June 12-16, 2023
2023 June Training & Certification Event

Erin Agidius brings over 10 years of comprehensive experience in Title IX, Civil Rights, and Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity compliance and investigations in higher education.

Prior to joining TNG, Agidius led the Office of Civil Rights and Investigations at the University of Idaho where she coordinated and monitored institutional federal compliance under Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, and ADA/504. She managed a strong team, conducted comprehensive civil rights investigations, and customized programming on related topics for audiences with varying skills, knowledge, and expertise. She’s also guided multiple committees and task forces on topics of threat assessment and management, security and compliance, DEI initiatives, and more.

Prior to her role as director, she built connections as the Interim Director and Deputy Director of the Human Rights Access and Inclusion office. Through those relationships she successfully campaigned for the university to invest in professional investigators and reorganize existing offices to create a more sustainable and effective culture of compliance. Her experience as a student conduct administrator forged her foundational understanding of relational connection and throughout her tenure in higher education, she’s raised awareness of resources by relying on those strong relationships to enhance university policies, practices, and programs.

Agidius is dedicated to advancing community-wide programs to prevent, reduce, and remediate all forms of discrimination. When not working tireless for equity at work, she does so in her spare time as a member of the Moscow Human Rights Commission, the Latah County Coordinated Community Response Task Force, and the Alternatives to Violence of the Palouse board of directors. She is a certified Greet Dot and Stop the Hate trainer and holds a certification in civil mediation from the Northwest Institute for Dispute Resolution. Compliance and equity are core to her ethos.

Agidius holds a J.D. from the University of Idaho College of Law and a B.A. in Criminal Justice from the University of Idaho with minors in Sociology, Business, and Spanish.

Aaron Austin (he/him/his) is a father, husband, and educator who has had the opportunity to serve students at multiple colleges and universities.  He has experience with a variety of Student Affairs areas, and throughout his career has presented to numerous students, employees, families, and community partners on topics ranging from policy implementation to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Most recently, Aaron served as Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas.  During his time in this role, he had a supervisory portfolio that included the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, Housing & Residence Life, Student Conduct & Community Standards, Student Involvement, Fraternity & Sorority Life, Campus Activities, Campus Recreation, and Student Government.  Aaron was a vital member of the WSU CARE Team (Case Management & Behavior Intervention), Title IX Committee, and the Bias Incident Response Group.   

Aaron is interested in the intersection of race and identity in relationship to Behavior Intervention/Threat Assessment and looks for opportunities to engage in these conversations to ensure practitioners are aware of the biases they bring to the work.  Further, Aaron has spent the last few years as a Student Affairs administrator which allows him to see issues from that perspective. A native Kansan, Aaron earned his Bachelor of Music Education and minor in American Ethnic Studies from Kansas State University; his M.Ed. from Arizona State University – Tempe; and his Ed.D. from Texas Tech University.

Alisha Carter Harris is a consultant with TNG and has extensive experience in civil rights/equal opportunity compliance and implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives. Her experience is based primarily in higher education but Carter Harris is also well-versed in the financial services industry.

Prior to her arrival at TNG, Carter Harris served as an Employee Relations Partner at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. where she investigated employment-related complaints made by employees of all levels across the firm. She has also served as Associate Director of Equal Opportunity/Deputy Title IX Coordinator at the University of North Texas (UNT) in Denton, Texas. As Associate Director, Carter Harris assisted with the administration of the nondiscrimination program for UNT, most notably by conducting workplace and education investigations of alleged discrimination and harassment. As Deputy Title IX Coordinator, she assisted with Title IX compliance through policy development, oversight of student investigations, training, and advising faculty, staff, and administrators on matters related to sexual misconduct. Carter Harris has held similar administrative positions at the Community College of Allegheny County in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania.

Carter Harris holds a B.S. in Criminal Justice and an M.S. in Legal Studies from the California University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a certificate in alternative dispute resolution from the University of North Texas.

Mandy Hambleton is an educator with over a decade of progressively responsible behavior management experience, including roles in student conduct and academic integrity, behavioral intervention and case management, and Title IX compliance at multiple higher education institutions.

