SPEAKER
BIOGRAPHIES
Session 1 - Welcome
Daniel H. Sharphorn
Vice Chancellor & General Counsel
The University of Texas System
Dan Sharphorn is the Vice Chancellor and General Counsel aiding in providing legal advice to the Chancellor, Presidents, Executive Officers, and UT institutions and in overall management of the Office of General Counsel. Before joining UT System, he served in the Vice President and General Counsel's office of the University of Michigan for 25 years, most recently as Associate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel. In that capacity, Mr. Sharphorn had primary responsibility for legal advice and litigation management at every level of the University in all matters related to faculty and student affairs, research, and governance. As Deputy General Counsel, he assisted in the management of an office with twenty attorneys, five paralegals, and related support staff that provided legal advice to the Board of Regents, the main University campus in Ann Arbor, two regional campuses, and the University of Michigan Medical Center. Mr. Sharphorn directly supervised attorneys responsible for legal advice on intellectual property, technology transfer, export controls, purchasing, contracts, immigration, conflicts of interest and ethics, and student affairs. He also taught law, and social organization and law, in the University of Michigan Department of Sociology.
Mr. Sharphorn began his career in higher education as an instructor and Judge Advocate General at the United States Military Academy at West Point. Dan earned JD, MSW, and MA (Sociology) from the University of Michigan and a BS from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Session 2 - Governance in Higher Education: The Role of The University of Texas System Board of Regents
Regent Christina Melton Crain
UT System Board of Regents
CHRISTINA MELTON CRAIN, ESQ.,Dallas, Texas, was appointed to a six-year term on The University of Texas System Board of Regents by Governor Greg Abbott in March 2019 and was confirmed by the Texas Senate on April 17, 2019.
She is the Founder and President/CEO of Unlocking Doors®, an innovative Dallas-based reentry organization providing a road to success for countless men and women wanting to start over after involvement in the criminal justice system through a unique model called “Reentry Brokerage®”.
Regent Crain is currently the Chairman of the Health Affairs Committee and serves on the Academic Affairs Committee; the Audit, Compliance, and Risk Management Committee; and the Facilities Planning and Construction Committee. She also serves on the Board for Lease of University Lands.
In her law practice, she specializes in child/juvenile representation, mediation, and legislative issues. She served as the 100th President of the Dallas Bar Association, as well as a former president of the Dallas Association of Young Lawyers, the Dallas Women Lawyers Association, and a former Director of the State Bar of Texas.
Regent Crain is the former Chairman of the Texas Board of Criminal Justice and is the first and only woman to lead the nine-member board. While at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, she implemented many successful programs, such as TDCJ GO KIDS and the widely recognized AMACHI Texas mentoring initiative. She has a Texas State prison facility named in her honor - the Christina Melton Crain Unit in Gatesville, Texas.
Her additional service to the State of Texas includes Board President - Trinity River Authority of Texas Board of Directors; Public Member – TXDOT Public Transportation Advisory Committee; Director, Texas Correctional Managed Health Care Committee; and Texas Lieutenant Governor's Representative - Texas Supreme Court Rules Committee. Current community service includes: U. T. College of Liberal Arts Advisory Committee - Life Member; Dallas County Criminal Justice Advisory Board - Reentry Subcommittee Chair; Safer Dallas Better Dallas Executive Committee. Past community service includes U. T. Dallas Center for Vital Longevity Advisory Council; Texas Exes Council for The University of Texas at Austin; Dallas Bar Foundation Board of Trustees; Texas Lyceum Board of Directors; Baylor Health Care System Foundation Board of Directors; Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star Executive Board of Directors; Texas Regional Board of Directors for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children; Patriot PAWS Service Dogs Board of Directors; and multiple leadership roles in the Junior League of Dallas.
Regent Crain has received numerous honors and rewards including the Silver U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor for Voluntarism; The University of Texas at Austin’s Young Texas-Ex Award; Oklahoma City University School of Law Distinguished Alumni Award; the Texas Corrections Association Ellen Halbert Victims Advocacy Award; naming as a Texas Monthly Super Lawyer and to D Magazine's Best Women Lawyers in Dallas; naming in 2017 to both the Dallas Business Journal’s 2017 Women in Business Award and Altrusa International of Richardson Foundation, Inc.'s Outstanding Women of Today Award. Recent recognition includes the 2024 Living Legend Community Appreciation Award from Verna’s H.E.L.P. Foundation and the 2023 Audrey Kaplan Inspiring Women of the Southwest Award from the Southwest Jewish Congress.
Regent Crain is a third-generation Dallasite and attended Kimball High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in government from The University of Texas at Austin and a law degree from Oklahoma City University School of Law. In her spare time, Regent Crain is a professional singer.
