Biography
Katie began her career in education teaching civics for the Close Up Foundation in Washington DC, and Honolulu, Hawaii, before attending law school. She later served as the lead in-house general counsel to the NC State Board of Education and the Department of Public Instruction for almost ten years. At Poyner Spruill, Katie leads the Education Law Group as it serves its education clients through legal counsel, policy development, litigation, training, and other legal services on a wide range of topics and issues.
Areas of Focus
+Education
- Acts as lead counsel to school boards and other education and education-related clients
- Provides training to boards and school administrators, especially on board leadership training and personnel issues/employment law
- Makes presentations to national and statewide education organizations on a variety of education topics including teacher ethics, board governance, Title IX, EEOC/OCR and charter school best practices.
- Leads policy development work for boards of traditional and charter public schools
- Provides legal counsel at school board meetings for clients
- Serves as lead counsel for the Education Law group on litigation for education clients during hearings, depositions, and trials
Credentials
+Education
North Carolina Central University School of Law, JD, 2001
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, BA, 1994
+PROFESSIONAL & COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
NC Virtual Public School Advisory Board (NC Board of Education), Board Member
National Counsel of State Education Attorneys, Past President
Governing board for the National Association of State Boards of Education, Former Member
Susie Sharp Inn of Court
Wake County Bar Association
NC Bar Association, Education Law Section
