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Karen Baillie is a Shareholder with Ogletree Deakins, in the firm's Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania office. Ms. Baillie regularly advises institutions of higher education and employers on a broad range of legal matters, including labor, employment, student affairs, safety, privacy and compliance issues. Ms. Baillie is also a member of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, the Labor & Employment Practice Group, and the Internal Investigations Practice Group. In earlier lifetimes, Ms. Baillie was a partner with Schnader Harrison, and served as General Counsel at Carlow University, and as Assistant General Counsel at Education Management Corporation.
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Dr. Eric Butler currently serves as Associate General Counsel for the Department of the Air Force, and acts as the Department's primary counsel to the US Air Force Academy. Prior to joining the Department of the Air Force, he served as Assistant Attorney General for Higher Education in Colorado. His prior experience also includes work in student affairs, campus housing, and civil rights compliance. Eric earned his B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Akron, his J.D. with honors from Northern Kentucky University and his Ph.D. in Higher Education from Texas Tech University. He is licensed to practice law in Colorado and the District of Columbia.
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Melissa Carleton is an attorney, consultant, and investigator for college and universities across the country. She works with senior staff, student affairs, academic affairs, and human resources to anticipate problems when possible and solve problems when they arise. She is frequently called to work on cases involving civil rights, especially under Title IX and Section 504. She also handles shared governance and accreditation disputes.
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Elizabeth Conklin, J.D., joined Yale University in the inaugural role of associate vice president for Institutional Equity, Accessibility, and Belonging in September 2020. In this role, which includes serving as University Title IX Coordinator, she works closely with other leaders across the university to support institutional equity and accessibility, and to guide strategy and initiatives that create a culture of belonging. Elizabeth oversees the Office of Institutional Equity and Accessibility (OIEA), Student Accessibility Services (SAS), the Title IX Office, Restorative Practices at Yale, the Yale LGBTQ Center, and Yale Military and Veteran Affairs. Elizabeth’s work also focuses on supporting leaders around building the skills they need to lead and manage inclusively, and training for university community members on responding to discrimination and harassment and creating a culture that prevents such behaviors. Prior to joining Yale, Elizabeth served for nearly nine years as the University of Connecticut’s associate vice president for the Office of Institutional Equity, Title IX Coordinator, and ADA Coordinator. Before her time in higher education administration, she was an associate attorney practicing labor and employment law with a Hartford law firm. Elizabeth earned her law degree from the University of Oregon School of Law, and she is a cum laude graduate of the University of Connecticut, where she earned a bachelor’s degree with an independent double major in Political Science and Peace Studies.
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Bill Ferreira is a Partner with Hogan Lovells and heads the firm's Global Government Contracts and Education Practice. Bill advises universities on international programs, government grants and contracts, and research compliance. Bill works on federal award compliance and investigations, domestically and internationally. He guides organizations across the compliance landscape, advising on foreign influence, cost accounting, research misconduct, conflicts of interest, human subjects, and compliance with the OMB Uniform Guidance and Federal Acquisition Regulation. Drawing on deep experience with global operations, Bill's team has guided campuses in Asia, research in Africa, and degree programs in the Middle East. His work extends to online education and telemedicine programs around the world. On-the-ground practical experience across dozens of countries informs Bill's solutions to the challenges of global regulation, international employment, foreign expansion, and transnational contracts. Bill has guided many of the most dynamic research, development, and academic sites across the globe, including high profile projects in the Global South and the Persian Gulf.
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Stephanie Gold heads the firm's widely recognized national and international Education practice. For over 20 years she has worked with universities, colleges, independent schools, education associations, education companies, and investors to solve a range of legal and regulatory challenges. No matter the context – counseling, transactions, litigation, or government investigations – Stephanie brings to bear her extensive knowledge of legal and regulatory requirements pertinent to education sector clients. Stephanie helps clients navigate rules and procedures related to student financial aid, veterans education benefits, military tuition assistance, accreditation, and education licensure. Stephanie advises clients on compliance with nondiscrimination laws, campus security requirements, and privacy and data security laws. Stephanie is attuned to education sector dynamics and is current with federal education policy developments. With their mission and culture in mind, she guides clients through distance education initiatives, mergers and acquisitions, cross-border transactions, overseas activities, and institutional reorganizations. Stephanie counsels on faculty and student matters, voluntary disclosures to the government, and policy and procedure development. Stephanie works to resolve enforcement matters with an approach that fosters positive relationships with regulators. Stephanie is an active member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. Stephanie regularly speaks and writes on higher education law developments. She was Editor in Chief of the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, and she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Cornelia G. Kennedy of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
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Anil Gollahalli is chief legal officer and general counsel of the Big Ten Conference. In his role, Gollahalli oversees all legal, corporate governance, enterprise risk management, litigation, regulatory, corporate, and legal NCAA matters, as well as outside counsel management.
