Mandatory Board Member Training Faculty

Nicki Bazer focuses her legal practice on policy and governance issues, student privacy rights, teacher evaluation, teacher misconduct issues, educator licensure compliance, and general public-school compliance, as well as charter schools. As former general counsel at the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), she provides valuable insight and counsel to school districts on the regulations and reform initiatives endorsed by ISBE. Bazer regularly represents clients in both state and federal court, in administrative hearings on teacher matters, and before the Illinois Department of Human Rights. Bazer also works with higher education institutions on labor issues, intellectual property matters, and student matters. Nicki Bazer is a member of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys and attorney at Franczek P.C.

Yashekia Goldsmith has served as Deputy General Counsel for Rockford Public Schools District 205 since 2018. Her work at District 205 includes assisting with matters related to governance and policy, business operations, and labor and employment. Charter schools, special education, and student discipline matters are regularly addressed within Goldsmith’s workday. Prior to joining Rockford Public Schools, Goldsmith was an attorney with Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP, where her primary focus was serving public schools. Outside of work, she enjoys supporting charitable organizations that work to ensure equal access to justice for all individuals and organizations that provide social, recreational, and leadership skill development for youth. Yashekia Goldsmith is a member of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys and Deputy General Counsel for Rockford SD 205..

Lynn Himes’ school law experience includes collective bargaining, labor and employment disputes, board governance, contract formation and enforcement, construction and student matters. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National School Attorneys Association and is past chair and member of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys. Himes is a frequent lecturer on collective bargaining, labor relations, employment discrimination, general employment issues and construction matters for various national and state associations of school boards and school administrators. Lynn Himes is an attorney at Himes, Petrarca & Fester, Chtd.

Darcee C. Williams counsels school districts and litigates matters relating to teacher discipline, discrimination, and civil rights claims. As a trusted counselor for employers, Williams is frequently called upon by clients to handle difficult and sensitive personnel situations. She counsels clients on the Open Meetings Act and Freedom of Information Act.  She also counsels school district clients on student issues including student discipline, residency, student records, student rights, and general matters of education law, as well as providing guidance to school districts on special education matters. Beyond school districts, she represents municipal clients in insurance coverage disputes. Williams frequently speaks and provides training on a wide range of education law topics including tenured teacher dismissal, workplace investigations, teacher and student boundary issues, bullying, hazing, mandated reporting, copyright, and technology issues. Darcee C. Williams is an attorney at Himes, Petrarca & Fester, Chtd. and a member of the National School Attorneys Association, Council of School Attorneys, Illinois Council of School Attorneys, and the Illinois State Bar Association.
 
Kathryn Vander Broek is the General Counsel at Waukegan Public Schools. Prior to moving in-house in August of 2018, she worked in private practice representing school districts and special education cooperatives for over 20 years, with a particular emphasis in the areas of special education, student matters, civil rights, and policy development. She maintains an Of Counsel position with Franczek PC. Before entering private practice, Kathy worked in judicial administration, serving as the staff attorney to the presiding judge of the Cook County Juvenile Justice and Child Protection Department and later as the programs administrator for that department's Resource Section. In addition to being an attorney, Vander Broek maintains her qualifications as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). When directly practicing as an LCSW, she provided child and family therapy services to inner city families accessing Cook County Hospital and worked with homeless populations experiencing mental health crises. Kathy Vander Broek also serves as a member of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys.

Brandon K. Wright  is currently a partner in the law firm of Miller, Tracy, Braun, Funk & Miller, Ltd., which represents school districts throughout Illinois. Wright currently serves on the Executive Committee and is previously the Chair of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys. He focuses his practice on school law, having developed a particular interest in the field of special education, due process, and cooperative school districts. Wright regularly speaks at state, local, and national conferences on topics of school law and special education.

Stephanie E. Jones has education in her blood. Her mother was a teacher, an elementary school principal, and her role model. Growing up in an environment where education and equity are both core values led Jones to the practice of school law, where she quickly became a leader in the field. Jones has over 18 years of experience spanning all areas of school law, including labor and employment, litigation, student matters, business workings, special education, and board governance matters, along with experience advising school administrators. Jones is a sought-after speaker on many school law topics at the local, state, and national levels. As former general counsel for the Illinois State Board of Education, she has unparalleled knowledge of the inner workings of the ISBE and understands what it takes to run a large governmental organization. Stephanie Jones is an attorney for Kriha Boucek, LLC and a member of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys.

D. Shane Jones is a management-side employment, labor, and education attorney. He specializes in managing difficult situations. Whether it be a bargaining table, a difficult board-superintendent relationship, or a student discipline matter, his kindness, humor, and pragmatic approach to conflict naturally eases tensions and helps resolve problems. Clients – and opponents – know and respect him because he is empathetic even when he is adverse. Jones is a veteran attorney with over twenty-five years of education, labor, and employment law experience. He assists employers across Illinois and Missouri with employment, labor relations, and collective bargaining issues. While the depth of his experience in labor and employment law is exceptional, Jones expertly handles general education law issues for K-12 and Higher Education clients as well. Shane Jones has been named an “Illinois Leading Lawyer” in School Law; Labor Law (Management); Employment Law (Management); and Governmental, Municipal, Lobbying & Administrative Law. Jones is an attorney at Kriha Boucek, LLC and also a member of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys.