Session 3 - Texas Supreme Court Update
Justice Jeffrey S. Boyd
Texas Supreme Court
Justice Boyd joined the Court on December 3, 2012, appointed by Governor Rick Perry to fill Justice Dale Wainwright's unexpired term. Wainwright resigned September 30th. Justice Boyd was the governor's chief of staff since September 2011. Before that he was Gov. Perry's general counsel.
Boyd is a graduate of Abilene Christian University and earned his law degree summa cum laude from Pepperdine University, where he graduated second in his law school class. After graduation he clerked for Judge Thomas M. Reavley on the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals.
He spent 15 years with Thompson & Knight L.L.P. in two stints, leaving first in 2000 to join then-Texas Attorney General John Cornyn as deputy attorney general for general litigation and continuing with Attorney General Greg Abbott. He rejoined Thompson & Knight as senior partner in 2003.
In January 2011 he left Thompson & Knight to join the Governor's Office as general counsel.
Justice Boyd was named a Texas Super Lawyer for government practice in 2004 and in 2006-2010. He has been a Supreme Court Advisory Committee member since 2003.
He has served as board president and director of Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas, as chair and director of Goodwill Industries of Central Texas and as a director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas. He is serving a one-year term as president of the American Inns of Court, Robert W. Calvert Inn.
Before he went to law school, Boyd worked as youth and family minister of the Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin and was on the Brentwood Christian School board from 1994 to 2000.
He and his wife, Jackie, have twin daughters, Hanna and Abbie, and a son, Carter.
Justice Boyd was re-elected in November 2020 to a term that ends December 31, 2026.
Session 4 - Rules Update: An Overview of Proposed and Recently Amended Rules for Texas State Courts
Kennon L. Wooten
Partner
Scott Douglas McConnico, L.L.P., Austin TX
Kennon joined the SDM in 2011, after working as the rules attorney for the Supreme Court of Texas, an associate at Baker Botts LLP, and a law clerk to former Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson of the Supreme Court of Texas. Her service as the rules attorney gives her a unique understanding of statewide and local rules of practice and procedure, as well as the disciplinary standards that govern lawyers who practice in Texas. She has published books and law-review articles on Texas discovery practices.
Kennon’s law practice focuses on general civil litigation and complex commercial litigation. She also handles appeals periodically and advises clients on rule-related matters, including ethical obligations. She has represented a broad range of clients, including governmental entities, businesses (foreign and domestic), lawyers, judges, and individuals. At the trial level, she represents plaintiffs and defendants. To appeals, she brings experience handling appeals, as well as experience gained as a law clerk, the rules attorney, and an intern to Justice Mack Kidd of the Third Court of Appeals.
Kennon is also dedicated to serving the community. She does pro bono work regularly. She has served as a member of the Texas Commission to Expand Civil Legal Services, a member of the Supreme Court of Texas Task Force for Rules in Expedited Actions, the President of the Austin Bar Association, the President of the Austin Young Lawyers Association, the Chair of the Austin Bar Foundation, the Chair of the State Bar’s Court Rules Committee, the Editor-in-Chief for Austin Lawyer, a board member for Texas Folklife and Austin Friends of Traditional Music, and a board member and secretary for the Texas Legal Services Center. She currently serves as Chair of the State Bar of Texas Board of Directors and as a member of the American Law Institute, the Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, the Editorial Board for The Advocate, the Supreme Court of Texas Remote Proceedings Task Force, the State Bar’s Board of Directors, the Texas Access to Justice Commission, and the Austin Bar Association’s Equity Committee.
University of Texas School of Law, J.D. with honors, 2004
University of Texas at Austin, B.A., Psychology, with highest honors, 1999
Session 5 - Balancing the Scales: Preventing Attorney Fatigue by Optimizing Wellness
Christopher Mugica
Partner
Jackson Walker, L.L.P., Austin TX
Christopher Mugica is partner at Jackson Walker LLP and former head of the Austin Litigation section. A significant part of Christopher’s litigation practice is focused on defending officers, directors, and trustees in fiduciary litigation. He also has significant experience in aiding clients with collateral issues that arise as a result of the separation or expulsion of corporate members, directors, and partners. His general commercial litigation experience includes trade secret disputes, complex commercial transactions, and disputes arising from real estate developments and improvements. In addition to his litigation practice, Christopher regularly advises corporate clients, boards, and nonprofits on general corporate governance and fiduciary responsibilities.