He works collaboratively with the Big Ten Council of Presidents and Chancellors (COP/C), the athletics directors and the general counsels at the 14 Big Ten Conference member institutions and serves as a strategic advisor to Big Ten Conference Commissioner Warren and the conference.
Gollahalli joined the conference from the University of Oklahoma (OU), where he served as vice president and general counsel for 14 years advising the Board of Regents and the institutions within the OU system.
He managed all major legal projects, including the privatization of the university’s utilities systems, public private partnerships, consolidation of the university’s health system, and the acquisition and renovation of its campus in Italy. Gollahalli counseled on all television and media development, intellectual property rights, athletics and university compliance, employment matters, healthcare operations, policy development, collections, and litigation. Additionally, he played a leadership role in the Oklahoma Board of Regents’ unanimous vote to enter the Southeastern Conference.
Prior to serving as OU general counsel, Gollahalli was the vice president for technology development at the university. He also practiced law in Dallas, working extensively in the intellectual property fields, and served as law clerk to the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma.
Gollahalli received a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering with a minor in political science from OU and a juris doctorate from the University of Chicago. Gollahalli serves on the Board of Directors for the National Association of College and University Attorneys, is currently barred in Texas and Oklahoma, and is licensed to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Gollahalli and his wife, Tonya, are returning to Chicagoland with two of their daughters, Kalyana and Indira, while their eldest daughter, Sandhya, is attending college in Oklahoma.
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John Graff, a partner in HRW’s education and litigation practice groups, is a nationally recognized higher education attorney with extensive experience advising colleges and universities on matters unique to higher education, including Title IX compliance, investigations and litigation; representation in United States Department of Education Clery Act compliance reviews and OCR investigations; and all matters related to student affairs operations. John also provides operations consulting to campus law enforcement agencies throughout the country concerning all aspects of police operations. John frequently collaborates with higher education industry trade organizations and clients throughout the country to provide Clery Act, Title IX, and campus law enforcement policy development. In addition, John provides counsel and training to college and university attorneys, administrators, and police officers. In 2014, John’s work on Clery and Title IX matters earned him the honor of being selected to serve on an advisory committee to two delegates from the National Association of College and University Attorneys participating in the federal negotiated rule making process concerning the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (“VAWA”) regulations. Following publication of the VAWA regulations, John served on a committee advising those same delegates regarding updates to the United States Department of Education’s Handbook for Campus Safety and Security Reporting (2016 Edition). In addition to his higher education practice, John is an experienced trial attorney, representing clients in non-compete and trade secret disputes, defending against employment claims, litigating fiduciary and probate matters, litigating breach of contract and consumer protection claims, and defending institutions against personal injury claims. In 2019, John started HRW’s Higher Ground podcast – the first podcast focusing solely on legal issues in higher education. Episodes are available on both iTunes and Spotify.
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Melissa Jackson Holloway serves as Vice Chancellor and General Counsel for North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, the nation’s largest Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Greensboro, N.C. At North Carolina A&T, Melissa provides legal counsel as the university’s senior attorney and maintains responsibility for the supervision and administration of the Division of Legal Affairs, Risk, and Compliance which consists of the Legal Affairs, Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance, Title IX, and Internal Auditing. Before joining N.C. A&T in 2019, she spent three years as Deputy General Counsel at Ball State University, six years as General Counsel at North Carolina Central University, and eight years as Chief Legal Affairs Officer at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Prior to entering the practice of higher education law, Melissa spent four years as an associate with Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Melissa is a 2022 alum of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities’ Millennium Leadership Initiative 2022 cohort, serves on several local non-profit boards, and is a life member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Melissa has been a NACUA member since 2001. During her 23 years as a NACUA volunteer, she has served as Chair and Chair-Elect of the NACUA Board of Directors and as a member of numerous NACUA committees with leadership roles as Vice Chair of Committee on Legal Education and Vice Chair and Chair of Committee on Membership and Member Services. Melissa is also a frequent moderator and presenter at NACUA workshops, conferences, and Lawyers New to Higher Education workshop. Additionally, she currently serves as an instructor for the Fundamentals of FERPA online course. Melissa served as an at-large member of the NACUA Board of Directors from 2016-2019 and is a 2020 recipient of NACUA’s Distinguished Service Award. Melissa holds a B.A. from Syracuse University, an M.A. from Binghamton University, and her J.D., with honors, from the University of Wisconsin School of Law.
