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Leary Davis, founding dean
and professor of law
(336) 279-9201,
davislaw@elon.edu
Leary Davis was appointed Founding Dean of Elon
University School of Law in March 2005. He left law
practice to help found the Campbell University School of
Law in 1975 and served as dean there until 1986. Courses
he developed and taught during his 30 years at Campbell
won numerous awards, and graduates there enjoyed a high
passage rate on North Carolina's bar exam. Davis has
been actively involved throughout his career in the
American Bar Association, North Carolina Bar Association,
and The North Carolina State Bar, in community and
statewide civic projects, and in extensive research
concerning the state of the legal profession. He was a
member of the Governor's Commission on the Future of
North Carolina and a founding board member of BarCARES of
North Carolina. He is currently a member of the North
Carolina Chief Justice's Commission on
Professionalism and the American Judicature Society's
National Advisory Committee.
Find out more about Leary Davis...
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Alan Woodlief, associate
dean for admissions and administration, associate
professor of law
(336) 279-9203,
awoodlief@elon.edu
Alan Woodlief was named associate dean and director of
admissions for the Elon University School of Law in May
2005. He had served as associate dean for admissions at
Campbell University's law school since 1999. A 1994
Campbell law graduate, Woodlief joined Campbell's law
faculty in 1995, after serving as a research assistant
for Associate Justice (later Chief Justice) Henry E. Frye
of the North Carolina Supreme Court. Dean Woodlief has
taught courses in commercial law, remedies, legal
research and writing and appellate advocacy. Woodlief is
the author of North Carolina Law of Damages, Fourth
Edition, and North Carolina Civil Practice and Procedure,
Sixth Edition, both published by Thomson West. He also
serves as a Research Associate for the Institute of
Government, working with the Criminal Law Subcommittee of
the North Carolina Superior Court Judge's Pattern
Jury Instruction Committee. Woodlief also serves on the
Publications Board of the North Carolina State
Bar.
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Sharon Gaskin, assistant
dean for admissions
(336) 279-9347,
sgaskin@elon.edu
Sharon Gaskin joined Elon after working as a solo
practitioner in Greensboro, N.C. Her practice focused on
criminal defense, real estate, and personal injury.
Gaskin has worked as the Attorney Advocate for the
Guilford County Guardian Ad Litem program, and has taught
as an adjunct professor of criminal justice at North
Carolina A&T State University. She has been
recognized for her pro bono work with juveniles. Gaskin
works with the Associate Dean for Admissions and the
Admissions Committee to evaluate applications for
admission. She meets with prospective students to discuss
the admissions process and admissions standards. She also
travels to graduate and professional school fairs to
recruit students. Fluent in French, Gaskin has a
bachelor's degree from the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill and a juris doctor from Campbell
University.
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Margaret Robison Kantlehner,
associate dean for external relations and assistant
professor of law
(336) 279-9205,
mkantlehner@elon.edu
Margaret Kantlehner will prepare students for
internships and full-time employment as part of the
school's Office of Professional Recruitment,
Development and Placement. She will also coordinate
relationships with the school's external publics,
including a broad range of volunteer lawyers, mentors and
preceptors who will enrich the development of Elon's
students and educational program. A former partner in the
Greensboro law firm of Johnson, Peddrick, Kantlehner
& McDonald, she also has executive experience in
business. Kantlehner has chaired the Young Lawyers
Division of the North Carolina Bar Association, done pro
bono legal work for Habitat for Humanity and was a North
Carolina Volunteer Lawyer for the Arts. She has a
bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a juris
doctor from Campbell University.
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Eugenia Leggett, associate
dean for development
(336) 279-9209,
eleggett@elon.edu
Eugenia Leggett oversees
fundraising efforts and cultivates relationships with
potential donors to build a comprehensive development
program for the School of Law. Leggett joins Elon after
serving as director of development at the College of
Education at North Carolina State University in Raleigh
since 2001. She had primary responsibility for major gift
fundraising and oversaw the college’s alumni
program, donor relations, communications and stewardship
programs. Leggett served as director of development at
Peace College, Raleigh, from 1997 to 2000. She also
worked as director of planned and annual giving at Peace
from 1995 to 1997. From 1988 to 1995, Leggett worked for
the Pines of Carolina Girl Scout Council in Raleigh and
she has served on several boards in the Raleigh
community, including The Montessori School of Raleigh,
AFP and SAFEchild of Wake County. She earned a
bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and
a master's degree from N.C. State University.
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John D. Englar, distinguished practitioner in residence
jenglar@elon.edu
Englar serves as an advisor to students and faculty members at Elon and teaches courses in international business transactions, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate restructuring. Until November 2003, Englar served as senior vice president of corporate development and law with Burlington Industries, Inc. He held several key executive leadership positions with the company during his 25-year career. In addition to his roles as chief financial officer and general counsel, Englar served on the Board of Directors from 1990 to 2003 and chaired the investment committee. Before joining Burlington, Englar was an attorney with Davis Polk & Wardwell in the firm's New York and Paris offices. Englar comes to Elon after serving as executive coach in residence at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. He continues as executive in residence at the Bryan School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Englar graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Duke in 1969, where he also served on the editorial board of the law review and earned a law degree in 1972. He holds a finance certificate from the Advanced Management Programs at Harvard Business School and a general management certificate from the Fuqua School of Business.
