Title IX Now: New Insights on Investigations and Adjudications
 

Title IX Now:
New Insights on Investigations and Adjudications

Nov. 17-18, 2016
Washington, DC
The Kellogg Conference Center
at Gallaudet University


Register Now!

Training Speakers

Olabisi "Bisi" Ladeji Okubadejo, JD
Of Counsel, Ballard Spahr LLP

Olabisi "Bisi" Ladeji Okubadejo represents institutions of higher education in civil rights and employment matters, with a focus on matters arising from alleged discrimination on the basis of race, disability, age, religion, and sex, including sexual harassment and sexual violence. She has experience both as an attorney in private practice and with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). She advises clients on complying with federal laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act, Title IX, the Clery Act, the Violence Against Women’s Act (VAWA), FERPA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Age Discrimination Act.

At the Department of Education, Ms. Okubadejo was most recently an OCR Supervisory General Attorney, managing civil rights attorneys and equal opportunity specialist who investigated discrimination complaints against educational institutions. Ms. Okubadejo oversaw and conducted investigations of complaints alleging violations of Title IX, Title VI, Section 504, the ADA, and the Age Act; reviewed and revised policies and procedures; and provided technical assistance in-person and by telephone to colleges, universities, school districts, and the public on compliance with these laws.

Ms. Okubadejo advises colleges and universities on their obligations under Title IX, including with regard to OCR’s Dear Colleague letter and related guidance; on the roles of Title IX and Section 504 coordinators; and on obligations under the ADA, Section 504, and the Clery Act. She also assists educational institutions in coordinating overlapping responsibilities under these laws and with assessing compliance in light of recommendations from the White House Task Force to Prevent Sexual Assault. She provides interactive training on civil rights issues to coordinators, administrators, hearing panels/judicial boards, campus safety departments, and students. She conducts and oversees internal investigations of higher education institutions and other employers.

 
Hillary Pettegrew, JD
Senior Risk Management Counsel, United Educators

Hillary Pettegrew is a senior risk management counsel at United Educators (UE), the nation's leading liability insurer for colleges and universities. Since OCR’s Dear Colleague letter was released in 2011, a significant part of her work has included researching, writing, and advising UE member institutions about prevention of and response to campus sexual misconduct and violence. She is the author of several publications in UE’s Title IX and Beyond series, including “FAQs on Federal Laws and Guidance," "Campus Sexual Violence and the Confidentiality Conflict," “Federal Training Requirements for Employees," and "Federal Training Requirements for Students,” as well as “The Campus SaVE Act: A Compliance Guide.”

Ms. Pettegrew has moderated several UE webinars on campus sexual violence issues, including “Reducing Risk in Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Situations: Integrating Campus Threat Assessment with Campus SaVE Act Functions,” and “Confronting Campus Sexual Assault: An Examination of Higher Education Claims.” In addition, she has participated in researching several UE student-on-student sexual assault claims studies.

Prior to her work in risk management, Ms. Pettegrew served for eight years as a UE claims attorney, handling employee and student claims involving allegations of discrimination, civil rights violations, and related matters against member institutions. Prior to joining UE, she worked as a writer and editor for Research Institute of America Group and practiced employment law with the Washington, D.C. office of a large Chicago-based firm. 

 
Cherie A. Scricca, EdD
Title IX Consultant
Co-founder, Project IX, Inc.

Cherie Scricca has served institutions of higher education in leadership positions for more than 20 years. She is recognized for her entrepreneurial approach to program development and management, having created programs and academic initiatives drawing on the strengths of public and private partnerships.

For the past five years, Dr. Scricca has served as an independent consultant to colleges and universities on matters relating to Title IX and helping institutions to establish and create Title IX offices and implement prevention and response procedures and protocols. She is a founding board member of Project IX, a non-profit organization providing advice and support to smaller secondary and post-secondary schools for no or low cost. 

Dr. Scricca’s intimate understanding of the needs of students, faculty, and staff enables her to address highly sensitive issues among and across the diverse communities of higher education institutions and organizations.

She has held leadership positions at six public and private universities, including University of Southern California; University of Maryland; University of California, Berkeley; Golden Gate University; University of California, Hastings College of the Law; and Minnesota State University, Mankato. 

 
Jody Shipper, JD
Co-founder, Project IX, Inc.

Jody Shipper has been working in the field of higher education, Title IX, Clery/VAWA, and employment law and has conducted workplace and academic investigations for over 20 years. Ms. Shipper is a nationally recognized expert on Title IX. Industry experts consider her expertise in this area at the cutting edge and her guidance has been regularly sought by those in higher education who are confronted with issues of sexual misconduct on campuses.

Ms. Shipper is a founding board member of Project IX, a non-profit organization providing advice and support to smaller secondary and post-secondary schools for no or low cost. She was previously executive director of the Office of Equity and Diversity at the University of Southern California, where she also served as the university’s chief Title IX administrator. In that capacity she provided advice on diversity efforts and sexual assault prevention and training, and guidance to staff and faculty on issues and concerns related to diversity and protected classes. Ms. Shipper also provides advice and guidance to the institution regarding university-wide efforts reduce and prevent violence.

Ms. Shipper lectures extensively on Title IX law, institutional responsibilities, and the implementation of best practices. Prior to this work, Ms. Shipper served a broad range of private and non-profit employers in California as outside counsel, litigating employment and education matters in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies.

She is the author of Workplace Investigations: The HR Manager’s Step-by-Step Guide, and was a founding board member of the California Association of Workplace Investigations (AWI).