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Janet P. Judge is Partner at Education & Sports Law Group. An active member since 2004, Janet has served as a speaker, moderator, and discussion group leader at more than 25 NACUA events and is a member of its Committee on Programming for the Annual Conference. She also is an instructor for NACUA’s Title IX Coordinators Training and co-presented NACUA’s briefing on Title IX and Challenges to Sex-Based Scholarships. A co-author of the NCAA Manual on Gender Equity, and a contributing author of the NCAA’s Toolkit on Sexual Violence, and HazingPrevention.Org’s A Coach’s Guide to Hazing Prevention, Janet also serves on the Board of Editors for the Boston Bar Journal, the Board of Directors for HazingPrevention.Org and is a member of the American Medical Society for Sports Medicine’s Task Force on Sexual Violence and Harassment in Sport. She formerly served on the Board for USA Ultimate, as Vice Chair of the Visiting Committee to Oversee Harvard Athletics, and as an appointed member of the Special Independent Commission on Title IX Resources and Programs for the University of Tennessee. Janet is a graduate of Harvard College and Boston University School of Law. Following law school, Janet clerked for Judge Stahl on the First Circuit Court of Appeals. She is a former recipient of NACUA’s First Decade Award.
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Clients turn to Dan because he is an outstanding litigator and a trusted advisor on employment, higher education, and other issues. His deep knowledge of employment law and higher education, exceptional judgment, and strategic advice enable clients to achieve their goals. Colleges and universities, businesses, and other clients rely on Dan’s proven litigation experience and proactive counsel on myriad issues, including: discrimination and harassment; hiring, disciplining and terminating employees; retaliation; disability; wage and hour; and litigation avoidance. Dan’s work is regularly honored by regional and national ranking organizations. He is recognized by Chambers USA as a Leading Labor & Employment Lawyer, holds an AV® (preeminent/highest) rating from Martindale-Hubbell®, and is listed in The Best Lawyers in America (2012-present), Midwest’s Best Lawyers (2021-prsent), Illinois Super Lawyers (2006-present), and Chicago’s Top-Rated Lawyers (Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal).
Dan is a member of the NACUA Board, has served on numerous NACUA committees, and has spoken at many NACUA and other conferences. Dan also has taught Law & Ethics in Higher Education in Northwestern University’s Masters in Higher Education program.
Dan’s passion for service also includes serving as a Highland Park, IL City Councilperson (2011-2021). The Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association recognized Dan’s dedication to service with the “Award for Excellence in Pro Bono Service” in 2010.
Dan also has held various leadership roles at Michael Best, including serving as one of the leaders of the Higher Education Group, as Chair of the Labor & Employment Relations Group, previously serving as a member of the Management Committee, and serving twice as the Managing Partner of the Chicago Office. Dan served as Law Clerk to the Honorable Charles L. Levin, Michigan Supreme Court, from Fall 1986 to Fall 1987.
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Shelley is Of Counsel at Bond, Schoeneck & King, and for more than 40 years, has represented colleges and universities, independent and charter schools, social service agencies, cultural organizations, and nonprofit entities. Shelley began her legal career in the labor department of Proskauer Rose, LLP, and served for a decade as General Counsel and Secretary at Pratt Institute in New York. Her representation of higher education institutions has included serving as primary outside counsel to specialized work in defined areas for traditional and specialized undergraduate, professional and graduate institutions. She has counseled them with regard to labor and employment matters, collective bargaining, faculty issues, student matters, discrimination, compliance, corporate transactional projects, governance and acquiring and maintaining NYS regulatory authority and accreditation. Shelley was a member of the NACUA Board from 1992-1995, served as the Co-coordinator of the NYNACUA Affinity Group for more than 30 years and has presented at numerous NACUA Annual Conferences, NACUA CLE meetings and NACUA Lawyers New To Higher Education. Shelley served as a mediator for the United States District Court, Southern District of New York and as an Assistant Counsel for the NY Governor's Judicial Screening Committee. Shelley taught for years as an adjunct at New York University, and she holds a doctoral degree in higher education from Rutgers University.
