Dr. Eric T. Butler, a member of Bricker Graydon’s Higher Education team, advises colleges and universities on compliance, governance, accreditation, and policy development, bringing a deep understanding of institutional operations and regulatory frameworks. Eric has extensive experience in higher education law, civil rights, administrative law, and public policy.
Prior to joining the firm, Eric served as Associate General Counsel to the Secretary of the Air Force, where he was the Air Force General Counsel’s lead counsel to the U.S. Air Force Academy. In that role, he advised senior leadership on academic program development, athletics, government ethics, fiscal law, and legislative policy. He also played a key role in facilitating major institutional initiatives, including the $90 million renovation of Falcon Stadium and the development of federal administrative policy on copyright for academy civilian faculty members.
Eric also previously served as Assistant Attorney General for Higher Education in Colorado, where he provided legal counsel to public postsecondary institutions, focusing on Title IX compliance, civil rights, and litigation. Additionally, he has held leadership positions at John Carroll University and the University of Denver, where he oversaw Title IX compliance, developed institutional policies, and led strategic initiatives on gender equity.
Eric earned his Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education from Texas Tech University, his Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Northern Kentucky University, and his Bachelor of Arts in International Politics, summa cum laude, from The University of Akron. His insights on higher education law and policy have appeared in publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, and Colorado Public Radio.
Bindu Jayne currently serves as the Title IX Coordinator at Swarthmore College, where she is charged with coordinating the College’s centralized review, investigation, and resolution of reports of sexual assault and harassment and gender-based inequity. For over a decade, Bindu has worked in the equity and diversity space in higher education at such institutions as the University of Delaware, Appalachian State University, and Rowan University. In those positions, she oversaw offices responsible for responding to allegations of harassment and discrimination, providing educational opportunities about a variety of social justice initiatives, and creating inclusive campuses for students, faculty, and staff. Prior to her work in higher education, she began her legal career as an associate in the Philadelphia office of Morgan Lewis. Bindu received a B.A. from Cornell University, magna cum laude, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.
Janelle Ramsel has served as the Chief Legal Officer of Regis University since September 2020, and as the Secretary of the Board of Trustees since 2022. In this role, she advises the university on a wide variety of matters, including contracts, employment law, student affairs, compliance, policy work, and manages outside counsel on litigation matters. She previously served as the Assistant General Counsel and Title IX Coordinator at Valparaiso University, Title IX Coordinator for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Law Clerk for the University of Wisconsin System. Janelle has engaged in significant professional service and scholarship. She has taught Higher Education Law at Marquette University, and given presentations on Title IX to the Chicagoland Title IX Consortium, NAFSA, and AAUP. She is currently serving her fourth year on the NACUANOTES Editorial Board.
Janelle previously served as the District 1 Representative for the Young Lawyers Division of the Indiana State Bar, and as the District Nine Committee Member for the Wisconsin Office of Lawyer Regulation. Janelle also sat on the board for the nonprofit Girls on the Run of Northwest Indiana. Janelle received her B.A. from Valparaiso University. She received her MEdT from the University of Hawaii-Manoa while completing two years of AmeriCorps service through Teach for America. She received her JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, served as a Managing Editor for the Wisconsin Law Review, and received top honors from the Pro Bono Honor society for her commitment to Pro Bono work.
Janelle completed her PhD at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis with a dissertation titled “Addressing the 1:4 with IX in the B1G: How the Big 10 Interprets Federal Guidance into Student-on-Student Title IX Sexual Assault Policies.”