Janet Decker, J.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Indiana University

Janet Decker is an associate professor in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at Indiana University. Her research focuses on legal and policy issues in special education and legal literacy of educators and administrators. Her publications include two books: The Legal Rights of School Leaders, Teachers, and Students, 8th ed. and How to Prevent Special Education Litigation: Eight Legal Lesson Plans and two edited books: The Principal's Legal Handbook and A Guide to Special Education Law.

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Anastasia Morrone, Ph.D.

School of Education Dean, Indiana University

Anastasia S. Morrone is Dean and Professor of Educational Psychology. As Professor of Educational Psychology, Morrone teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in educational psychology, adolescent development, and psychology of teaching. Her current research interests focus on technology-rich, active learning environments that promote student motivation and learning.

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Vanessa Miller, J.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Indiana University

Vanessa Miller, J.D., Ph.D. (she/her) is an Assistant Professor of Education Law at the Indiana University Bloomington School of Education. She is an interdisciplinary critical scholar whose work focuses on race and the law, school and university police, and the role of the courts in education law and policy. She holds Affiliate Status at the Indiana University Center for Research on Race and Ethnicity in Society (CRRES) and the Indiana University Center for Evaluation and Education Policy (CEEP).

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Chad Lochmiller, Ph.D.

Education Leadership & Policy Studies Department Chair, Indiana University

Chad is an Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Chair of the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the IU School of Education. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Washington (Seattle) in 2010 with a specialization in leadership, policy, and organizations. Chad's research focuses on issues related to K-12 educational leadership and policy. In particular, he examines how leaders develop capacity to implement changes in teaching and learning in light of increasing expectations for school and district performance.

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Monica Conrad, J.D.

Director, Lewis Kappes Attorneys at Law

Monica Conrad is a director at Lewis Kappes where she advises schools and municipalities in the areas of labor and employment law throughout Indiana. Monica has extensive experience representing schools in special education matters, collective bargaining, labor arbitration and mediation, employment discrimination, civil rights, board governance, student issues, and unfair labor practices. Prior to practicing law, Monica was a special education administrator and educator.

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Andrew Manna, J.D.

Partner, Church Church Hittle + Antrim Attorneys at Law

Andrew Manna represents clients in matters associated with labor and employment law, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and other matters. He engages in the defense of school corporations against claims under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), First Amendment and other constitutional and civil rights law matters. He also represents schools with respect to general school policy review.

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Ryan Merriwether

Chief Administrative Officer, Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation

Ryan Merriwether serves as the Chief Administrative Officer for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation (EVSC) where he supervises six traditional middle schools, one junior high school and one alternative middle school. Prior to this position, he served as a middle and high school math teacher, middle and high school Assistant Principal, and middle school Principal.

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Séamus Boyce, J.D.

Partner, Kroger Gardis & Regas, LLP

Séamus is a Partner at Kroger Gardis and Regas LLP, where he focuses his practice on education and public policy. His practice is unique in that he frequently advises clients on day-to-day issues which stem from education, but also helps his clients navigate the Indiana Statehouse and advance their policy priorities. Séamus’ clientele extends from public school corporations to statewide associations. Séamus received his bachelor’s degree from Wabash College; he then went to the University of New Hampshire School of Law where he concurrently earned both a law degree and master’s degree in education law.

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Ed Darden, J.D.

Senior Program Officer at Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Adjunct Professor, Indiana University

Edwin Darden is a Senior Program Officer with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, based in Washington, D.C. As the state lead In New York State and New York City, he is responsible for devising the policy, advocacy, communications and governmental relations strategies for K-12 and higher education. The foundation’s aim is to increase opportunities for all students – especially Black, Latinx and low-income students – to graduate from high school and succeed in college and careers. As a grantmaker, Edwin has invested more than $26 million to seed positive change.

Edwin specializes in issues of education law and policy. In particular, he emphasizes federal statutes, the Constitution, and the key intersection of poverty, equity, and opportunity. Prior to the Gates Foundation Edwin was a national consultant with the Education Advocacy Firm and founder of the Practical Education Law Team. Before that he was director of Education Law and National Network Collaboration with Appleseed, a network of public interest justice centers in 16 states and Mexico. He also served as Senior Staff Attorney with the National School Boards Association, writing briefs for the U.S. Supreme Court and federal appeals courts.

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Chris Thomas, J.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, University of Florida

Christopher D. Thomas, J.D., Ph.D., has been a high school English teacher, a school attorney, and he is currently an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Florida. Along with Dr. Jamie Kudlats at UNC Charlotte, Dr. Thomas also co-hosts Chalk & Gavel, an education law podcast that explores how the law shapes education, one case at a time. Dr. Thomas's research explores the intersection of education law, policy, and practice, with special attention to issues of democratic governance and participation. He is the author of Reclaiming Democratic Education: Student and Teacher Activism and the Future of Education Policy, which received the Education Law Association's 2022 Stephen S. Goldberg Award for outstanding scholarship in the field of Education Law

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Tiffany Puckett, J.D., Ph.D.

Attorney at Law

Tiffany Puckett is an associate professor at Northern Illinois University, an attorney, and a DEI and cultural competence consultant. Prior to becoming a professor, she was an attorney for Baltimore City Public Schools and District of Columbia Public Schools. Tiffany has published multiple articles and chapters about education law and cultural competence. She has a Ph.D. in Education Policy, Organization, and Leadership, and a J.D., both from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Miranda Johnson, J.D.

Clinical Professor of Law; Director, Education Law & Policy Institute

Miranda Johnson is a clinical professor of law and the director of the Education Law and Policy Institute at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She teaches courses in education law and in child and family law and supervises law students in the representation of parents and students in school discipline, special education, and bullying cases. Professor Johnson’s expertise and analysis on education law and policy issues has been featured in various media, including WBEZ (Chicago’s NPR affiliate), Chicago Tribune, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and The Hill. Her areas of research and scholarship include school discipline and school policing reform and race and disability equity. She has presented at national conferences and training programs in Illinois on prevention-oriented approaches to reduce the use of exclusionary school discipline practices.

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Amy Steketee Fox, J.D.

Partner, Church Church Hittle + Antrim

Amy devotes a significant portion of her practice to assisting schools, colleges and universities navigate an increasingly complex legal environment in order to promote their institutional goals, while ensuring compliance and mitigating exposure. Amy advises on a variety of legal matters including student disability issues, employment matters and labor negotiations, public access laws, FERPA and other records requirements, policy review, Title IX and other civil rights laws, and student discipline.

Amy’s practice also includes assisting public and private employers with all phases of the employment relationship from hiring, to advising on employee medical and leave issues and conducting workplace investigations, to defending unemployment claims.

In addition to providing training and day-to-day client counseling, Amy defends educational institutions and employers in federal and state court proceedings and before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), and other administrative agencies.

Prior to attending law school, Amy worked in public education as a social studies teacher with Teach for America in the Mississippi Delta and as a guidance counselor and coach in northern Indiana.

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Allison Fetter-Harrott, J.D., Ph.D.

Part-time of counsel, Church, Church, Hittle & Antrim; Williams Chair in Law & Public Service, Franklin College

Alli Fetter-Harrott is the Williams Chair in Law & Public Service at Franklin College, where she teaches courses in education law and coaches an award-winning undergraduate moot court team. She is part-time of counsel at Church, Church, Hittle & Antrim.

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