Catherine Spear joined the University of Southern California (USC) in late August 2020 to serve in the new role of Vice President for the Office of Equity, Equal Opportunity, and Title IX (EEO-TIX). She also serves as the Title IX Coordinator. She is responsible for managing the University’s response to all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation involving faculty, staff, and students related to a protected characteristic. She also leads related proactive education and outreach programs that promote a safe and inclusive environment for all University community members, and leads USC’s Affirmative Action and other equity programs. Prior to USC, Spear served in a similar role as Associate Vice President for the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights at the University of Virginia and was Stanford University’s first full-time Title IX Coordinator. Prior to higher education, Spear worked for 19 years at the Cleveland office for the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, including as Chief Attorney and the last five years as Director. She started her legal career at a litigation firm before switching her focus to public service and higher education. She has a Juris Doctorate degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Dayton.
Farnaz Thompson is Partner at McGuireWoods LLP and is a skilled litigator with extensive experience in representing employers and institutions of higher education, including academic medical centers, in breach of contract, constitutional, discrimination, and tort litigation. She has conducted investigations, advised clients on employment and education laws, and represented them before federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Education.
Farnaz successfully has defended employers, state agencies, government officials, and institutions of higher education in over 30 civil actions as first chair before federal and state courts as well as trial and appellate courts. Farnaz also has advised clients on investigations under civil rights laws such as Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Her deep knowledge of education laws and regulations includes the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended; accreditation; borrower defense to repayment; gainful employment; financial responsibility standards; FERPA and other privacy laws; the Clery Act; and the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).
Prior to joining McGuireWoods, Farnaz served as the Deputy General Counsel for Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education and also as in-house counsel at the University of Virginia. She advised the U.S. Department of Education on litigation strategy and worked closely with the U.S. Department of Justice in cases arising under federal antidiscrimination laws and the Administrative Procedure Act. Government officials also relied on her close counsel in preparation for congressional investigations and hearings. At the University of Virginia, she advised University officials on federal education and employment laws and represented the University and its academic medical center in litigation. She also drafted the University’s antidiscrimination and conduct policies, including free speech policies.
She began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Eric G. Bruggink, Senior Judge, U.S. Court of Federal Claims, and later as a law clerk to the Honorable Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., the former Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Virginia.