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Omar Syed is Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary for Rice University. He joined Rice in 2022. Omar received his A.B. from The University of Chicago in 1996 and his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1999. Before
joining Rice, Omar served The University of Texas System for 15 years, most recently as Associate Vice Chancellor and Deputy General Counsel. Earlier in his career, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in Minneapolis, an Assistant
Attorney General for the State of Minnesota, and an associate for an oil and gas law firm in Austin, Texas. Omar serves on the NACUA Board of Directors, the campus advisory council for the Liberal Arts and Science Academy High School,
and the Region XII Advisory Committee for the Hispanic National Bar Association. He is a first-generation American.
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Barbara Lee is a Distinguished Professor of Human Resource Management at Rutgers University, where she previously served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of the School of Management and Labor Relations, and Associate Provost.
She also is Of Counsel to the firm of Bond, Schoeneck & King. Barbara co-authored, and for decades regularly updated, the treatise, The Law of Higher Education. She has written over 100 scholarly books and articles, including A Legal
Guide for Student Affairs Professionals, and Academics in Court: The Consequences of Faculty Discrimination Litigation. She is a former member of the board of directors of NACUA and is a NACUA Fellow. Barbara is a regular speaker for NACUA
programs and is currently editor of NACUA's Journal of College and University Law. She frequently serves as an expert for her experience in faculty discipline matters and investigations across the country, especially as relates to discrimination.
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Shelley specializes in the representation of colleges and universities, independent and charter schools, social service agencies, cultural organizations and nonprofit entities; she has been practicing law for more than forty years. Shelley
began her legal career in the labor department of Proskauer Rose, LLP, and served for a number of years as General Counsel and Secretary at Pratt Institute in New York. Shelley represents a number of higher education institutions
providing services ranging from serving as primary outside counsel to specialized work in defined areas. Her institutions include traditional and specialized undergraduate, professional and graduate institutions. She counsels 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 works extensively with charter schools and charter networks on obtaining and maintaining charter authority, personnel and student matters, discrimination, governance and compliance. She represents a number of independent schools
in the New York metropolitan area with regard to employment issues, governance, student affairs, corporate compliance, discrimination matters and regulatory oversight. Her representation of major social service providers has included client
and employment issues, corporate governance and compliance, transactional matters and the issues that arise from providing government funded services. Shelley counsels cultural institutions, nonprofit entities and foundations on issues
dealing with regulatory oversight, educational activities and programs for minors. Shelley served as the Co-coordinator of the NYNACUA Affinity Group for more than thirty years and has presented at numerous NACUA Annual Conferences
and at NACUA CLE meetings. She speaks regularly on law and higher education issues, including labor relations and employment law, sexual harassment and discrimination, students with disabilities and governance. She provides staff training
in conducting investigations and handling discrimination matters and assists boards with issues of corporate compliance. Shelley has served as a mediator for the United States District Court, Southern District of New York and she served
previously as an Assistant Counsel for the New York Governor's Judicial Screening Committee.
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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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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 Office of Legal Affairs, the Office of Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance, the Title IX Office, and the Office 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 Office 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 member of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Millennium Leadership Initiative 2022 cohort and serves on several local non-profit boards. Melissa has been a NACUA member since 2001. During her 21 years as a NAUCA volunteer, she has served as a member of the Committee on Program for Annual Conference, Committee on Board Operations, Board Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusivity, 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. She currently serves as Chair-Elect of the NACUA Board of Directors. 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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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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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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Lili Palacios-Baldwin is Deputy General Counsel for Labor, Employment and Litigation at Tufts University. Lili began her legal career in the Boston office of Robinson & Cole LLP where she practiced in the areas of land use, real estate, labor and employment law. After R&C, she worked as a Trial Attorney with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) where she practiced for almost ten years, the last few as a Senior Trial Attorney with responsibility for litigating cases throughout the New York District Office (New England, New York, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands). After leaving the EEOC, Lili continued her law practice with the law firm of Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP in Boston and joined the Tufts University Office of University Counsel in 2013. Lili has been a member of NACUA since 2012 and is an active member of the Latino Lawyers Affinity Group, of which she served as co-chair from 2018-2020. She is also the recipient of the NACUA First Decade Award (2020). In addition to her service to NACUA, she is active in the Boston Bar Association, and with the advisory board of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions. Lili is also active in other professional and community organizations including serving as a volunteer to the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts of Massachusetts, as a board member for Breakthrough Greater Boston, and as a member of the Women's Bar Association and the Mindfulness in Law Society. Lili is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University and Northeastern University School of Law.