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Art M. Lee is the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the University of Arizona. Mr. Lee works on the full range of issues and matters across the entire University of Arizona enterprise, including transactional, student and employment, international, health sciences, expressive activity, and information security and privacy, among other areas. Mr. Lee joined the University of Arizona in 2013 as an Associate General Counsel. Previously, Mr. Lee served as an Associate General Counsel with Arizona State University for over nine years. Prior to that, he served as a Senior Legal Staff Associate Attorney at the University of Colorado. Before his practice in higher education, Mr. Lee was in private practice as an Associate with an insurance and employment defense law firm in Denver, Colorado. Mr. Lee is active with the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) and has been active within the community, including serving as a past president and past member of the board of directors of both the Arizona Asian American Bar Association and the Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Mr. Lee graduated from the University of Chicago in 1990 (A.B. Politics, Economics, Rhetoric & Law) and the University of Colorado School of Law in 1993 (J.D.). Mr. Lee is admitted to practice law in the States of Arizona and Colorado and before the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
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Barbara provides higher education clients with legal counsel in all aspects of education law, including academic and student affairs, faculty tenure and promotion, diversity hiring initiatives, governance issues and sexual harassment issues. Prior to joining Bond, Barbara was Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Rutgers University where she continues on as a Distinguished Professor of Human Resource Management. Barbara co-authored, and for decades regularly updated, the treatise, The Law of Higher Education, considered one of the most recognized treatises on higher education law in the country. She is a prolific author of other innumerable scholarly books and articles, including A Legal Guide for Student Affairs Professionals, and Academics in Court: The Consequences of Faculty Discrimination Litigation, as well as over 100 articles on employment discrimination and higher education issues. She is a former director for the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), is a regular speaker for the organization and is currently editor of NACUA’s Journal of College and University Law. She frequently serves as an expert as a result of her experience in faculty employment matters and investigations across the country, especially as relates to discrimination. In addition to her academic experience, Barbara is also the former chair of the New Jersey Bar Association’s Higher Education Committee.
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Xinning Shirley Liu is the President of XL Law and Consulting PA, where she concentrates her practice on higher education and international law. She regularly advises higher education institutions on operating educational activities in China. Shirley has experience implementing a wide array of international programs and has advised on a variety of regulatory and transactional matters. She also assists clients in the strategic design and implementation of their global portfolios and helps address local compliance concerns, from labor and IP, to taxation and data privacy matters. Shirley formerly worked in-house at the Office of the General Counsel at Florida International University. Before that, she clerked at the US Securities Exchange Commission and practiced in the Corporate, Securities, and Tax Group of Carlton Fields. A current member of the NACUA Board of Directors and a First Decade Award recipient, Shirley has authored multiple publications and volunteered for different NACUA committees, including the Committee on Program for Annual Conference, Committee on Membership and Member Services, Committee on Legal Education, and the NACUANOTES Editorial Board. An advocate of diversity and equity issues in higher education, she also serves on the NACUA Board Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusivity. Additionally, she leads the Asian American/Pacific Islander Attorneys Affinity Group and the China Activities and Programs Affinity Group. Shirley is a frequent speaker on issues related to international higher education at NACUA, the Association of International Educators (NAFSA), the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), the Association of International Education Administrators (AIEA), and EDUCAUSE conferences. Additionally, Shirley is a member of the Florida Bar, where she serves on the Education Law Committee, International Law Section, Business Law Section, and Government Law Section. Born in China, Shirley is fluent in Mandarin and Fujianese. She received her BA and BBA from the University of Miami, and her JD from the University of Florida. She was a former Fulbright scholar to China in the areas of law and economic development, and a National Security Education Program (NSEP) Boren Scholar to Beijing and Hong Kong.
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Dickens “Deke” Mathieu is the general counsel and secretary at Trinity College. As general counsel, Deke provides legal advice and counsel to the Board of Trustees and to the college senior leadership, covering the full breadth of legal and compliance issues that abound in higher education. As secretary, he is the primary administrative liaison to the Board of Trustees, and is chief administrative liaison to the Executive Committee and the Governance Committee. Deke has three decades of legal experience in higher education, private law firm practice, and public service. He previously served as general counsel for Syracuse University and senior legal counsel for Tufts University. He worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Boston, MA, in the Criminal Division, prosecuting narcotics trafficking and money laundering. He began his legal career in 1993 at the law firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, in Washington, D.C. Deke earned a B.A. in political science from Amherst College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. He provides service to the National Association of College and University Attorneys and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; is a founding director of Discovering Justice, The James D. St. Clair Court Education Project; and is a life member and former director of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association.