She has extensive experience in policy and process development including both public-facing policies and internal standard operating procedures, templates, and forms. She often teaches courses on informal resolution, DEI, and the intersection of BIT and Title IX, as well as those with an approach based on applied learning.

Hambleton is also frequently sought by her peers for her creativity in training curriculum development, applied learning exercises, and facilitation. She has a breadth of experience in alternative dispute resolution/conflict resolution processes and practices and is a highly skilled informal resolution facilitator and trainer for all types of complaints, including those falling under Title IX. An accomplished writer, content developer, editor, and facilitator, she serves as the TNG Director of Content Development responsible for managing and contributing to the development and refinement of print publications, training materials, new course development, and member resources for TNG, ATIXA, and NABITA.

Prior to joining TNG, Hambleton served as the Title IX Director at Florida State University where she managed Title IX compliance strategies and programs for three domestic and four international higher education sites, as well as a K-12 charter school district. Hambleton has a proven capacity for developing new and restructuring existing staff teams and offices for building trust in people and processes, increasing effectiveness, and establishing brand recognition.

She holds a B.A. in English – Professional Communication from Winthrop University and an M.S. in Higher Education from Florida State University.

Michelle Issadore, M.Ed. is the Executive Vice President, Associations for TNG, the former Senior Associate Executive Director for the Association of Title IX Administrators (ATIXA), and the former Executive Director of the School and College Organization for Prevention Educators (SCOPE). She works with the leaders of TNG’s membership associations, ATIXA and NABITA, as well as the leaders behind our training offerings, to continually offer our members and clients the most engaging communities and best-in-class professional development.

Issadore spent five years as Assistant Director of the Women’s Center at Lehigh University where she coordinated sexual violence prevention and response, including annual and ongoing trainings and programming for faculty, staff, and students. She advised Lehigh’s peer educator group and hotline, which was the 2009 recipient of NASPA’s Silver Excellence Award for Violence Education and Prevention, Crisis Management and Campus Security. She also instituted an online anonymous reporting system for sexual violence, with the support of related departments. Issadore was responsible for management of the staff advocate program, which provided confidential crisis and options counseling to victims. She created a writing-intensive sexual violence course and taught in the Women’s Studies program. She completed 40 hours of advocate training in Pennsylvania’s Northampton and Lehigh counties.

Issadore has served as co-chair of the National Women’s Studies Association’s Women’s Centers Committee, as a member of the Clery Center for Security on Campus Advisory Board, and as part of the Futures Without Violence Campus Policy Advisory Board. She has presented many online trainings, certification courses, and conference sessions, as well as written for several publications.

W. Scott Lewis, J.D. is a Managing Partner with TNG, LLC. (“TNG”), a national multidisciplinary risk management consulting and law firm with more than 5,000 education-sector clients, 35 executive and support employees, and a roster of 25 attorneys and consultants who are at the forefront of the field in their areas of expertise. He is a co-founder and advisory board member of the Association of Title IX Administrators (“ATIXA”) the leading industry association for Title IX compliance, with over 5,000 active school and college members. In 2009, Lewis co-founded The National Association for Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment (“NABITA”), an organization of 1,200 members dedicated to school and campus violence prevention, intervention, and mental health resources. and was president of ASCA.

Lewis has worked with the Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women and the Department of Education’s Offices of Civil Rights as a trainer and consultant, training staff and investigators. He was a consultant to the Office of the Vice President and the White House Task Force on issues of Sexual Misconduct, as well as a core member of the United States Olympic Committee’s Task Force that proposed and created the United States Center for SafeSport, both of which he consults with and trains. He also consults with and trains numerous sports organizations and governing bodies at all levels from High Schools to Olympic Level athletes, trainers, coaches, and staff, including working with the NCAA and NJCAA.

Reid McCormick is a consultant with TNG. He has worked in higher education serving multiple campuses in several roles.

Prior to arriving at TNG, McCormick served as an investigator at a mid-size private university where he conducted prompt, equitable, and impartial investigations regarding sexual misconduct, harassment, and gender-related violence. Additionally, McCormick facilitated trainings for students, staff, and faculty regarding federal and state regulations regarding Title IX and gender-based discrimination.

In other roles, McCormick has overseen in residence life, student activities, student government, and student conduct. McCormick holds a B.A. in Theology and a M.S. in College Counseling and Student Development from Azusa Pacific University. He is currently enrolled in the Master of Legal Studies at University of Arizona.

