Office of General Counsel Staff

Jen Gartner

Interim Vice President for Legal Affairs & General Counsel

jgartner@umd.edu

Ms. Gartner is a graduate of the University of Delaware (B.A., 1998); the George Washington University Law School (J.D., 2001), where she served as Senior Managing Editor of the Public Contract Law Journal; and Norwich University (M.P.A., 2005).

Before joining the University in April 2013, Ms. Gartner was the Director of Grants & Contracts and an adjunct professor for the University of Colorado Denver's School of Public Affairs, where she taught courses in administrative law, negotiations, and federal contracting. She is formally trained as a government contracts attorney and has worked with military, aerospace, and nonprofit contractors for many years, first at the law firm of Morgan Lewis in Washington, DC, and later at the Space Science Institute, home to the NASA's Cassini Imaging Team, in Boulder, Colorado.

Ms. Gartner’s portfolio includes sponsored research, technology transfer, regulatory compliance, risk management, health law, university policies and practices, and other transactional matters.

Laura Anderson Wright

Associate General Counsel, Student Affairs Practice Lead & Public Records Officer

landerso@umd.edu

Ms. Anderson Wright is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and received her Juris Doctorate from Washington & Lee University School of Law.

Ms. Anderson Wright joined the University of Maryland in March 1995; her portfolio includes student affairs, legislative policy and regulatory compliance, residency classification, risk management and tort law, university policy and practices, public safety, student issues and rights, privacy matters, public records disclosures and employment agreements. She is also a certified mediator and engaging public speaker.

Licensed in Maryland and the District of Columbia, Ms. Anderson Wright is a member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) and Corporate Counsel Women of Color (CCWC).

Janet Benson Forville

Associate General Counsel

forville@umd.edu

Janet Benson Forville is a graduate of Virginia Tech (B.A., 1994) and the College of William & Mary School of Law (J.D., 1999), where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Bill of Rights Journal.

Janet has extensive experience providing legal support to nonprofit, educational and cultural institutions. Before joining the University, Janet served as Associate General Counsel at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and handled complex business transactions at the Smithsonian Institution.

Janet's portfolio includes intellectual property, library matters, contracts, information technology, environmental safety, export control, and other transactional matters.

Devin J. Doolan, Jr.

Associate General Counsel
Labor & Employment Practice Leader

ddoolan@umd.edu

As Associate General Counsel, Mr. Doolan advises and supports University clients, including the President's staff, vice presidents, deans, department heads, human resources, public safety, faculty, and staff. Mr. Doolan's areas of concentration include labor and employment, discrimination, disability, harassment and misconduct, civil rights, personnel matters, student affairs, public safety, campus governance, regulatory compliance, risk management, privacy, public records, University policy and practices, and contracts.

Before joining the University, Mr. Doolan was a partner in the Baltimore and Washington, DC offices of a regional law firm, where he was a member of the firm's Business and Finance Department and Labor, Employment, and Employee Benefits Practice Group. Prior to private practice, Mr. Doolan served as Associate General Counsel for a Maryland State Agency. Mr. Doolan graduated from Fairfield University (B.A., 1995) and The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law (J.D., cum laude, 2002), where he was a member of the Law Review and received a joint Certificate in Law and Public Policy.

Daniel L. Kaiser

Associate General Counsel

dkaiser@umd.edu

Daniel Kaiser serves as an Associate General Counsel with a focus on transactions, privacy, software, international agreements, and the general support of university personnel. In 2017, Daniel joined UMD Office of General Counsel after serving previously as General Counsel to a web-based legal intelligence software developer with a focus on transactions, security, and compliance. Daniel is a graduate of the Ohio State University where he obtained degrees in law and in allied medical sciences.

Christopher B. Lord

Associate General Counsel

cblord@umd.edu

Mr. Lord advises and supports University clients on a wide variety of matters, including employment and personnel matters, civil rights, student affairs, public safety, University policy and practices, and contracts. Mr. Lord also serves as a point of contact for and supports Assistant Attorneys General who represent the University in litigation matters.

Before joining the University, Mr. Lord served as Deputy Chief, Litigation in the Higher Education Division of the Office of the Attorney General of Maryland. In that capacity, Mr. Lord oversaw the team of OAG litigators who represent the University, as well the other public universities and colleges in Maryland, in connection with all legal claims and lawsuits against the institution. Mr. Lord personally handled several complex cases against the University and other universities. Mr. Lord also provided advice to universities on a wide range of issues, including personnel and faculty disputes, questions regarding student disciplinary proceedings, tort claims, subpoenas and PIA requests, collective bargaining agreements, and university police matters.