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Steven J. McDonald was General Counsel at Rhode Island School of Design from 2002 until his retirement in 2021 and previously served as Associate Legal Counsel at The Ohio State University. He is the editor of The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act: A Legal Compendium; the author of articles on FERPA for the Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, and other publications; and a frequent speaker on FERPA. He began his legal career at Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, where he represented CompuServe in Cubby v. CompuServe, the first online libel case, and he also has taught courses in Internet law at Ohio State's College of Law and at Capital University Law School. He also is a Fellow and past member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and a recipient of its Distinguished Service Award. He received his A.B. from Duke University and his J.D. from the Yale Law School. In State, ex rel. Thomas v. The Ohio State University, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that he really is a lawyer.
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Bill Mullowney serves as Vice President for Policy and General Counsel for Valencia College in Orlando, Florida. He serves as Valencia's chief legal officer and as its lobbyist and legislative counsel to the executive and legislative branches of the State of Florida. He also serves as Program Chair for the biannual Community College Conference on Legal Issues. He earned his B.B.A. degree from the University of Miami School of Business, and his J.D. and LL.M. degrees from the University of Miami School of Law. Prior to his position at Valencia, Mr. Mullowney served as the chief legal officer at Whittier College in California and before that as University Ombudsman at the University of Miami. While at Whittier, Mr. Mullowney also served as an Adjunct Professor of Law at the Whittier Law School, where he taught classes in Sports Law and Higher Education Law. While at Miami, he helped launch the university's Student Honor Code and also served as an Associate Faculty Master at the Hecht Residential College. Mr. Mullowney is a member of the Florida Bar and the State Bar of California. He is Florida Bar Board Certified as a specialist in Education Law. He is a member of the Florida Association of Professional Lobbyists, and is certified as a Designated Professional Lobbyist. He has completed three elected terms of service on the Board of Directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), serving as a member-at-large, then as Secretary, and most recently as the Chair of the Board. He also has served on the Boards of the Florida Colleges Activities Association, the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC), and the AFC Foundation. He also serves on the Florida Bar's Education Law Committee. He has spoken on issues regarding higher education law at numerous state and national panel discussions and conferences.
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Olabisi “Bisi” Okubadejo currently serves as Associate Vice President of Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Compliance at Georgetown University. Prior to transitioning to Georgetown, Bisi was Of Counsel at Ballard Spahr LLP, where her practice focused on civil rights and employment issues in higher education, particularly on matters arising from alleged discrimination on the basis of race, disability, religion, age, and sex, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. She has experience both as an attorney in private practice and as a supervisory attorney with the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Ms. Okubadejo has advised colleges and universities on their compliance with federal laws, including Title IX, the ADA, Section 504, the Clery Act, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination Act, FERPA, and Title VII. She has experience working with educational institutions and business entities on digital accessibility issues, including compliance with government settlement agreements and ensuring the accessibility of websites and course materials. Ms. Okubadejo's experience includes providing interactive training on civil rights issues to coordinators, administrators, hearing panels/judicial boards, campus safety departments, and students. She also has significant experience conducting and overseeing internal investigations and program reviews of higher education institutions and other employers, and auditing policies and procedures.
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Nicole's practice primarily supports the research enterprise at Brown University. She advises on federal and state regulatory matters, sponsored research, research integrity, centers and institutes, export controls, lab safety, and medicine and health affairs. Nicole also provides counsel on intellectual property, conflicts of interest, and corporate governance issues. Prior to Brown, Nicole worked in the government contracts practice of a large international law firm in Washington, D.C. where she advised clients on a broad range of complex regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. She clerked for the U.S Court of Federal Claims and the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Nicole has a J.D., summa cum laude, from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and a B.A., cum laude, from Providence College. Nicole serves as an adjunct professor at Providence College, where she teaches legal writing.