B.A., University of Texas at Austin
J.D., Notre Dame Law School
Session 6 - De-Escalation for Lawyers: Ethical Responses to Stressful Situations
Laura Barbour
Associate General Counsel
OGC General Law, UT System
Laura Barbour is an Associate General Counsel in the General Law section of The University of Texas System Office of General Counsel. Ms. Barbour provides legal counsel on a broad range of higher education issues, including employment, civil rights, and risk management matters. Ms. Barbour joined the UT System after nearly a decade of litigation and trial work at the Office of the Attorney General of Texas and at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. She has advised and represented individuals and public and private entities before state and federal courts throughout Texas and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Ms. Barbour received her law degree from The University of Texas School of Law in 2009 and her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin in 2000.
Kenneth Baptiste
Senior Police Inspector
ODOP, UT System
Senior Inspector Kenneth Baptiste has proudly served with the University of Texas System Police for over 25 years. He began his career at UT Houston Police Department in 1992. At UT Houston PD he was a strong supporter of community-based policing and was assigned as the UT Houston PD liaison Officer to the McGovern Medical School at UT Health Houston. In addition, as a Crime Prevention specialist, he had the privilege of working in the Universities diverse community, with a devotion to understanding the unique needs of the community.
In 1998, he moved to Franklin, Tennessee, serving with the Franklin Police Department in the Patrol Division.
In 2001, he relocated to Dallas, Texas, and served with the UT Southwestern Medical Center Police Department from 2001 to 2016. He held the rank of Sergeant and Lieutenant in the Patrol Division. Kenneth also served as the UT Southwestern Medical Center PD Hospitals liaison Sergeant to Clements and Zale Lipshy University Hospitals. He also served as the Commander of the Dignitary Protection Team responsible for planning and managing security operations for dignitaries and special events.
In 2016, Kenneth moved to Austin, Texas, and accepted the position of Inspector II with the University of Texas System Police, Office of the Director of Police. During his tenure, he has demonstrated a commitment to innovative in-service and cadet instruction and training. Kenneth created and developed the UT System Police Advancer Officer Training Program designed to enhance officer’s skills and knowledge. In 2023, he was promoted to Senior Inspector and Police Academy Commander. He currently leads the Academy team and oversees the operations and training. In addition, he was appointed as the UT System Police Training Coordinator in 2023. Commander Baptiste is responsible for ensuring all UT System Police and Telecommunicators licensees are in compliance with the rules and regulations of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE).
Academy Commander Baptiste earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Texas at Arlington. Kenneth also earned his Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management from Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, Texas.
Prior to becoming a police officer, Academy Commander Baptiste received an honorable discharge after serving five years of active duty in the United States Air Force. Kenneth also retired as a Chief Master Sergeant (E9) from the Texas Air National Guard in December 2022 with a combined 33 years of total military service. He has been the recipient of numerous military and department commendations and awards.
Session 7A - College Athletics' Uncharted Waters in 2024: Advising University Athletic Departments When the Guidance is Sparse and the Stakes are High
Grant Newton
Associate
Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P., Dallas TX
Grant is a Vanderbilt law graduate and former federal judicial clerk who is a member of Vinson & Elkins' complex commercial litigation group. Based in Dallas, his practice area focuses include real estate, oil and gas, sports and entertainment, and matters impacting colleges and universities, including enforcement defense and compliance counseling related to name, image and likeness ("NIL") in college athletics.
Amanda Cochran-McCall
VP for Legal Affairs and General Counsel
UTAUS
Amanda Cochran-McCall serves as the Vice President for Legal Affairs, where she performs the duties of chief legal officer, general counsel, and chief ethics officer to The University of Texas at Austin. In this role, she serves the institution as in-house counsel guiding its course on a broad array of legal issues including constitutional, civil rights, employment, athletics, business contracts, real estate, and litigation strategy. Amanda collaborates daily with university leadership in the executive administration, colleges, schools, and business units to support their needs and goals. By identifying legal issues and risk, providing a thorough analysis of options, and recommending solutions on the issues at hand, she works to support the university’s goal to be the world’s highest impact public research university. She also has the honor of leading the day-to-day operations of the university’s Legal Affairs team in support of its mission to deliver excellence in legal services to every part of campus.
Prior to joining the university, Amanda served in various roles over almost a decade at the Texas Attorney General’s Office. She managed and directed twelve civil litigation divisions of over 600 employees, 30,000 active litigation matters, and a $40 million budget. She also provided strategic legal guidance and direction on various matters including First Amendment, Due Process, Equal Protection, Title IX, employment law, and higher education issues for university systems and component institutions, state elected and appointed officials, and state agencies. As trial attorney, she directed and performed all aspects of litigation in state and federal court.
Amanda is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin and Oklahoma City University School of Law.
