Who We Are
The Office of General Counsel ("OGC") manages the legal affairs of the university. In that role, its major activities include: management of all external litigation and government agency complaints; advice to the university from the Board of Trustees, President and senior officers of CUA to supervisors and individual faculty and staff regarding all legal questions arising in day-to-day operations of the university; and preventive law initiatives. The OGC also has responsibility for the university's compliance program as well as oversight of the university policy development and enforcement process, through chairing the CUA Policy Coordinating Committee. The OGC also chairs the university's Information Assurance Advisory Council, which coordinates confidentiality of paper and electronic records at CUA.
The General Counsel also serves as Associate Vice President for Community and Government Relations and in that capacity is responsible for the university's relationship with surrounding neighborhoods and with the District of Columbia government at CUA. This includes acting as liaison with individual neighbors in the communities surrounding CUA; working with Advisory Neighborhood Commissions 5A and 5C and with civic associations in Brookland and Edgewood; working with other non-profit groups on neighborhood improvements; liaison with leaders and agencies of the District of Columbia Government, including Ward 5 Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr.; and coordinating contact with Federal government agencies.
Finally, OGC maintains this Campus Legal Information Clearinghouse website. The university won the 2009 Innovation Award from the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO) for its compliance program as promulgated through the websites http://counsel.cua.edu, http://policies.cua.edu and http://compliance.cua.edu.
Communications regarding legal matters with the OGC attorneys on behalf of CUA are ordinarily protected by attorney-client privilege (as legal rules permit) and are confidential. The OGC is not allowed to provide personal legal advice to employees or students but can provide referrals if needed. Please remember that communications to our office through e-mail are not necessarily secure and hence their confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.
Legal Staff
General Counsel and Associate Vice President, Community and Government Relations
Craig W. Parker
Parker@cua.edu
B.S., Journalism, University of Kansas, 1971; J.D., Columbus School of Law, The Catholic University of America, 1978; Certified Law Librarian, 1980. Licensed to practice in Maryland.
Major areas of practice: Counsels the CUA President, Vice Presidents; Government and Community Relations for CUA; Development, Faculty Affairs, Human Resources, Administration, Finance, Real Estate and Property Management, Computer Services, Litigation Management.
Craig Parker has served as General Counsel to The Catholic University of America since 1987. He was Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Dean of the Law School from 1980-1987. He attended law school at CUA, and was a law librarian during and after law school from 1976-1980. Before law school, Mr. Parker worked as a VISTA Volunteer with the Delaware Division of Consumer Affairs and a newspaper reporter. He is a member of the Legal Services Review Panel of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; serves on the NCAA General Counsel's Advisory Board; is active in the National Association of College and University Attorneys; serves on the Legal Advisory Council of United Educators Insurance; and is Treasurer and on the Board of Directors of The Arc of Prince George's County, a non-profit serving people with disabilities in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Associate General Counsel for Policy and Compliance
Margaret L. O'Donnell
Odonnelm@cua.edu
University of Virginia, 1975; J.D., University of Wisconsin Law School, 1980;
Major areas of practice: Student Record Privacy, Copyright, Disability Law, First Amendment and Religion, and federal regulatory compliance. Webmaster of the CUA Office of General Counsel Web Page.
Peg O'Donnell has worked for CUA since January of 1996, and is currently the Associate General Counsel for Policy and Compliance. One of her main projects is to chair the Policy Steering Committee. Her prior work experience includes working as an Assistant Corporation Counsel for Dane County, Wisconsin as well as in a small law firm in Madison, Wisconsin.
Associate General Counsel
Sarah M. Phelps
Phelpss@cua.edu
Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts, B.A. Cum Laude in Political Science, 1985. Cambridge University, Pembroke College, Cambridge, England, M. Phil., 1988. Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, New York, New York, J.D., 1990. Intern law clerk for the Hon. Leonard Sand, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, 1989. Neighborhood legal services attorney 1991-94; private litigation practice 1994-96; Associate General Counsel The George Washington University, 1996-2004; Founder of Great and Small, Inc., a non-profit providing horseback lessons to persons with disabilities.
Major areas of practice: Counsels the President, Vice Presidents and Deans; litigation oversight; EEOC investigations and mediation; sexual harassment and sexual assault claims; employment matters. Also responsible for student discipline matters and student academic problems.
Sarah came to the Office of General Counsel part-time in the fall of 2007 and as full-time Associate General Counsel in May 2008.
Administrative Assistant,
Peggy Truesdale Haney
Truesdale@cua.edu
B.A., General Studies, The Catholic University of America, 2006.
Peggy Truesdale Haney has been with the Office of General Counsel since April 2000 with primary responsibility for records management and administrative support.