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Stephanie S. Rosenberg is a Senior Associate General Counsel for the University of Arizona, where she has served since 2012. Her practice area focuses on business affairs, regulatory, and constitutional matters. Prior to joining the University, Ms. Rosenberg served as the General Counsel to the Humble Independent School District near Houston, Texas. In that capacity, Ms. Rosenberg advised the Superintendent and Board of Trustees on all legal matters affecting the district, including employee contract administration and labor laws, purchasing and contract issues, student discipline and education matters, policy development, and federal and state laws, regulations, and constitutional principles. Prior to joining Humble ISD, Ms. Rosenberg was an associate attorney in the Corporate Reorganization & Restructuring section of Bracewell LLP, where her practice concentrated in federal bankruptcy litigation and appeals. Ms. Rosenberg is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin (B.A., 1996), and the Villanova University School of Law (J.D., 2001, magna cum laude, Order of the Coif), where she served as the Editor-in-Chief for the Villanova Law Review. She is a member of the State Bar of Arizona and the National Association of College and University Attorneys. Ms. Rosenberg is licensed to practice in Arizona.
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Steve Sencer is Counsel at Ropes & Gray, LLP, and the former chief legal officer of Emory University and its affiliated health system. His practice focuses on counseling research universities and academic medical centers on legal, regulatory and business issues related to higher education, academic medicine, federally funded research and innovation.
Steve, who joined Ropes & Gray in 2023, has served as chair of the board of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, chair of the Legal Services Review Panel of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and a member of the General Counsel Committee of the American Association of Universities.
While at Emory, Steve was instrumental in the creation of Emory Innovations, Inc., and its wholly controlled drug development company, DRIVE, LLC, as well as the successful licensing of molnupiravir, a COVID-19 oral therapy.
Prior to joining Emory, Steve was in private practice in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. He was also an assistant district attorney in DeKalb County, Georgia.
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Omar A. Syed is Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Rice University. Omar received his A.B. with Special Honors in Public Policy Studies from The University of Chicago, and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School. Before joining Rice in 2022, Omar practiced civil litigation as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Minnesota, then served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Minneapolis, where he led federal investigations and prosecuted federal narcotics, violent and economic crimes, then served the University of Texas System for 15 years, most recently as its Associate Vice Chancellor and Deputy General Counsel. Omar is also a first-generation American.
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Raina joined Stanford in 2021,
where she oversees Enterprise Risk Management, Internal Audit, Compliance,
Privacy, Information Security, and Insurance, and reports to three Stanford
boards. Her 30-year career with global professional services firms included
serving on the elected Board of Partners. Working primarily with
mission-focused organizations, including higher education, academic medicine,
government contractors, and professional services, Raina started her career at
Arthur Andersen and led her own consulting practice that specialized in
strategic planning, executive coaching, and organizational development. She
serves on the advisory board of Rohirrim, and is a Certified Public Accountant,
Certified Information Systems Auditor, and Certified Internal Auditor.
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Michelle serves as Deputy General Counsel at Vanderbilt University, where she has been a member of the Office of the General Counsel since January 2020. Before that, Michelle worked in the education practice group at the international law firm Hogan Lovells, where she advised on high-profile transactional, complex litigation, government investigation, and regulatory compliance matters for universities and education-industry clients. Previously, while attending Yale Law School, Michelle served as an intern in the Yale University Office of General Counsel.
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Scott L. Warner is a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP. His passion for the educational mission of colleges and universities led him to take a job early in his legal career in the general counsel’s office at Northwestern University. He enjoyed the personal element of campus work as well: Legal matters in his office often involved the education of individual students or faculty research. In his private practice, Scott works exclusively with higher education institutions. His goal is to partner closely with clients, becoming a trusted advisor. Clients find that his deep understanding of the academic world comes through in his legal advice. Scott’s years in-house at Northwestern gave him firsthand familiarity with academia’s unique culture. He has extensive experience with the wide variety of legal issues that affect higher education, such as crisis management, board governance, faculty personnel, student affairs, and campus sexual assault and other compliance matters.
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Prior to joining Dartmouth’s OGC in 2017, Esther served as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Washington, assigned to the University of Washington in Seattle, and as a senior associate in the Washington, D.C. office of Hogan Lovells US LLP (formerly Hogan & Hartson). Esther has advised on a wide range of regulatory and transactional matters, including compliance with federal statutes and regulations on financial aid and student records, accreditation, civil rights, governance, and contracts with third-party service providers. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Harvard Law School, Esther clerked for Judge Gerald Bruce Lee of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and Judge Karen Nelson Moore of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit before entering practice.