Jessica Presnall
Big 12 Conference Chief Legal Officer
Jessica Presnall was named Chief Legal & Business Affairs Officer for the Big 12 in 2024. Previously, Presnall served as Chief Legal Officer, Vice President - Legal Affairs and Compliance, Assistant Commissioner for Compliance & Governance and Legal Counsel, Director of Compliance and Governance and Assistant General Counsel.
In her current role, Presnall serves as in-house counsel and oversees the legal, compliance and governance teams, and provides oversight of Impact, Academics & Student-Athlete Success departments
Prior to joining the Big 12, Presnall served as the Assistant Director of Compliance at Baylor University from May 2013 to August 2015.
The Frederick, Oklahoma native earned her Juris Doctor from the University of Oklahoma College of Law in May 2013 and is a member of the Texas Bar Association. She graduated summa cum laude from Oklahoma State University in May 2010 with a double-major in Sports Public Relations and Public Relations and a minor in Marketing.
Scott Hays
Conference USA General Counsel
Scott Hays joined Conference USA in August 2017 as the Sports Administration Assistant. Since joining the conference, Hays has held several roles in compliance, academics, student-athlete development, sports services, and legal affairs. Hays is currently the Chief of Staff/General Counsel and serves as sport administrator for men's golf. Additionally, he oversees the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
While in law school, he interned with the University of North Texas in the athletic compliance department. Prior to joining the league, he completed the NCAA Postgraduate Internship in 2016-2017 with the Eligibility Center.
Hays is a native of The Woodlands, Texas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Midwestern State University in 2010. Hays graduated from Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas and is a current member of the State Bar of Texas.
Session 7B - The Healthcare Digital Transformation is Accelerating: Adapting Your Gameplan for Readiness
Kevin Wood
Shareholder
Winstead P.C., Austin & San Antonio TX
Kevin Wood is excited to be with you for the UT System Legal Conference. Kevin chairs the Healthcare Industry Group for Winstead, a law firm with offices across Texas and in New York and North Carolina. Kevin assists all types of healthcare providers in navigating the complex and ever-changing rules that control how they can enter business arrangements with each other and in ensuring activities pass muster with compliance rules and requirements. Kevin draws on his deep knowledge of the healthcare industry and its regulatory agencies to ensure his clients are aware of the latest challenges facing participants in the healthcare industry, providers and non-providers alike. He works closely with his team to stay ahead of the latest challenges and comes alongside healthcare providers to find practical solutions to meet and overcome these challenges.
Some areas of focus for Kevin include:
- Advising clients on entity formation and structure, including joint venture opportunities, licensing and credentialing requirements, and due diligence for general compliance or buy/sell arrangements;
- Assessing arrangements to ensure compliance with healthcare laws, such as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, physician self-referral prohibition (aka Stark Law), False Claims Act, HIPAA/HITECH, and corresponding state law equivalents; and
- Working with a number of healthcare oversight agencies, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the HHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR), the Texas Health & Human Services Commission (HHSC), the federal and state Office of Inspectors General (OIG-HHS & OIG-HHSC), and the Texas Medical Board.
University of Texas School of Law, J.D., 2001
Hardin-Simmons University, B.A., 1992, summa cum laude
Elizabeth Rogers
Of Counsel
Winstead P.C., Austin TX
Elizabeth is a technology-focused business attorney concentrating on data privacy and cybersecurity, with a rich background encompassing regulatory compliance, cybersecurity risk management, and privacy law. With past roles as both Chief Privacy Officer and General Counsel, she brings a unique blend of in-house insight and legal acumen to her practice.
Elizabeth guides clients through comprehensive privacy and/or cybersecurity compliance programs, technology driven privacy and cyber risks, and offers pragmatic solutions that align with business objectives.
Elizabeth has extensive experience and qualifications to assist businesses in compliance with the recently enacted and pending state consumer data privacy laws, including the Texas Data Privacy and Security Act, which goes into effect on July 1, 2024.
St. Mary’s University School of Law, J.D., 1988
University of Texas at El Paso, B.A., 1983
Session 8 - UT System Legal Feud Era: Academic v. Medical Institutions (Employment Law, Immunity, and More)
Lee Roy Calderon
Assistant General Counsel
OGC General Law, UT System
Lee Roy Calderon joined the General Law Section of the Office of General Counsel in October 2015 and serves as an Assistant General Counsel. He specializes in student conduct matters, Title IX, employment law, employee benefits, and other policy matters. He also serves as plan counsel for the UT System Office of Employee Benefits.
Mr. Calderon graduated with honors from The University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Arts in Government and Asian American Studies and received his law degree from Baylor Law School. After law school, Mr. Calderon worked at a small firm in Waco, focusing primarily on family law and criminal defense. Immediately before joining the UT System, Mr. Calderon served as in-house legal counsel for a national non-profit corporation headquartered in Austin.