Selected OGC Intern/Law Student Clerk projects
Regina Crisafulli: Fall 1998
ADA ComplianceWatchdog program, EEO ministerial duties
Maura Tierney: Spring 1998
Sexual Harassment brochure; DC Law webpages
Michael Boyd: Spring-Summer `99
Bond transaction; Compliance schedules
Adria Nobles: Summer `99
Mediation Handbook for Human Resources office
Travis Nelson: Spring 2000
FERPA PowerPoint training program
John Hasman: Spring 2000
Employment law materials
Karen Hauda: Spring 2000
Technology Transfer website
David Heaton: Spring-Summer 2000
Campus Alcohol Reduction Effort (CARE)
Susanna Segulja: June 2000 - May 2001
DC law web pages
Carrie O’Neill: Spring 2001 through Fall 2001
Immigration training packet for H-1B; study abroad programs;
memo on voluntary compliance models for higher ed. regulations
Dan Lewis: Spring 2001
EEOC Of Counsel newsletter;
Draft of “manager training program”
John DiGregorio: Summer 2001
Tax information/web page revisions
Simone Davis: Summer 2001
CARE Project; Driver Safety Training
Adjunct Faculty Draft Web Page;
New model Affilliation agreements
Peter Kelly: Summer 2001 through Fall 2001
ADA Audits – Architecture, Admissions, and Music
Memo on Background Checks for Children’s Education Center employees
Dan Perlman: 2001-2002
Plagiarism project
Emyrtle Bennett: Spring 2002
model nursing school affiliation agreement
Patricia Black: 2002-03
Nursing graduate student developing CARE materials,
Parents CARE initiative
Kathryn Benner: Summer 2002 through Spring 2004
student life and CEC compliance; Title IX analysis
Confidentiality for campus ministry staff; assist with SCHEV and MHEC filings,
Affirmative Action: Brief Law School Dean; Power Point Presentation to Deans;
EEO audit, Legal Compliance Guide for Instructional Staff;
review conflict of interest policy with NIH recommendations
Xavier Baker: Summer 2002
Revision of sexual harassment brochure; NAGPRA
Peter Trentacoste: Spring 2003
Katrina Wawer: Summer 2003
GLB training brochure ; off-campus programs;
re-drafted portions of Legal Compliance Guide for faculty.
Bryan Knowles: Summer 2003
Wrote memo and assisted with training on debt collection practices.
Lauren Dunlap: Fall 2003
Developed materials for symposium with acadademic deans
on legal issue for professional schools:
("fitness for practice" as part of professional licensing)
Michele Bisaccia: Spring 2004
Memo on employee background checks
back-ground research and memo on employee drug testing.
Melissa Bedwell: Spring 2004
CUA teacher education program;
IDEA grant record keeping requirements;
"Law and the classroom" powerpoint for Education students
Nicole DeCostello: Summer 2004
Memo on Human Subject Research regulations compliance;
worked on new web page, "CLIC-IT"
Megan Reidy: Summer 2004
Updated all federal, D.C., Maryland and Virginia drug and alcohol
laws for CUA student handbook and CUA annual security report;
developed training colloquium for faculty department chairs,
Katie Creely: Summer 2004 and Summer 2005
Memo on application of Bayh-Dole Act requirements;
Patent program; researched CUA's draft "Intellectual Property"
and IRB policy
Jamie Larson: Fall 2004 through summer 2006
Records Clerk in 2004, Assisted as Policy Page webmaster fall 2005 through Summer 2006;
This included assisting in conforming print and paper versions of policies, staffing policy meetings,
and making a major contribution to the effort to revamp the CUA Policy Page.
Robin Tarabochia: Spring 2005 through spring 2006
Criminal background check memo;
Credit checks under FACTA & FCRA;
Copyright and movies memo;
Memo on off campus activities:
Choreographer Pie Day 2005
Robert Koerpel: Summer 2005
Updated the OGC digital filing system
Geraldine M. Muir: Summer 2006
Comprehensive review of Club Sports and Study Abroad
legal compliance and memo for reducing liability;
FERPA training video
Jake Yakubisin: Summer 2006
Create and edit with CPIT/OGC a series of training videos on preventive law for CUA staff
Caroline Jacobson: Spring 2007
Caroline worked on off-campus travel issues, a defense and indemnification policy, a memo updating the law and required actions on financial aid and affirmative action; made updates to the DC Law web pages.
Joseph Hansen: Spring 2007
Joe created a litigation hold checklist and procedures in response to the new Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Relating to Discovery and Electronically Stored Information. He also wrote a memo on the copyright implications of podcasting Catholic Mass over the internet. Joe researched and wrote a memo on the issue of nuisance and off-campus housing.
Rashmee Tadvalkar: Spring 2007
Rashmee wrote a series of memos on a variety of tax issues affecting the university.
John Schlageter (CUA Columbus School of Law Class of 2006) October 2006 through June 2007
Jack worked on community relations, bankruptcy, trademark, the 2007 bond deal and a variety of other projects.
Chip Moldenhauer: Spring 2007
memo on CUA conflict of interest policies; SOX, university whistleblower, CUA fraud Hotline, D.C. non-profit regulation; corporate status, D.C. non-profit oversight improvement act of 2007
Avanti Kulkarni: Summer 2007
worked on FPCO letters project; tracked DC legislation; updates to counsel.cua.edu; worked on contract forms.
Pallavi Kakade: Summer 2007 and Summer 2008
Pallavi worked on a number projects for OGC, including gathering of affirmative action data for OGC.
Nancy Conneely: Fall 2007 through Spring 2008 Nancy worked on an audit of ADA compliance in Athletics at the outdoor football stadium and baseball field; updating the Department of Environmental Health & Safety website regarding regulations; a review of new District of Columbia legislation on paid safe and sick leave; web pages for faculty regarding Off-campus travel; and a memo addressing the new Maryland non-discrimination statute Title 49B.
Pauline Khamo: Summer 2008 Pauline worked with the Development Office and OGC to determine donor bequests that might meet the criteria under the Uniform Prudent Management of Insitutitonal Funds Act. Pauline also worked with OGC, Public Safety and Student Life to evaluate and make suggested changes to the university's sexual assault prevention program. Pauline also worked on a number of miscellaneous projects.
Robert Law: summer 2008, Rob produced memoranda covering: the university contract review process and signature authority; liability for certain activities at the athletic center; background history of the university's retirement plans; he reviewed and revised the CUA drug and alcohol penalties chart; advised on certain professional responsibilities under D.C. Bar Rules; and researched requirements and standards for campuses to maintain student emergency evacuation plans under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
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