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Ethical Obligations: Balancing Personal Beliefs and Professional Duties

Speaker Biographies

Youndy Cooke

Youndy Cook is Vice President and General Counsel at the University of Central Florida since December 2021, where she leads the Office of the General Counsel in providing legal services to the entire university and its direct support organizations.  As the chief legal officer for UCF and its related entities, Youndy reports to the President and the Board of Trustees and serves as a member of the senior leadership team, providing strategic legal support on all university matters. 

Youndy joined the UCF Office of the General Counsel in April 2002, where she served in different legal roles before being confirmed as vice president and general counsel in December 2021. Prior to joining UCF, she practiced labor and employment litigation at law firms in Tampa, Florida. As General Counsel, Youndy works with departments and units across the university on a wide variety of issues, including governance, sunshine and public records laws, employment, litigation, student affairs, general advice, administrative law, regulations, policies and procedures, and contracts.  She is responsible for managing the University’s legal affairs, providing advice on policy development, and overseeing the Office of General Counsel as well as all external counsel. 

A Baton Rouge, Louisiana, native, Youndy received her B.A., summa cum laude, from Vanderbilt University and her J.D., summa cum laude, from the University of Miami School of Law. She is active in the National Association of College and University Attorneys, currently serving as a Director on their Board.  She serves as a UCF representative on the Orlando Shakespeare Theater’s Board of Directors.  Youndy is also active in the Florida Bar (Education Law and Corporate Counsel Committees), and she has been certified by the Bar as an education law specialist since 2012.   



Richard Uchida

Richard Uchida is the Vice President, Secretary of the College, and General Counsel of Colby College in Maine. He serves as the College’s chief legal affairs officer, representing the College on legal and regulatory issues, providing a range of legal and risk management services, and overseeing the College’s work with outside counsel. As secretary of the college, he is also the principal liaison to the Board of Trustees and promotes, facilitates, and supports governance practices across the College to further its long-range strategic interests. At Colby College, he served as vice chair of the Board of Trustees for seven years. He was also a member of Colby’s 2013 presidential search committee and served on multiple trustee committees and task forces while on the Board.  

Prior to Colby, Uchida was a partner in Hinckley, Allen & Snyder, a law firm with offices in Manchester, NH, Boston, Hartford, Albany, New York City, and Providence, focusing on real estate development and representation of attorneys and firms in ethics matters. He earned his law degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law, where he also served as an adjunct professor and a trustee. Richard also served as president of the New Hampshire Bar Association from 2005-2006, and was a member of the Association’s Board of Governors for over a decade. He was also chair of the New Hampshire Supreme Court Commission on Access to Justice, and a member of the New Hampshire Judicial Council. Richard also served on a number of bar and court committees during his time in New Hampshire. Richard has served on panels for a number of NACUA events and is a member of the Association of Governing Board’s Council of Board Professionals.