Biography

Duane Tobias, J.D., is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University, where he teaches courses in criminology, criminal justice, and the sociology of law. His teaching focuses on the intersection of law, crime, inequality, public policy, and the administration of justice, drawing upon more than two decades of experience spanning legal practice, higher education, civil rights, and federal equal employment opportunity programs.

Professor Tobias is an attorney licensed by the State Bar of Texas and currently serves as a Senior Adjudicator and Equal Opportunity Specialist with the U.S. Department of Transportation. In that capacity, his work includes adjudicating complex federal-sector employment discrimination matters, conducting legal and regulatory analysis, and applying federal civil rights law and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regulations and precedent. His prior federal service includes equal opportunity and civil rights positions with the National Archives and Records Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

His legal career has included service as an Assistant Criminal District Attorney, where he prosecuted criminal matters and worked with a Violence Against Women prosecution program, as well as private practice involving securities and administrative law. He has also held positions in legal education, admissions, diversity and inclusion, Title IX, and civil rights compliance.

In addition to Howard University, Professor Tobias has taught at American University’s School of Public Affairs, with coursework addressing race and justice, law, inequality, and the deprivation of liberty. He earned his Juris Doctor from Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law and his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, with a minor in Psychology, from Xavier University of Louisiana. He is also a Certified Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) Instructor through Howard University’s College of Arts and Sciences.