Effective January 1st, 2009, Saundra K. “Saunie” Schuster, Esq. will be named an NCHERM partner. Saunie has worked with NCHERM as an Affiliated Consultant for two years, and joins the firm formally now upon her retirement from the position of General Counsel for Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio. She previously held the position of Senior Assistant Attorney General for the State of Ohio in the Higher Education Section, and as Associate General Counsel for the University of Toledo.

Prior to practicing law, Saunie served as the Associate Dean of Students at The Ohio State University. Saunie has more than twenty-five years of experience in college administration and teaching. She frequently presents nationally on legal issues in higher education. Ms. Schuster holds Masters degrees in counseling and higher education administration from Miami University, completed her coursework for her Ph.D. at Ohio State University, and was awarded her juris doctorate degree from the Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University.

Saunie becomes the third NCHERM partner, joining founder Brett A. Sokolow, JD and W. Scott Lewis, JD who joined the firm in May of 2008. The choice of Saunie Schuster was an obvious one according to NCHERM Founder Brett Sokolow. “NCHERM can’t just hire an eager lawyer fresh out of law school. We operate at a level of sophistication that requires years of experience and expertise. Saunie is our kind of consultant.” Sokolow went on to add that, “Selecting Saunie was strategic. In the last two years, our community college clientele has expanded dramatically. We now represent seven community colleges. To better serve their needs, we looked to add a partner who brings a additional wealth of community college experience to NCHERM.” Outreach to community colleges is not the only reason. “Our need for a new partner,” Sokolow continued, “is also based on how popular our CUBIT model has proven to be [College and University Behavioral Intervention Team]. We have helped to establish teams at over 200 colleges and universities, and as more and more colleges look to adopt CUBIT, we need a bigger team to help them.”

Saunie shared her thoughts on joining NCHERM. “I am looking forward to joining NCHERM. It is the right challenge for the next phase of my professional life. And, frankly, they needed to add a woman’s touch to the firm.” Saunie is regarded as a national expert on sexual misconduct and training, a core area of NCHERM’s consulting practice. She is also well-known for her collaborative year-end summaries of cases affecting higher education.

Partner W. Scott Lewis, JD added, “I have worked with Saunie for years, and she will balance our team well. We really enjoy working together.”

NCHERM’s rapid expansion in what is otherwise a slow economy reinforces that as money gets tighter, colleges and universities are clearly placing a higher priority on shielding what money is left in the budget from litigation and insurance claims. One of the best ways to do that is with enhanced risk management through more effective loss control and risk mitigation strategies.

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