Mikiba W. Morehead is a consultant with TNG and has extensive experience in Student Affairs as a Student Conduct practitioner specialized in the areas of Title IX, crisis management, and student advocacy.

Her expertise centers on cyber sexual abuse, informal resolution processes, specifically mediation and restorative justice, policy revision, and ADA/504 compliance. Morehead has developed and delivered numerous trainings for investigators, decision-makers, hearing boards, appeal officers, and support persons across public, private, and health science/medical education institutions. She provides effective and sustainable solutions for colleges, universities, and schools to care for the needs of students and campus communities with an eye towards social justice. She has served as an interim Title IX Coordinator for a college client.

Prior to joining TNG, Morehead served as Title IX Coordinator and Director of Student Disability Services at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, Director of Community Standards at the University of Texas at Arlington, and Program Coordinator for Student Conduct at Texas A& M University.

Morehead holds a B.A. in Communication and an M.A. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Louisville, and an Ed.D. in Education, Ethical Leadership from the University of St. Thomas – Houston.

Kim Pacelli is a Partner with TNG who possesses substantial experience with the day-to-day challenges facing colleges, universities, and schools. She provides practical advice that empowers institutions to confidently manage high-risk issues on their campuses. Her practice includes:

• Policy and procedure development and consultation;
• Program review, assessment, and compliance consultations; and
• Tailored on-site training programs, among others.

She regularly trains and advises on Title IX policy and procedures, Clery Act reporting and compliance, student mental health interventions and policies, FERPA and student privacy issues, free speech issues for both public and private institutions, and student conduct issues, among others. She has also served as an invited speaker at regional and national conferences.

Ms. Pacelli’s solution-oriented approach to her work stems from her extensive experience as a student affairs practitioner. Kim served as Senior Associate Dean of Student Affairs at Bowdoin College, where she provided leadership, operational, budget, and personnel oversight to many central offices of the college, including the Dean’s office, Health Services, Counseling Services, Residential Life, and other student support offices. She also served as Associate Dean of Student Life for Harvard University.

Leah Reynolds is an experienced administrator with over 11 years of service in the industry of higher education. Having worked in various divisions for several colleges and universities, Reynolds has developed an expertise in Title IX, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Athletic Compliance, and Affirmative Action.

She is an exceptional communicator, skilled at collaborating and influencing stakeholders internal and external to an organization. She has the keen ability to assess an organization’s culture and effectively re-energize teams to be more productive and engaged. Insight into Diversity and former president Barack Obama’s administration has recognized her leadership, coordination, and strategic direction.

Reynolds frequently serves as a third-party neutral hearing advisor, investigator, and decision-maker for TNG clients for sexual misconduct, discrimination, and Title IX grievance proceedings and investigations. Reynolds also travels frequently to train student athletes on Title IX consent and bystander intervention. She has served as an interim Title IX Coordinator for a college client.

Before joining TNG, she worked as Affirmative Action Officer/Deputy Title IX Coordinator for Eastern Illinois University; Associate Vice President of Inclusive Excellence and Title IX Coordinator for Indiana State University; Chief Diversity Officer and Title IX Coordinator for Mount St. Joseph University; and Assistant Vice President of Title IX for Earlham College.

Reynolds received her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership and Management from Capella University and her M.S. in College Student Affairs and her B.A. in Communications from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, IL.

Ms. Schuster is a recognized expert in preventive and civil rights law for education, notably in the fields of harassment, discrimination and sexual misconduct and violence, ADA and disability issues and the First Amendment. 

Ms. Schuster has extensive experience and expertise in, and routinely advises clients on, the First Amendment and campus access issues; risk management and liability; behavior intervention and threat assessment; student discipline and campus conduct; intellectual property and employment issues. Ms. Schuster provides assistance nationally to both public and private educational schools and colleges in policy development, faculty handbooks and employee manuals, and training for state and federal compliance. She has provided extensive consultation to and training for the U.S. Justice Department, Office of Violence Against Women, the White House Task Force on Sexual Assault and the Futures Without Violence organization. She also provides litigation consultation, expert witness support, and conducts civil rights-based investigation for educational institutions. She provided contraceptive support and rape crisis counseling and served on the Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood of Butler County.