Cynthia Akatugba
Assistant VP for Legal Affairs
UTAUS
Cynthia O. Akatugba graduated from The University of Texas School of Law in 2013.
She returned to UT Austin in January 2022 as an Assistant Vice President for Legal Affairs.
Cynthia started her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Elaine D. Kaplan of the United States Court of Federal Claims in Washington, DC. Following her clerkship, she joined the firm Morrison & Foerster LLP, practicing government contracts litigation in Northern Virginia and Washington DC. Cynthia returned to Texas in 2019, working as an Assistant Attorney General in the General Litigation and Administrative Law Divisions of the Office of the Attorney General of Texas. In that capacity, she represented state agencies, public universities, employees, and officials in a variety of civil litigation matters in state and federal courts.
Prior to her legal endeavors, Cynthia taught middle school math at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston, Texas from 2006-2010. Cynthia is a graduate of Princeton University.
Benjamin R. McDermott
Legal Officer
UTEP
Ben has been a Legal Officer at The University of Texas at El Paso since 2022. He is formerly an Associate Attorney at Reyes & Reyes Law Firm in El Paso, TX. Ben earned his J.D. from the University of Arizona: James E. Rogers College of Law in Tucson, AZ in 2018. He earned a Ph.D. in Teaching, Learning, and Culture in 2015 and a Master of Education in 2009 from The University of Texas at El Paso. Ben also earned a B.A. in Geography from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, MN in 2006.
Natalee Marion
Senior Associate Counsel
UTSA
Natalee Marion is a Senior Associate Counsel at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Prior to her representation of UTSA, she served as an advisor to private businesses and public-sector employers, including colleges and universities, on a range of employment-related matters. Ms. Marion previously served as an associate attorney for Littler Mendelson, PC, an assistant attorney general for the Office of the Texas Attorney General, a law clerk for Magistrate Judge Pamela Mathy of the Western District of Texas, and a briefing attorney for the Eleventh Court of Appeals in Eastland, Texas. Ms. Marion is from San Antonio, Texas. She is a graduate of The University of Texas at Austin, and the St. Mary’s School of Law.
Ashley Palermo
Managing Legal Officer of People, Education, and Operations
UTMDACC
Ashley A. Palermo is the Managing Legal Officer of People, Education, and Operations at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She provides employment, higher education, and hospital operations counsel regarding M.D. Anderson's 26,000 employees.
Prior to joining MD Anderson in 2019, Ashley served as an Assistant General Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at The University of Texas System. She began her career practicing commercial litigation and employment law at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in Atlanta, Georgia, and she later served as the Administrative General Counsel of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal.
Ashley received her Bachelor of Science in Genetics from Texas A&M University and her Juris Doctorate from Vanderbilt University Law School. She is a frequent national speaker on matters relating to the ADA, workplace investigations, and Title IX compliance.
Johnathan Weisfeld-Hinojosa
Legal Officer, Healthcare
UTRGV School of Medicine
Johnathan Weisfeld-Hinojosa is a Legal Officer for the UTRGV School of Medicine, serving since December 2019. He earned his undergraduate degree from UTRGV in 2016 and his law degree from St. Mary's University School of Law in 2019. As a founding intern in UTRGV’s Legislative Internship Program, he played a key role in securing funding for the School of Medicine during the 84th legislative session. Johnathan is also an Eagle Scout, a classically trained opera singer, and performs with the Valley Symphony Orchestra Chorale.
Eric Wong
Attorney
UTSWMC
Eric is an attorney in the General Law section at UT Southwestern—a 3-lawyer team that represents an institution of over 23,000 employees on all legal matters that are not healthcare-specific. Among other things, he oversees litigation of all types on behalf of the University and advises on all manner of legal and regulatory questions, with a particular emphasis on the University’s business operations. He is a graduate of The University of Texas School of Law and joined UT Southwestern in 2022 after spending many years at Jackson Walker, L.L.P. in Dallas, Texas, litigating a variety of cases.
Session 9 - "Lawyers Behaving Badly" True but Outrageous Stories from the Podcast
Jennifer Judge
Podcast Co-Host, Chief Legal Officer
Destination Pet, LLC, Dallas TX
Jennifer Judge is the Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Destination Pet. She is a strategic and solution-oriented legal executive, with years of corporate legal leadership. Prior to Destination Pet, Jennifer was the founder and member of Jennifer Judge Legal PLLC, functioning as an external General Counsel to start-up companies and understaffed legal departments and working directly with clients on practical and pragmatic legal solutions.