Prior to joining the Office of the Attorney General, Mr. Lord was an associate and partner in the Baltimore office of a regional law firm, where he was a member of the firm's Commercial Litigation Department. In that capacity, Mr. Lord litigated a wide variety of business and commercial real estate disputes.

Mr. Lord is a graduate of Kenyon College and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

Tracey E. Skinner

Associate General Counsel

tracey@umd.edu

Tracey Skinner serves as real estate counsel for a number of the University's departments and divisions, including the Office of Administration and Finance, Facilities Management, Student Affairs and Dining Services. As real estate counsel, she is responsible for a wide variety of matters, including acquisitions and dispositions, leases, licenses, intergovernmental agreements, and special projects involving community revitalization and development. Tracey previously held the position as real estate counsel in the Office of Law of Howard County, Maryland and in private practice.

Tracey has served as Chair of the Real Property Section of the Maryland State Bar Association and as President for the Baltimore Chapter of CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women).

She graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law, where she served as Editor in Chief of the Law Forum.

Emily Bolyard Leigh

Assistant General Counsel

ebolyard@umd.edu

Emily Bolyard Leigh is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park (B.A., 2012), and the University of Maryland School of Law (J.D., 2015), where she was a member of the Order of Barristers and the Moot Court Board as well as Executive Editor of the Journal of Health Care Law and Policy.

In the Office of General Counsel, Emily works on a variety of legal matters affecting a public university, including those involving staff and faculty employment, civil rights, student affairs, contracts, compliance, and University policies and practices. Before joining the University in 2019, Emily served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Educational Affairs Division of the Office of the Maryland Attorney General, where she provided legal advice and representation to University System of Maryland institutions.

Bryan Sanders

Assistant General Counsel

bsander1@umd.edu

Mr. Sanders is a graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park and received his Juris Doctorate from Wake Forest University School of Law.

In the Office of General Counsel, Bryan assists with real estate matters including, leases, licenses, and various other contracts. Prior to joining the University, Bryan worked at a general civil firm in Rockville, MD where he focused on litigation and real estate transactions.

Nora Michelle Coaxum Dozier

Executive Assistant

301-405-4945
ndozier1@umd.edu

After transferring from Lincoln University, Nora Coaxum Dozier, received her B.S. and M.A. from Bowie State University. Nora brings over 20 years of executive and administrative services not only from an educational environment, but also the private and corporate sectors to the Office of General Counsel (OGC). She supports the Vice President for Legal Affairs & General Counsel and provides administrative support to the attorneys and paralegals. In addition, she manages the daily office operations and oversees various programs for the OGC.

Dawn Nguyen Hudek

Paralegal

301-405-4945
dnhudek@umd.edu

Dawn Nguyen Hudek received her B.A. from the University of Colorado at Boulder and her M.S. from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Dawn supports each attorney by providing clerical and research support services, including assigning Hearing Officers for grievances and denial of access cases. Dawn also serves the University as a notary public.

Erika Chicas

Paralegal

301-405-4946
echicas@umd.edu

Erika Chicas received her B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, College Park. She has several years of experience working as a Senior Paralegal in private law firms, focusing primarily in Civil and Criminal Law. Erika assists the attorneys with the University’s responses to internal and external information requests, such as supporting Public Information Act (PIA) process and similar matters handled by Office of General Counsel. Erika also serves the University as a notary public.

Yolanda L. Harris

Paralegal

301-405-4965
yharris@umd.edu

Yolanda received her B.A. in History from the University of Florida and her J.D. degree from the Howard University School of Law. Prior to joining the Office of General Counsel, Yolanda worked in the public and private sectors, including the State of Connecticut Judicial Branch, a federal bank supervision and enforcement agency, and multinational insurance companies managing defense litigation involving Bank and Corporate Directors & Officers. Yolanda also started and operated a small, independent media company where she created and produced original content over multiple media platforms.

In the Office of General Counsel, Yolanda provides legal and business research and administrative support primarily to the transactional team of attorneys who advise and support University clients, including the Office of the President, Faculty and Student Affairs, University intellectual property, procurement, research, real estate, and employment matters.