Khadyne Augustine Remains Focused on the Human Element in Her Legal Work

Few words describe Khadyne Augustine, J.D. ’20, better than this: focused. Whether as a social worker, or fighting for justice as a member of the UBalt Law Innocence Project Clinic, or in her present role as a senior policy analyst at the Maryland Cannabis Administration, Augustine has been out to provide the focus that will make the difference—all while not forgetting the human beings involved.

That was evident in her early career, working as an HIV social worker on a Ryan White grant, named for the brave boy who put an important face, voice and heart to an issue that was often misunderstood. “I worked with individuals who were both HIV-positive and at different stages of the HIV care continuum that were at great risk, if not already fallen out of care,” she explains. Augustine rolled up her sleeves and advocated for many, whether addressing housing issues, food inequity, health issues, or lack of insurance.

“I saw so many people who went through so much,” she says. “My heart went out to them, and I wanted to make sure they got everything they deserved to live the best life they could.”

Augustine ultimately realized that life would take her into law. While attending UBalt Law, she fought for the wrongly accused. Working from 2018 to 2020 as a student lawyer with the Innocence Project Clinic, she considered it a hallmark experience during her time at school. “I remember someone being identified as having committed a crime. … I went out to a rough part of town and took pictures at the location where the accused was identified. The poor visibility really made me think about the reliability of eyewitness testimony,” she recalls.

The Innocence Project Clinic felt like the closest thing to the nexus between social work and the law, says Augustine, who was also a public interest fellow at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in 2019, and a legal intern at Disability Rights Maryland in 2018. “Being part of an exoneration, the Innocence Project work was very meaningful work.”

As a senior policy analyst at the Maryland Cannabis Administration, which exists as an independent government agency to oversee cannabis regulation within the state, she still is focused on the human factor. One of her latest projects involved working on the cannabis social-equity licensing round, sitting on the committee that was reviewing hundreds of social-equity applications to open cannabis businesses.

A major challenge of her present job, Augustine shares, is bringing herself up to speed on emergency regulations and permanent regulations. But it’s one she relishes. “Policymaking itself is dynamic, and even with new issues emerging and policies being amended, it can be challenging at times,” she says. “I’m more of a deep diver, so I need context before I jump out and do anything. I’m always willing to go back a few steps to understand.”

Focus. It’s a quality that has stayed with Augustine throughout her career, taken her through many roads, and likely will be with her for whatever comes next.

“I love to see what I can help accomplish and learning new things,” she says. “I couldn’t have predicted these twists in my career, but it’s exciting. I like to make a difference, and that’s what I wanted to do.”