Jerry D. Blakemore serves as General Counsel for the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Prior to his current position, which began January 2017, Mr. Blakemore served as Vice President and General Counsel at Southern Illinois University from July, 2004 through March, 2011 and as Vice President and General Counsel for Northern Illinois University from April, 2011 to December of 2016. Jerry has more than 25 years’ experience in higher education administration, policy development and the providing of legal services including 10 years as a member of the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
Mr. Blakemore is a graduate of Princeton University from which he received his B. A. Degree in Political Science. He was the 1976 recipient of the Princeton University Frederick Douglass Service Award for his community service. He is a graduate of the John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois and is licensed to practice law before the United States Supreme Court, the Illinois Supreme Court, as well as various Federal District and Appellate Courts.
Mr. Blakemore is currently Chair of the Board Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusiveness and a member of the Finance Committee of The National Association of College and University Attorneys (“NACUA”). Previous service in NACUA includes serving as a member of the Board of Directors for six years, Chair of the Advisory Committee on Compliance and Secretary of the Board of Directors. Mr. Blakemore is a recipient of the 2017 NACUA Distinguished Service Award.
Mr. Blakemore focuses his practice in the areas of governance, ethics, first amendment and compliance. His community and civic engagements include: Life Member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and serving as a mentor for UNCG Students.
Amy C. Foerster is the General Counsel and Chief of Staff at Bucknell University. Prior to joining Bucknell, Ms. Foerster was a partner with Saul Ewing LLP, where she was Co-Chair of the firm's Higher Education practice. In that capacity, she represented private and public colleges and universities across the country, serving as outside General Counsel for some and handling discrete projects for others. Prior to joining Saul Ewing, Ms. Foerster served as Senior Deputy Attorney General with the Civil Litigation Section of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Office of Attorney General. In this capacity, she defended Commonwealth agencies, including the State System of Higher Education, against lawsuits challenging the constitutionality and legality of their policies, programs and employment practices. Before joining the Office of Attorney General, Ms. Foerster was with the Pennsylvania Department of Education's Office of Chief Counsel, where she served as primary counsel to the Office of Post-secondary and Higher Education, but also handled matters involving K-12 education. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from Saint Mary's University of Winona, Minnesota, and her J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University. Amy served as an at-large member of the Board of Directors of NACUA from 2013-2016 and was a 2012 recipient of NACUA's First Decade Award.