Heather Brickman has over thirty years of experience in representing boards of education, concentrating her school law practice in governance and policy, employee benefits, transactions and finance, and privacy issues. Whether advising clients on planned policy changes or emergency procurement solutions, Brickman facilitates a legally compliant, workable approach. She is a frequent lecturer on behalf of IASB and other school associations on a broad range of topics. Brickman serves as past chair and current member of the Executive Committee of the Illinois Council of School Attorneys and also as a member of the Policy Advisory Committee for the IASB PRESS Policy Service. Heather Brickman is an attorney at Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick & Kohn LLP.

Ann Williams, Ed.D., is Deputy Superintendent of Operations for School District U-46 (Elgin), the second-largest school district in Illinois. Williams has a deep commitment to serving children and a wealth of experience. Internationally certified in school finance and operations, Williams provides strategic leadership and guidance in financial, business, information, and transportation services, plus food and nutrition and plant operations.

Williams plays a pivotal role in shaping education policy and standards as a member of ISBE's Evidence-Based Funding Professional Review Panel and on the SFO Certification Commission for the Association of School Business Officials International. She chairs the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion PD Committee for Illinois ASBO.

Williams is Senior Editor of Essentials of School Finance and has trained school board members on fiscal accountability. With over two decades of experience in finance and operations, she imparts knowledge as an adjunct professor teaching courses in finance, collective bargaining, and human resources.

Jeremy Duffy, who joined IASB in 2023 as General Counsel and Deputy Executive Director, has advised school boards and provided support as an attorney to Illinois K-12 school districts for the past decade. He joined IASB from the Illinois State Board of Education, where he was Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel in support of 852 Illinois school districts. Duffy was a member of the Oak Park ESD 97 Board of Education before leaving that post to join ISBE.  

Duffy has also worked at private law firms representing the interests of schools and school districts. In his legal practice, he counseled boards of education, district administrators, and staff on a wide range of school-related issues.  Prior to becoming an attorney, Duffy was an elementary and middle school teacher in Los Angeles and Chicago. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Master of Arts in Elementary Education from Loyola Marymount University, and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law.

Maryam Brotine is an Associate General Counsel and Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Services with the Illinois Association of School Boards. As in-house counsel for IASB, Brotine provides legal support to all IASB departments, edits IASB’s Policy Reference Education Subscription Service (PRESS), develops curriculum for IASB’s Online Learning, and provides legal information to board members. She serves on various state task forces and advisory groups and frequently contributes to school law publications. Brotine is active in the National School Attorneys Association and the Illinois Council of School Attorneys.

Debra Jacobson serves as Associate General Counsel and PRESS Editor for the Illinois Association of School Boards. She is the lead editor of IASB’s Policy Reference Education Subscription Service (PRESS) and serves as in-house counsel for the Association. Before joining IASB in 2017, Jacobson was an attorney with the school law firm of Hodges, Loizzi, Eisenhammer, Rodick and Kohn LLP for over 10 years, where she counseled and represented school districts throughout the state on a variety of student, employment, and corporate matters. Jacobson is an active member of the National School Attorneys Association and Illinois Council of School Attorneys.

Megan Mikhail is an Assistant General Counsel with IASB. As in-house counsel for IASB, Mikhail provides legal support to all IASB departments, edits and writes for IASB’s Policy Reference Education Subscription Service, develops curriculum for IASB’s Online Learning platform, and delivers legal training and information to board members. Mikhail practiced law for over eight years with the U.S. Department of Energy. Before joining IASB, Mikhail gained firsthand classroom experience as a substitute teacher at both elementary and high school levels. Mikhail is active in the National School Attorneys Association and the Illinois Council of School Attorneys. Mikhail serves her community as a member of the Hinsdale Public Library board of trustees, the District 181 Foundation Board, and the D86/D181 Community Speaker Series Committee.

Doug Bolton is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Director of School Consultation for Formative Psychological Services. He spent over 20 years as a psychologist and principal at North Shore Academy, a K-12 therapeutic school in Highland Park. Bolton provides consultation, supervision, and professional development to parents, educators, and clinicians throughout Illinois to create communities that help foster student and staff resilience. Bolton presented the featured panel “Rethinking Our Response to School Violence by Building Student Connection and Belonging” at the 2022 Joint Annual Conference. 

Kristine Argue-Mason is Executive Director for Partnership for Resilience, an Illinois non-profit working to improve academic, health, and social outcomes for children by fostering trauma-responsive schools and effective family, school, health, and community partnerships. Argue-Mason was a teacher for 15 years and then a resources director with IEA/NEA, where she developed training and coaching to help increase awareness of trauma-responsive practices. Partnership for Resilience supports school/community partnerships in 27 school districts in south-suburban Cook County near Chicago, rural southern Illinois, and Springfield.