Brett Sokolow is the Chair of TNG, LLC (“TNG”), a national multidisciplinary risk management consulting and law firm with more than 5,000 education-sector clients, 50 executive and support employees, and a roster of 25 attorneys and consultants who are at the forefront of the field in their areas of expertise. Sokolow founded TNG, then known as The National Center for Higher Education Risk Management, in 2000.

Sokolow is recognized for his national leadership on systems-level solutions for safer schools and campuses, and is widely considered to be one of the foremost Title IX experts in the nation. He has served as an Expert Witness in more than 75 significant lawsuits affecting college, university, and school liability.

In addition to his role with TNG, Sokolow served as Executive Director of the Association of Title IX Administrators (“ATIXA”) from 2012-2017 and now serves as Chair of the Advisory Board of ATIXA (www.atixa.org), the leading industry association for Title IX compliance, with over 9,900 active school and college members. TNG provides consulting services to more than 400 campuses and schools each year. TNG has provided services to over 5,000 school, college and university clients, including training programs for campus and school district administrators, faculty and staff training, sexual assault and Title IX case management, risk management for fraternities and sororities, workshops and seminars. TNG also provides expert witness services, and lobbying efforts for campus crime and sexual assault-related legislation.

Lauren is a consultant with TNG who is passionate about solving problems and supporting clients. She has experience with Title IX and Civil Rights investigations and compliance. Lauren’s experience is wide-ranging, but primarily based in Title IX compliance in higher education, including in dual enrollment, nursing and allied health programs, and pregnant and parenting. Lauren also has experience with Section 504/ADA and Clery Act compliance.

Lauren enjoys training at every level. She has experience creating and presenting custom trainings on Title IX compliance, mandatory reporting, and Section 504/ADA compliance.

Prior to joining TNG, Lauren served as the Director of Institutional Equity at South Texas College, as well as the college’s Title IX Coordinator and Section 504/ADA Coordinator. During her tenure at South Texas College, Lauren served on the college’s Clery Committee, participated in Behavioral Intervention Team meetings as the Title IX and 504/ADA Coordinator, and served as a member of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Negotiated Rulemaking Committee.

Before joining the higher education world, Lauren practiced law as a commercial litigation associate at Husch Blackwell, LLP. At Husch Blackwell, Lauren litigated a variety of cases ranging from breach of contract, trade secret disputes, and class action defense. Lauren also had a significant pro bono practice, representing clients in adoptions, post-conviction relief, and victims of human-trafficking. Before pursuing a legal career, Lauren taught middle school English at a private K-12 school.

Lauren holds a B.A. in English from Washington and Lee University. At W&L, Lauren was also a college-athlete all four years of her undergrad, competing as member of the women’s swim team. Lauren has a J.D. from the Tulane University Law School where she was an active member of the school’s moot court team and the domestic violence clinic. 

Daniel Swinton is a Partner in TNG, LLC. Daniel consults frequently with colleges, universities and K-12 on issues of Title IX, the Violence Against Women Act and sexual violence, alcohol and other drugs, behavioral intervention, bystander intervention, student conduct policies and procedures, hearing board training, mediation and legal issues in education. Daniel often serves institutions as an external investigation support provider for issues of sexual misconduct and other complex student conduct matters as well as employment concerns, retaliation and harassment. He also serves as an expert witness in cases of sexual assault, Title IX, negligence, academic integrity and civil rights. He has authored a number of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics ranging from student conduct to civil rights investigations. Daniel is also a frequent presenter and invited speaker at national and regional conferences.

Prior to his work with TNG, he served as Assistant Dean and Director of Student Conduct and Academic Integrity at Vanderbilt University.

Daniel serves as President of ATIXA (The Association for Title IX Administrators) and on the Advisory Board of NABITA (National Association for Behavioral Intervention and Threat Assessment). He has also served on the Board for the Association for Student Conduct Administration (ASCA), having served as its President in 2011-2012.

He has also been interviewed and/or featured by The Chronicle of Higher Education, The New York Times, USA Today, Inside Higher Ed, Student Affairs Today, and the Washington Post, as well as other publications and sources.