10/08/2026
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 8, 2026
Former Longtime UVA Employee Files Federal Race, S*x and Color Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit
Lawsuit alleges discrimination in leadership selection and retaliation culminating in termination
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — Lorie Jean Akanbi (formerly Lorie Jean Strother), a former University of Virginia employee of nearly 19 years, filed a federal lawsuit October 7 against The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia and her former supervisor, Mark S. Cartwright, alleging race, s*x and color discrimination and retaliation.
During her nearly 19 years at UVA, Akanbi held several positions in Procurement Services, including serving as interim Supplier Diversity Director and later as a Construction Team Lead. Her work included advocating for architecture, engineering and construction small businesses seeking opportunities to do business with the University. Throughout her tenure, the Supplier Diversity Director position was held permanently by men; no woman permanently held the position.
The lawsuit alleges that Akanbi experienced discrimination not simply on separate grounds of race, color and s*x, but at their intersection as a dark-skinned Black woman seeking advancement into permanent leadership.
The complaint centers in part on Akanbi's pursuit of the permanent senior leadership position. According to the complaint, during a February 2024 meeting, Cartwright, who was the hiring official, compared the risks of recommending Akanbi, a Black woman, with recommending a hypothetical white woman he called “Susie Smith.” Cartwright said recommending “Susie Smith” was “less risky.” He explained that if Smith did not work out, the person recommending her would not be “damaged,” whereas in recommending Akanbi, “they're gonna hold me accountable for that.”
Cartwright, who is Black, also told Akanbi that Black people have to be careful not to give others a reason not to support them. Describing it further, he said, “It’s not fair. You might have to do something that the other folks”—presumably white people—“don’t have to do.”
During the same conversation, according to the complaint, Cartwright questioned whether Akanbi could bring her authentic self to work, including suggesting that if she were more conscious of how others might perceive her, she probably would not wear her hair in dreadlocks. He also compared Akanbi to other Black women who held leadership roles in supplier diversity, commenting on their appearance, complexion and how outspoken or tough they were—including distinguishing one woman from Akanbi by noting that the woman was “not dark complexion.”
Akanbi says she has evidence supporting her account of the conversation.
After a nearly 10-month selection process in which Akanbi interviewed twice before different committees, UVA closed the first search for the Director position without making a hire. Cartwright then encouraged Akanbi to apply again when the position was reposted. Akanbi reapplied and filed a written race, s*x and color discrimination complaint with UVA.
Cartwright scheduled Akanbi for an interview, then canceled it less than three hours before it was to occur and never rescheduled it. Akanbi later learned that nine other candidates had been interviewed, while she was not interviewed. More than eight months later, UVA closed the second search without hiring anyone. The lawsuit alleges that the cancellation and failure to reschedule constituted retaliation for her discrimination complaint and denied Akanbi the opportunity to continue participating in the selection process for the position.
Later, Cartwright notified Akanbi that her position would be eliminated effective December 23, 2025. According to the complaint, hers was the only permanent position eliminated from the Supplier Engagement team, while supplier engagement work continued. The lawsuit alleges retaliation culminating in her termination.
“For nearly nineteen years, my work was about advocating for small businesses and helping others gain access to opportunity,” Akanbi said. “When it came time to advocate for myself, I was afraid—not simply of speaking up, but of what speaking up might cost me. Eventually, I had to ask myself: What kind of advocate am I if I can't advocate for myself? The answer to that question brought clarity about what I needed to do. I knew I could not remain silent about what I was experiencing.”
Akanbi said her experience also raised a broader concern about access to justice. “The cost of litigation and the difficulty of securing litigation counsel on terms an ordinary person can afford can become barriers to accessing the courts. Attorneys deserve to be compensated for their work, but people also need a meaningful way to enforce the rights the law gives them. A legal right should not effectively disappear simply because the person whose rights were violated cannot afford to enforce it.”
Akanbi filed the lawsuit pro se in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville Division. She has requested a jury trial and seeks damages and other relief available under federal law.
The allegations have not yet been adjudicated.
Akanbi currently serves as Vice Mayor of Waynesboro, Virginia, representing Ward A. She brings this lawsuit solely in her individual capacity as a former UVA employee.
MEDIA CONTACT
Lorie Jean Akanbi
[email protected]
(540) 889-0110
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