With the end of the year fast approaching, we wanted to take a moment and thank the organizations and co-presenters who made the end of this Fall Conference season a success.
On November 4, Natasha Baker, Managing Attorney presented “What You Need to Know About Title IX” to the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU)’s Millennium Leadership Initiative program 2025 cohort. After that, she headed to Clearwater Beach for the EIIA’s Annual Member meeting to brief attendees on recent legal updates impacting the finances of institutions of higher education. Back in Sacramento, Andrew Shaw presented several legal pop-up briefings to keep clients up to date on legal changes coming out of D.C. and Sacramento.
On November 12, Natasha presented “The Impact of Recent Legal Developments on Institutional Financial Sustainability” at the Association of Theological Schools 2025 Financial Officers Conference held November 11th through November 13th in Charlotte, North Carolina. This year’s conference theme was “Sustaining Together Through Changing Terrains” and Natasha’s session focused on preparing CFOs to analyze the impact of recent legal developments on their financial strategies and sustainability plans. Natasha’s session covered:
- The impact of reconciliation bills and other budgetary changes at the federal and state levels.
- The increased cost of compliance as seminaries navigate changes in admissions, increased scrutiny of hiring and retention practices, developing Title IX and Title VI expectations and other compliance requirements.
- Planning for change – understanding how existing legal and contractual requirements impact sustainability planning.
On November 19, Natasha presented as part of a panel for NACUA’s the opening plenary, “Navigating Employment Law Challenges in 2025” with presenters Vannesa Martinez Cecchini, Senior Associate General Counsel, Yale University; Jonathan Alger, President, American University; and Jonathan Fansmith, Senior Vice President, Government Relations and National Engagement, American Council of Education for NACUA’s Fall 2025 CLE Workshop which was focused on employment law. The workshop was held November 19th through November 21st, 2025 in Washington, D.C.
Then, in December, Natasha was back to the Association of Theological Schools 2025 Executive Leadership Intensive held in December in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she provided legal updates for senior leaders as part of the workshop’s emphasis on development of leaders.
Photo 1 L to R: Vannesa Martinez Cecchini, Senior Associate General Counsel, Yale University; Jonathan Alger, President, American University; Jonathan Fansmith, Senior Vice President, Government Relations and National Engagement, American Council of Education; Natasha Baker, Managing Attorney Novus Law Firm
Photo 2 L to R: Jonathan Fansmith, Senior Vice President, Government Relations and National Engagement, American Council of Education; Natasha Baker, Managing Attorney Novus Law Firm