Revenue Service. He began his career as a tax associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, at its Chicago offices.