Sonali B. Wilson

Lawyer Sonali B. Wilson was born on May 31, 1958 in Cleveland, Ohio to Frances Joy Simmons Bustamante and John Henry Bustamante. In 1983, she obtained her B.A. degree in history with a minor in political science from Boston University and her A.L.M. degree in government studies from Harvard University. In 1986, Wilson graduated from Georgetown University Law Center with her J.D. degree.

After graduating from law school, Wilson worked as an associate attorney at the Cleveland, Ohio law firm of Arter & Hadden from 1986 to 1994. In 1987, she also served as a law clerk to Justice Herbert R. Brown of the Ohio Supreme Court. In 1996, Wilson became an adjunct professor of law at Cleveland State University’s College of Law. She was also appointed assistant university legal counsel in 1997 and named general counsel in 2004, becoming one of the first Black female general counsel in Northeast Ohio. She’s held this position for more than two decades and is the longest-serving general counsel in the university’s history. From 2000 to 2011, she served as secretary to the Cleveland State University Board of Trustees and was reappointed in 2020. Wilson also served as the university’s chief ethics officer and as a leader in residence in the College of Law. In addition to her academic appointments, she served as vice president for diversity and inclusion at the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association from 2013 to 2015.

During her career, Wilson has held memberships and leadership positions in various legal and social service organizations. She served as president of the Cleveland, Ohio Chapter of the Links, Inc. from 1999 to 2003. From 2006 to 2010, she was a member of the National Executive Counsel and chair of the Legal Affairs Committee of the Links, Inc. She also served on the board of the Cleveland Institute of Music from 2006 to 2018. In 2011, she became a board member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), serving until 2014. Wilson has served on the United Way of Greater Cleveland Board of Directors since 2016, chaired the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee from 2017 to 2024, and, since 2024, has served on the Executive Committee as secretary.

Wilson has received numerous awards and honors, including the Women of Color Foundation’s Professional Woman of the Year Award in 2014, the Distinguished Service Award from NACUA in 2021, and the Community Service Award from the Cleveland Chapter of the NAACP in 2022. Wilson was also inducted into Cleveland State University College of Law’s Hall of Fame in 2022.

Wilson and her husband, Dr. Napoleon Stephen Wilson, reside in Cleveland, Ohio. She has five children and three grandchildren.

Sonali B. Wilson was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on August 14, 2024.