Before owning her own firm, Jennifer was the General Counsel of Rug Doctor, LLC. In that role, she was the sole lawyer at the multinational corporation. She conducted all legal document review and led the equity sale of Rug Doctor from its private owners to BISSELL Homecare. Prior to Rug Doctor, Jennifer spent seven years as the Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Caliber Home Loans, Inc.—a non-bank mortgage originator and servicer. In her role at Caliber, Jennifer managed the team responsible for all corporate governance, corporate real estate legal matters, labor and employment counsel, loan originator compensation compliance, privacy, cybersecurity, and law enforcement interactions.
Jennifer spends her free time with her husband Ryan and her two school-aged boys and their endless amounts of school sports and activities. She loves photography, gardening and plants, college and professional football, and being active. Her family is secretly run by their three poorly trained rescue dogs.
Karen Delaney
Podcast Co-Host
Delaney Legal PLLC, Minneapolis MN
Karen Delaney is the Principal of Delaney Legal PLLC, where she conducts investigations into inappropriate or unlawful conduct in the workplace. Karen is also trusted legal advisor to corporate clients seeking practical advice to navigate complex, ambiguous issues. Karen advises on employment and corporate governance matters and frequently assists clients in negotiating all manner of contracts (everything from sponsorship agreements with major sports teams and collegiate athletics programs to cloud software agreements). Karen’s clients are in a variety of industries, including retail, liquor, manufacturing, non-profit, quick service restaurants, software, and cybersecurity.
Before launching her firm, Karen was Associate General Counsel at Half Price Books, where she led the Legal Department and advised on all of the national retailer’s legal needs. Prior to that, Karen was Senior Counsel at GameStop, where she managed most of the company’s litigation, helped form and lead GameStop’s cybersecurity incident response team, negotiated countless contracts, triaged employment issues, and advised on the company’s charitable endeavors. Karen began her legal practice as a business litigator at Gardere Wynne Sewell, LLP (now Foley & Lardner LLP) in Dallas, Texas.
Karen received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin. (Hook ‘em!) She then begrudgingly left Austin for the Gateway to the West, where she received her J.D. from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, and much to her now-husband’s dismay, became a Cardinals fan. Karen spends much of her free time at her two boys’ baseball games, digging into fresh podcast material, or dabbling on the Peloton.
Session 10 - Expansion of Adverse Employment Actions and Legal Risk: Impact of Muldrow v. City of St. Louis, Mo. (U.S. Supreme Court 2024) and Hamilton v. Dallas County (5th Cir. 2023)
Darren Gibson
Shareholder
Littler Mendelson P.C., Austin, TX
Darren Gibson is a zealous advocate and trusted advisor to private businesses and public sector employers. Darren vigorously defends his clients in individual and class action cases, discrimination and retaliation claims, wage and hour collective actions, and noncompete litigation, among others. Darren loves the courtroom, is not afraid to take cases to trial, and regularly handles appeals. In addition, he regularly conducts workplace investigations, and he represents his clients before federal and state regulatory agencies.
Darren has a particular focus representing higher education, healthcare, and financial institutions, and he serves as co-chair of Littler’s Higher Education Industry Group. Darren’s higher education experience includes representing universities and related individuals in employment and Title IX litigation and conducting investigations into sexual harassment and sexual misconduct under Title IX.
Darren is board certified in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Prior to his return to private practice, Darren worked at the Attorney General of Texas, where he defended state agencies and universities in employment litigation and class actions. Before coming to Texas, Darren was a senior associate in New York City, where his practice focused on securities litigation, internal investigations, and business disputes in the accounting and financial services industries.
J.D., Harvard Law School, 2000, cum laude
B.S., University of Kentucky, 1997, summa cum laude
Melissa J. Ackie
Associate
Littler Mendelson, P.C., Austin TX
Melissa Jeanine Ackie is a trusted legal adviser to business owners, in-house counsel, and human resources professionals on a broad range of HR and compliance workplace concerns, including leave and accommodation, discrimination, harassment, retaliation, terminations, and wage and hour issues. As a former secondee for a multinational publicly traded corporation, she leverages her experience and insight to help clients effectively navigate employment-related risk while balancing business realities in an ever-changing legal landscape. She partners with employers of all sizes, including both public and private, nonprofit, and public sector. Melissa regularly conducts internal workplace investigations for higher education institutions (including Title IX), public sector employers, and private employers related to allegations of misconduct, including discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation.
She also maintains an active litigation practice, advocating and defending clients in arbitrations, federal courts, and state courts throughout Texas against discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour allegations in matters.