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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, municipalities, and other clients rely on Dan’s proven litigation experience and proactive counsel on a broad range of issues, including: discrimination and harassment suits; hiring, disciplining and terminating employees; retaliation and whistleblower claims; medical leaves and disability; restructuring issues; wage and hour matters; 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-present), Illinois Super Lawyers (2006-present), and Chicago’s Top-Rated Lawyers (Chicago Tribune and Wall Street Journal). Dan also has been selected to be a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Dan is a member of the NACUA Board, has served on numerous NACUA committees, and has spoken at many NACUA conferences. He also has taught Law & Ethics in Higher Education in Northwestern University’s Masters in Higher Education program. Dan is passionate about service, including serving as a Highland Park, IL City Councilperson (2011-21). 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 a past 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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Bill Ferreira heads the firm's Global Government Contracts and Education Practice. As a leader on government grants, contracts, and international projects, Bill helps companies, universities, hospitals, academic medical centers, and organizations doing business with the U.S. government and abroad. Plugged into federal grants and contracts, Bill works extensively 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, False Claims Act matters, and compliance with the OMB Uniform Guidance and Federal Acquisition Regulation. In addition to clinical trial agreements and commercialization initiatives, Bill has handled groundbreaking scientific research collaborations nationally and internationally. 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 innovative 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. Bill serves on the firm's Africa leadership team and speaks regularly about strategic issues at the forefront of globalization of higher education, scientific research, and government grants.
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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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R. Yvette Clark is Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Southern New Hampshire University. She previously served as General Counsel at Cambridge College and at Stephen F. Austin State University, and as Assistant General Counsel at the University of North Texas and the University of North Texas Health Science Center. Yvette was appointed by Texas Governor Ann Richards to the Texas Guarantee Student Loan Board; she served as President of the Texas Association of Chicanos in Higher Education and the Texas Association of State University Attorneys; served on the Board of Directors of Hospice of Nacogdoches. Yvette currently serves on the Board of the National Association of College and University Attorneys and is a member of the New England Board of Higher Education SARA Regional Steering Committee. Yvette holds a B.A. from Yale University and her J.D. from University of Texas School of Law.
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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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Nelson regularly advises corporations, private and public universities, other independent research institutions, engineering and medical societies and other organizations around the world on export control, economic sanctions and national security matters and on international technology law issues. A partner in Dorsey's Corporate group, Chair of the National Security Law practice and co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific practice, Nelson has substantial experience in counseling e-commerce, semiconductor, electronics, computer hardware and software, and biomedical and biotechnology companies with special expertise in domestic and international technology licensing, outsourcing and manufacturing in Asia and U.S. export control matters. He has frequently written about intellectual property law, U.S. export control law, technology related business transactions between the U.S. and Asian or European countries, international strategic alliances, the Exon-Florio law on foreign investments in U.S. technology companies, university-based technology transfer, academic entrepreneurship, academic conflicts of interest and the financing and organization of high technology businesses. He has lectured on such topics throughout the United States and in Austria, Canada, England, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and the People’s Republic of China.
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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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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 COP/C, the athletics directors and the general counsels at the 14 Big Ten Conference member institutions and serve as a strategic advisor to Commissioner Warren and the conference. He also works hand-in-hand with Big Ten Conference Chief of Staff and Deputy General Counsel Adam Neuman. Gollahalli joined the conference from the University of Oklahoma, where he served as vice president and general counsel for fourteen 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. He 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 University of Oklahoma 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 the University of Oklahoma 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, will be beginning her college career in the fall.
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Art M. Lee is the Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the University of Arizona. He is based primarily at the UA Phoenix Biomedical Campus. Mr. Lee handles a variety of matters, including providing general legal counsel and advice to constituents at the Phoenix Biomedical Campus in addition to the rest of the University. Prior to joining the University of Arizona in September of 2013, Mr. Lee was an Associate General Counsel with Arizona State University. Prior to that, he served as a Senior Legal Staff Associate Attorney at the University of Colorado. Mr. Lee was in private practice before that, working with a boutique insurance and employment defense law firm in Denver, Colorado. While at ASU and CU, he handled a diverse array of legal matters and issues ranging from employment and student-related matters to contracts and procurement to First Amendment and copyright and trademark to information security. Mr. Lee is a past president and past member of the board of directors of the Arizona Asian American Bar Association and the Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Mr. Lee was 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 State of Arizona and the State of Colorado and before the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
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Stephanie S. Rosenberg joined the University of Arizona Office of the General Counsel in June of 2012. Her practice area focuses on bunisness, transactional, 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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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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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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Elizabeth Conklin, J.D., joined Yale University in the inaugural role of associate vice president for Institutional Equity, Access, and Belonging in September 2020. In this role, 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 Access (OIEA), Student Accessibility Services (SAS), and the Office of LGBTQ Resources. Elizabeth’s work also focuses on ensuring 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 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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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.