About Us

NSAA started out as a grassroots effort of attorneys across the U.S. whose ultimate goal was to have our National School Attorneys Association be truly independent and self-governed with the objective of “uniting and supporting attorneys in legal advocacy on behalf of our nation’s public schools.” 

The following are the members of the NSAA Board of Directors who are instrumental in keeping our national organization growing and running smoothly:

 

 

OFFICERS

Chair:

Debra Silk, Associate Executive Director / General Counsel

Montana School Boards Association

dsilk@mtsba.org

406-439-3520

Chair-Elect:

Andrew Manna, Partner

Church Church Hittle + Antrim

Andrew@cchalaw.com

(317) 414-0792

Vice Chair:

Tiffany Richardson, In-House Counsel

Berkely County School District

Tiffanyrichardson2012@gmail.com

(803) 446-2378

Secretary/Treasurer

Julie Miller, Deputy Executive Director, and General Counsel

Oklahoma State School Boards Association

juliem@ossba.org

(405) 528-3571

 

BOARD MEMBERS

Katie Anderson, Partner

Carrington Coleman

kanderson@ccsb.com

(214) 855-3096

D. Scott Bennett, Attorney at Law

Bennett & DeCamp, PLLC

dsb@bennettdecamp.com

(423) 498-3791

Shelley Chatfield, Chief Legal Officer

Fayette County Public Schools

shelley.chatfield@fayette.kyschools.us

(859) 381-4728

A. Lynn Himes

Himes Petrarca & Fester

ahimes@edlawyer.com

(847) 207-4686

 

 

BOARD MEMBERS

Heidi Maynard, Attorney Shareholder

Vandeberg Johnson & Gandara, PS

hmaynard@vjglaw.com

(360) 451-5829

Doug Thorne, District Counsel / Chief of Staff

Elkhart Community Schools

dthorne@elkhart.k12.in.us

(574) 262-5517

Ben Torres, Assistant Executive Director and General Counsel, Tennessee School Boards Association

btorres@tsba.net

(615) 815-3902

Jackie Gharapour Wernz, Partner

Thompson & Horton LLP

jwernz@thlaw.com

(469) 421-6619

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Sonja Trainor, Executive Director

NSAA

strainor@NSAA.legal

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Cheryl Richardson, Operations Manager

NSAA

crichardson@nsaa.legal

EX OFFICIO MEMBERS

Joy Baskin, Education Counsel

Texas Association of School Boards

joy.baskin@tasb.org

Phil Hartley, General Counsel

Pereira, Kirby, Kinsinger & Nguyen, LLP

phartley@pkknlaw.com

Jim Keith, Of Counsel

Adams and Reese, LLP

jim.keith@arlaw.com

(601) 292-0718