Melissa serves as a liaison for Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI). She focuses on Texas state legislative and regulatory developments in employment and labor law, as well as municipal ordinances and regulation of the workplace. Melissa tracks relevant legislation, revises policies and protocols for compliance, and assists clients in understanding the potential impact of Texas legislation before and after it becomes law. Before joining Littler, Melissa’s practice primarily focused on representing individuals and companies in Texas state courts, federal courts, and arbitrations in a variety of civil litigation defense actions.
While in law school, Melissa served as a judicial intern for Federal Judge Melinda Harmon of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, and represented the University of Texas School of Law at nationals in the Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition. Melissa has been a certified mediator for the State of Texas since December 2011 and is a classically trained violist.
Session 11 - What to Expect When You Are Expecting . . . a Faculty Termination?
Ana Vieira Ayala
Associate General Counsel
OGC General Law, UT System
Ana Vieira Ayala joined the General Law Section in 2013 and serves as an Associate General Counsel.
Ms. Vieira Ayala provides legal advice on a variety of subject areas, including constitutional law, faculty and staff employment matters, torts, student issues, privacy and open records.
Before joining the Office of General Counsel, she served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Open Records Division of the Office of the Attorney General. Ms. Vieira Ayala received her JD from the University of Houston Law Center in 2008 and her BS from Texas State University in 2004.
Sean Flammer
Associate General Counsel
OGC General Law, UT System
Sean Flammer specializes in Title IX, student affairs disputes, employment issues, constitutional litigation, and general litigation. Sean graduated with High Honors and with the Order of the Coif distinction from the University of Texas at Austin School of Law in 2007. After clerking for a federal appellate judge, Sean joined a large litigation firm in Austin. He practiced trial and appellate litigation for over 4 years before he joined the Office of Attorney General. At the Attorney General’s office, Sean spent over 5 years representing universities and other state agencies in complex litigation. He had a heavy docket of litigating and advising clients on Title IX/due-process matters. He has tried cases in federal and state court and argued at courts of appeals in both state and federal court. He is a former adjunct professor at UT Law and has represented both plaintiffs and defendants in high-profile litigation.
Sean is active in the Austin legal community. He is a member of the Lochridge Inns of Court and is the former Chair of the Austin Bar Association’s Civil Litigation Section. Before law school, Sean was a Teach for America teacher in the Mississippi Delta and attended Grinnell College.
Karen E. Adams
Chief Legal Officer
UTRGV
Karen E. Adams has served as the Chief Legal Officer for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley since April 2015. Before joining UTRGV, Karen worked for 18 ½ years in the Office of Legal Affairs at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Karen also served as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Dallas, Texas, and began her legal career clerking in the General Litigation Division of the Texas Attorney General’s Office. While working for the Attorney General’s Office and the City of Dallas, she held an appointment as an adjunct legal writing instructor for The University of Texas School of Law.
Because once wasn’t enough, Karen graduated twice from The University of Texas at Austin, first with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Plan II Honors Program, and then with a Juris Doctor degree from The University of Texas School of Law. As an undergraduate, Karen was fortunate enough to have been elected the editor of The Daily Texan, the student newspaper of The University of Texas at Austin, from 1989-1990 – an invaluable experience in education and life.
All told, whether as a student or an attorney, Karen has been associated in some way with University of Texas institutions for nearly 36 years.
Shelby Boseman
Chief Legal Officer
UTA
Shelby was hired by UT Arlington in 2014 as its first in-house counsel and Chief Legal Officer. He has oversight of the Office of Legal Affairs, Title IX, Equal Opportunity Services, Public Records, Records Information Management, and policies. Prior to UT Arlington he was the Deputy General Counsel at the Lone Star College System, and In-House Counsel at the Houston Housing Authority. Shelby received his Bachelors degree from Weber State University and his JD from the University of Houston. He is currently a 2nd year student in the Ph.D. program in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at The University of Texas at Arlington.
Session 12 - Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right
David Rabban
Professor, Dahr Jamail, Randall Hage Jamail, and Robert Lee Jamail Regents Chair in Law
UT Law
Professor Rabban served as counsel to the American Association of University Professors for several years before joining the Texas faculty in 1983. He later served as its general counsel and as chair of its committee on academic freedom and tenure. His teaching and research focus on free speech, academic freedom, higher education and the law, and American legal history. He was a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 2016 and of the Program in Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University in 2016-17. He is the author of Free Speech in Its Forgotten Years, 1870-1920 (Cambridge, 1997), which received the Forkosch Prize from the Journal of the History of Ideas for "the best book in intellectual history published in 1997." His many articles have appeared in Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, Cambridge Law Journal, and elsewhere. His most recent book is Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right.
Stanford University, J.D.
