Published on: July 20, 2026
An ATIXA Testimonial by Casey Smith, J.D., EEO/Title IX Investigator, University of Kansas
I came to Title IX work after teaching, completing law school, and becoming a licensed attorney. Teaching elementary school students in kindergarten, first, second, and fifth grades taught me the importance of communication and patience. Students needed someone who could explain difficult concepts, answer questions, and meet them where they were.
Then, I attended law school, where I learned to think analytically using the IRAC framework: Issue, Rule, Analysis, and Conclusion. It also taught me to advocate zealously for my client.
When I became a Title IX Investigator at the University of Kansas, I brought both perspectives with me, but the analytical framework I learned in law school needed to be adjusted, as it was too formulaic to fit the needs of an investigation report. While I knew how to advocate for a client, I realized that investigative work required a different kind of advocacy. ATIXA’s training taught me who the “client” really is in an investigation.
The Client is the Process
The biggest shift I made was moving from client advocacy to neutrality. As an investigator, I do not represent the complainant or the respondent. Instead, I advocate for the process itself. The client is the process. Some of the most meaningful advocacy happens when you protect the integrity of a process, enabling every participant to trust it, regardless of where they enter it or how the matter is ultimately resolved.
I explain to participants that the process is larger than any of us, including the institution, because of how federal and state laws, guidance, and regulations inform the process. This also helps frame my role, enabling participants to understand and engage with it more holistically.
Learning Beyond the Legal Framework
As a lawyer, I am trained to begin with the question: What do I have to prove? From there, I look for facts that satisfy a legal element. As an investigator, I begin entirely differently: What happened? That shift seems subtle, but it fundamentally changes the way I gather information. Upon first realizing that gap, I began looking for resources to bridge it.
ATIXA was one of the first organizations I found. ATIXA’s Title IX Investigation Foundations Level One: Procedures and Critical Skills for Higher Education, Title IX Investigation Foundations Level Two: Investigation Skills and Report Writing for Higher Education, and Title IX Advanced Interviewing Techniques and Strategies for Higher Education trainings improved my investigative skills and knowledge.
Instead of beginning with the legal analysis, I learned to begin with the investigation. I learned to gather context, ask better questions, and let the facts develop before reaching conclusions. I realized there was more than one effective way to investigate a case while still producing a thorough, compliant, and well-supported analysis. That flexibility can happen without sacrificing rigor. Rather than abandoning the analytical framework I developed in law school, I learned how to expand upon it.
Building Confidence Through Community
ATIXA exposed me to professionals whose backgrounds were very different from mine—colleagues with experience in law enforcement, student affairs, and other areas of higher education planned interviews differently, asked questions I might not have considered, and brought perspectives that challenged and complemented my legal training.
I attended my first ATIXA Annual Conference only a month into my role as a Title IX Investigator. Walking into that conference and seeing hundreds of people committed to learning, asking questions, and supporting one another was incredibly reassuring. I realized I didn’t have to know everything. I had found a professional community that understood both the challenges and rewards of this work and was dedicated to learning and improving together.
Early on in my membership, I joined ATIXA’s Mentor Match program. I was fortunate to have a mentor who was supportive, encouraging, and willing to share practical tools that helped me grow as an investigator and professional. I wanted to create that same experience for someone else, so I applied to mentor.
I had a specific goal: to help newer professionals, particularly those experiencing imposter syndrome, recognize that they belonged in this field. Helping them recognize the value of their own experiences was often more important than answering any technical question. Sometimes the most valuable thing I could offer was being a sounding board.
ATIXA also helped advance my career in other ways. As I translated ATIXA’s analysis of the now-vacated 2024 Title IX Regulations into guidance for my institution, my responsibilities grew, eventually earning me the additional title of Policy Analyst.
Protecting the Process
Teaching taught me to communicate. Law school taught me to analyze. ATIXA taught me how to investigate. More importantly, it taught me that protecting the integrity of the process is the most meaningful form of advocacy I can provide.
Protecting the process means helping people navigate some of the most difficult moments they may face while ensuring they understand their rights, responsibilities, and expectations. That perspective shaped how I approach this work, how I support others, and how I continue to grow professionally. No matter how regulations evolve or how the field changes, the client will always be the process.
If you’re starting your career in Title IX or seeking new ways to grow, I encourage you to take advantage of ATIXA’s mentorship, training, certifications, credentials, and Annual Conferences. The knowledge I have gained through these opportunities is invaluable, but the relationships, perspectives, and sense of community have been equally important to my professional journey.