Associate Dean for Experiential Learning

• Jan 2022 - Present

Professor & Director JD Externship Programs

• Jul 2019 - Present

Assistant Professor & Director of JD Externship Program

• Jul 2018 - Jul 2019

Assistant Professor

• Jul 2017 - Jul 2019

Federal Grant Manager

• Mar 2016 - Jun 2017

Primary liaison between Georgia Division of Family & Children Services (DFCS) and federal oversight bodies for multiple federal grants. Division lead on substantive projects. Extensive research, writing, and training responsibilities. • Responsible for ensuring adherence to federal guidance, program instructions, and program requirements for the Children’s Justice Act (CJA) and Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA), including supervising all components of annual reports and multi-year assessments. • Administer grants funds from development of Request for Proposal (RFP) and selection of grantees through contract creation, fund administration, oversight of activities, and reporting. • Represent DFCS on task forces and committees; serve as liaison between DFCS and federal, state and local agencies and non-profits. • Lead and/or participate in federal, state and community initiatives including ensuring compliance with the Federal Preventing Sex Trafficking Act and Georgia’s state laws addressing the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC). • Coordinate activities with Senior Executive management; assign segments of projects or studies and monitor performance and progress. • Remain abreast of all relevant policies, laws, and regulations that affect the Division and ensure operational strategies are consistent with these requirements. Show less

Associate Director of Career Services & Professional Development; Public Interest Specialist

• Jan 2012 - Feb 2016

Engaged in all aspects of career and professional development office including program management, data analysis and reporting, interdepartmental collaboration, training, outreach, and counseling. • Responsible for community outreach and development of both local and nationwide networks. • Public face of law school to existing and potential employers. • Specializing in public interest careers, including those focused on children and families. Engaged in all aspects of career and professional development office including program management, data analysis and reporting, interdepartmental collaboration, training, outreach, and counseling. • Responsible for community outreach and development of both local and nationwide networks. • Public face of law school to existing and potential employers. • Specializing in public interest careers, including those focused on children and families.

Assistant Professor & Director of Externships

• Aug 2010 - Dec 2011

Primary responsibility for law school externship program including managing and expanding placement opportunities, formulating budget recommendations, and general program management. Developed curriculum, taught courses, successfully proposed and implemented an online externship course. Tenure-track position with scholarship focused on child welfare law and policy. • Intensive community outreach and relationship building. • More than doubled program participation and placement options. Primary responsibility for law school externship program including managing and expanding placement opportunities, formulating budget recommendations, and general program management. Developed curriculum, taught courses, successfully proposed and implemented an online externship course. Tenure-track position with scholarship focused on child welfare law and policy. • Intensive community outreach and relationship building. • More than doubled program participation and placement options.

Policy Director

• 2009 - 2010

Lead on all policy decisions of holistic child advocacy organization including development of new policy around education of vulnerable children and enhancement of policies around access to health care, nutrition, and early childhood education; focus on best practices supported by empirical research. State-level lobbying, agency collaboration, training of grassroots level advocates. Community involvement included: Ready By 21 Team, Community Partnerships for the Protection of Children, Georgia Children’s Justice Act Advisory Committee, Division of Family & Children Services Policy Review Team. • Ensured community buy-in for vulnerable youth policy development. Gathered stakeholders, including local, state, and county officials, non-profit leaders, and business community members. • Built legislative relationships, testified before legislative committees, engaged with candidates and elected officials to ensure that public office holders advocated on behalf of children. • Extensive community outreach and development to foster collaboration and progress across organizations working on a wide-range of community development issues. Facilitator of Georgia Child Advocacy Network (G-CAN). Show less

Deputy Director Committee on Justice for Children

• 2005 - 2009

Deputy Project Director (2007-2009) • Measures for Courts Project Manager (2006-2007) • Managing Attorney (2005-2006) Increasing levels of responsibility for million dollar grant from the federal Administration for Children & Families. Extensive data analysis, research, writing, training, policy development, program and grant management. Education of child welfare system stakeholders. Member of Georgia’s Child and Family Services Review Team. Deep knowledge of child welfare and juvenile justice laws, child development, mental health and substance abuse, homelessness and diversity issues, family and community economic development work, and educational reform. Community involvement included: Fulton County Child Advocate Attorney Board, GA Children’s Justice Act Advisory Committee, GA CASA Program Committee, GA Association of Council for Children Executive Committee, Empowerment Foster Youth Advocacy Group advisor. • Primary facilitator of county-based community development summits held across the state to create action plans for improvement of county child welfare systems. o Ensured everyone from the Chief Justice of the State Supreme Court to local mayors, legislators, service providers, community volunteers, and youth felt engaged with community development efforts and committed to systemic reform. o Provided data analysis and regular follow-up to ensure efforts continued long after individual summits concluded. • Coordinated stakeholder meetings, trainings, and information updates during legislative sessions to ensure community awareness and support for legislative, regulatory, and policy changes. • Worked with national network to bring best practices to state and local level. Show less

Marshall Memorial Fellow

• 2007 - 2007

Awarded to emerging leaders from the U.S. and Europe to explore societies, institutions, and people on the other side of the Atlantic. Fellowship included travel in Europe and ongoing connections to leaders across the U.S. and Europe. Awarded to emerging leaders from the U.S. and Europe to explore societies, institutions, and people on the other side of the Atlantic. Fellowship included travel in Europe and ongoing connections to leaders across the U.S. and Europe.

Post Graduate Fellow in Law

• 2003 - 2005

Taught “Child Advocacy: The Law, The Policy & The Players.” Clinical supervisor: oversight of student research and legislative and community involvement. Extensive research, writing, and community education. Work included drafting initial grant proposal to launch Georgia juvenile code rewrite, co-authoring an article on a child’s right to legal representation in child welfare proceedings, and developing training around IDEA Part C evaluations of young children for developmental delays and on rights of homeless children. Show less

Student Attorney in Child Welfare Law

• May 2001 - May 2003

Student attorney on multiple cases; representation of children and parents; court experience including hearings, settlements, adoptions, releases, termination trials; coordination of joint clinical work with medical school and university children’s hospital. Student attorney on multiple cases; representation of children and parents; court experience including hearings, settlements, adoptions, releases, termination trials; coordination of joint clinical work with medical school and university children’s hospital.

Child Advocacy and Juvenile Justice Legal Extern

• Aug 2002 - Dec 2002

Trial preparation. Legal research and writing. Client advocacy. Extensive comparative law and multicultural work experience. Trial preparation. Legal research and writing. Client advocacy. Extensive comparative law and multicultural work experience.

Legal Intern in Midwest Regional Office

• May 2002 - Aug 2002

Extensive legal research and writing on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender issues as well as HIV/AIDS issues. Extensive legal research and writing on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender issues as well as HIV/AIDS issues.

Middle School Special Education Teacher/Technology Resource/Assistant to Head of School

• Aug 1997 - Jun 2000