Itzel Hayward

Bio

Itzel Berrio Hayward (she/her) is an Adjunct Professor of Facilitation for Attorneys at the Center for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. Known for her anti-racist, trauma-informed approach, she brings deep experience teaching, training, and facilitating in nonprofit, private, and public sectors, helping to create more inclusive and equitable spaces through open dialogue and empathic understanding. 

Born in New York and raised in Southern California, Professor Hayward is a first-generation Panamanian American. She earned a B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Rhetoric from UC Berkeley, and a J.D. from NYU School of Law.

Hayward then received a Law & Policy Fellowship with the Greenlining Institute, where she represented the interests of low-income communities of color before state and federal regulatory agencies. After a period in private practice, she returned to Greenlining as Deputy General Counsel. She then worked in the disciplinary arm of the State Bar of California, where she witnessed the harm and serious disciplinary consequences that can result from lawyers’ failure to properly communicate with others.

In 2010, Hayward left her traditional legal career to focus on three areas she believed, if improved, would best serve attorneys and the pursuit of justice: communication; wellness; and equity, diversity, and inclusion. She now helps organizations and collectives address these critical issues to create more effective and inclusive workplaces and communities.

Professor Hayward is a passionate wellness advocate committed to supporting individuals holding marginalized identities through yoga and other healing practices. She founded the first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training for BIPOC in California and serves on the Advisory Board for the Trauma Prevention and Recovery Certificate Program at the City College of San Francisco. She lives in Oakland with her husband and their child, where she enjoys baking bread, cultivating native and medicinal plants, and watching movie trailers.