Wesleyan University, B.A.
Session 13 - More Effectively Protecting the University Research Environment
Trey Atchley, J.D.
Chief Inquiry Officer and Chief Research Security Officer
UT System
Trey Atchley serves as the Chief Inquiry Officer and Chief Research Security Officer. His responsibilities include conducting and managing investigations involving allegations of misconduct within System Administration and matters referred to U.T. System by the fourteen U.T. institutions. In his role as Chief Research Security Officer, Mr. Atchley works closely with U.T. institutions as they address research security and foreign influence risks associated with their classified, export controlled, and unclassified research.
Prior to joining the U.T. System, Mr. Atchley served as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for approximately 21 years. In that capacity, he investigated violations involving criminal and national security matters, provided instruction in crisis and hostage negotiation matters, and interview and interrogation topics. Mr. Atchley served as the San Antonio Division Crisis Negotiation Coordinator responsible for managing responses to domestic crisis situations and international kidnappings for ransom. Mr. Atchley also served as a Department of Justice Mediator, EAP Counsellor, and Certified Undercover Employee.
Mr. Atchley received his BBA from The University of Texas at Austin and his JD from the SMU Dedman School of Law.
Tobin R. Boenig, J.D.
Associate Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer
UTMB
Mr. Boenig is responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining an effective compliance program at UTMB. He monitors and reports results of compliance efforts across the institution and provides guidance to executive management regarding compliance issues and requirements, as well as regulatory law advice.
Prior to UTMB, Toby served as a Compliance Attorney at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (M. D. Anderson) in the Institutional Compliance Office and was responsible for providing legal research and analysis in privacy and corporate compliance matters. Toby also chaired M. D. Anderson’s multi-disciplinary Privacy Compliance Committee. After finishing law school, Toby worked as an associate in the Health Section of Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P. He also co-authored “Research Institutions Under Scrutiny - Reimbursement, Compliance Issues, and the False Claims Act,” which was published in the October 2005 issue of Aspen Publishers’ Reimbursement Advisor. Toby received his bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and his law degree from The University of Texas School of Law.
Paul Moore
Senior Fellow, Prague Security Studies Institute on Economic and Financial Statecraft Program & Former Chief Investigative Counsel at the U.S. Department of Education
Paul R. Moore is a Senior Fellow supporting the Prague Security Studies Institute's Economic and Financial Statecraft Program. He previously served as Chief Investigative Counsel at the U.S. Department of Education, where he led the Department’s investigations of undisclosed foreign financial involvements at America’s colleges and universities. Mr. Moore served for 12 years at the U.S. Department of Justice, including as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Boston, Massachusetts and Alexandria, Virginia economic crime units. At DOJ, he also served as Senior Counsel in the Office of Legal Policy and as Counsel to the Assistant U.S. Attorney General.
Mr. Moore also served as General Counsel for a U.S.-based defense contractor, has worked for two governors, and has provided testimony to the U.S. Congress regarding nefarious efforts by foreign powers to access American intellectual property at university-affiliated research institutions.
Session 14 - Employee Representation and Liability: Troubleshooting Conflicts and Understanding Who Pays, How Much, and Who Decides
Kimberly Gdula
Chief, General Litigation Division
Texas Attorney General's Office
Kimberly Gdula graduated from The University of Texas at Austin with a communications degree before attending law school at Baylor University. After graduating in 2008, Kimberly returned to Austin, where she practiced business litigation and healthcare law at Jackson Walker, LLP. In November 2019, Kimberly joined the Office of the Attorney General, where she is now chief of the General Litigation Division. Her practice includes employment litigation, constitutional reform, and pre-litigation advising.
Chelsea Fullwood
Assistant Attorney General, Tort Litigation Division
Texas Attorney General's Office
Chelsea Fullwood joined the Office of the Attorney General in August 2015 and serves as an Assistant Attorney General in the Tort Litigation Division. Chelsea has represented state agencies and employees in trial and appellate courts across the state, developing innovative strategies in complex personal-injury cases. For instance, while defending a state hospital and ten of its employees in a wrongful-death suit, Chelsea cultivated a novel argument—that the Texas Medical Liability Act’s expert-report requirement applied to certain civil-rights claims brought under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 in state court—which the Texas Supreme Court unanimously validated, breaking new ground in several areas of law. Rogers v. Bagley, 623 S.W.3d 343 (Tex. 2021).
Chelsea graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a B.A. Journalism before earning her J.D. at Baylor Law School. Prior to joining the OAG, Chelsea practiced family law at a small firm in Leander. She is married to a fellow UT graduate; a life-size, papier-mâché longhorn sits atop their entryway in Pflugerville.
