Moving Up

Valerie Jackson

Valerie Jackson joined the Sutherland Asbill & Brennan L.L.P. as the law firm’s director of diversity. She will manage the development and implementation of firmwide diversity initiatives and programs, and she will oversee diversity initiatives related to pipeline projects, recruiting and retention. She also will develop strategic partnerships with clients to increase diversity throughout the profession. Prior to joining Sutherland, Jackson served as an assistant director for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board’s Office of International Affairs. Jackson received a bachelor’s degree in government, with honors, from Harvard University and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.

Tariq Muhammad

Tariq Muhammad was named director of AOL Black Voices, with responsibility for spearheading all editorial content for the site. He will lead the company’s business strategy, including product launches, partnerships and site expansion. Muhammad will report to the senior vice president of AOL Entertainment and AOL Black Voices. Muhammad previously was director of interactive media at BlackEnterprise.com, responsible for the operation of the Web site, business development, strategic planning, marketing and advertising and sponsorship sales. He is a co-founder of Content Development for iClique Inc., a content syndication company that served portals and other Web sites. Muhammad holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Rutgers University.

Basil Smikle

Basil Smikle was appointed a senior public policy fellow at the DuBois Bunche Center for Economic and Public Policy at Medgar Evers College. He will examine the intersection of local and national politics with public policy and will work on governments’ delivery-of-service issues and their interaction in global marketplaces, focusing on Africa. Smikle is an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of International and Public Affairs and the founder of Basil Smikle Associates, a political-strategy and policy-analysis firm. Smikle holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial and labor relations from Cornell University and a master’s degree in public policy from Columbia University.