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James G. Exum Jr., distinguished jurist in
residence
(336) 279-9270, jexum@elon.edu
As Distinguished Jurist in Residence, Jim Exum is a
resource for students and faculty. He will help structure
the appellate practice instruction and teach courses such
as legal skills, professional responsibility and legal
ethics. Exum, an attorney at Smith Moore LLP in
Greensboro, served on the North Carolina Supreme Court
from 1974 to 1994, and was Chief Justice from 1986 to
1994. He currently leads his firm's appellate
practice group, supervising and assisting lawyers with
all aspects of appeals in state and federal courts. He
also writes briefs and makes oral arguments before
appellate and trial courts on legal issues. Exum has a
bachelor's degree from the University of North
Carolina and a law degree from New York University. He
began his career in Greensboro in 1961 with Smith Moore
Smith Schell & Hunter. He was elected to the North
Carolina House of Representatives in 1967 and that same
year began service as Resident Superior Court Judge of
Guilford County, holding that position until being
elected to the state Supreme Court in 1974. During his
service with the Supreme Court, Exum wrote 402 opinions
for the court and 208 concurring or dissenting opinions.
As a lawyer, he has participated in more than 40 appeals
in state and federal appellate courts.
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Bonnie McAlister, executive
coach in residence
(336) 279-9212,
bmcalister2@elon.edu
Bonnie McAlister works with Elon
law students in the areas of leadership development and
communications. She comes to Elon following distinguished
teaching careers at the Center for Creative Leadership
(CCL) and Davidson College. She currently serves as an
adjunct faculty member at CCL and in the Bryan School of
Business and Economics at the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro. She is an experienced
communications consultant to businesses and
organizations. She has taught seminars nationwide for
nearly 30 years, specializing in leadership, speaking,
interviewing and presentation skills. McAlister has a
long history of civic involvement in Greensboro, serving
on various boards for Bank of America, Greensboro
College, Guilford College, UNCG, United Way and the
Women's Professional Forum. McAlister has a
bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and a
master's degree in speech communications from
UNCG.
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Catherine Ross Dunham,
associate professor of law, director of Trial Practice Program
(336) 279-9241,
cdunham@elon.edu
Dunham came to Elon from the University of Virginia School of Law, where she compiled and analyzed research exploring social psychology and legal education. In addition to authoring publications in the area of legal education, Dunham's scholarly interests include procedural due process and gender equality. At Elon, Dunham teaches Civil Procedure, Complex Civil Litigation, Pre-trial Litigation and other courses in the Trial Practice Program. Dunham also serves as faculty for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy in regional and national programs.
Before coming to Elon, Dunham served as director of the Legal Research and Writing Program and assistant professor of law at Campbell University School of Law. She also served as a law clerk to Judge Sidney S. Eagles Jr., at the North Carolina Court of Appeals before practicing law, representing clients in trial and appellate litigation in both North Carolina and federal courts. In 2003, she received the American Bar Association's E. Smythe Gambrell Award for teaching professionalism. Dunham has a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a juris doctor from Campbell University and a master of laws from the University of Virginia School of Law.
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Eric Fink, associate professor of
law
(336) 279-9334, efink@elon.edu
Eric Fink comes to Elon after practicing law with
Leonard Carder LLP in Oakland, Calif. Previously, he
served as a lecturer at Stanford Law School, where he
taught legal research and writing from 2004 to 2006. He
has also taught at St. Joseph’s University,
University of Chicago and The Anglo-American College in
the Czech Republic. He has also practiced law with
several firms in Philadelphia, concentrating on labor
and employment law and civil litigation. Fink's
research focuses on law and lawyering as social
institution and social practice. His current projects
include work on appellate review of administrative
decisions in asylum cases, regulation of recreational
fishing and hunting, online social networking among law
students, and the social organization of the union-side
labor law bar. He has a bachelor’s degree from
The Johns Hopkins University, a master’s degree
in sociology from the London School of Economics, and a
law degree from New York University School of Law, and
was formerly a doctoral student in sociology at the
University of Chicago.
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Steven Friedland, professor
of law
(336) 279-9224,
sfriedland2@elon.edu
Steven
Friedland comes to Elon from Nova
Southeastern University (NSU), Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,
where he has been a professor of law for 20 years. At NSU
he was awarded various teaching honors, including several
law school "teacher of the year" awards and one
university-wide honor. He has taught at law schools
across the southeast, including the University of
Florida, the University of Georgia, Georgia State
University and the University of Miami. While in
practice, he served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the
District of Columbia. A co-author of two books published
by Carolina Academic Press, "Techniques For Teaching
Law" and "Teaching the Law School
Curriculum," he is a national leader and frequent
speaker and consultant on improving law school teaching,
including the establishment of law schools in Japan. He
is on the Board of Advisors for the Institute for Law
School Teaching and has directed NSU's Guardian Ad
Litem and Street Law programs. Friedland has a
bachelor's degree from the State University of New
York at Binghamton, a juris doctor from Harvard Law
School, and a master of laws and a doctor of
jurisprudence degree from Columbia Law School, where he
was also a Dollard Fellow in Law, Medicine and
Psychiatry.
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Scott Gaylord, associate professor of
law
(336) 279-9331, sgaylord@elon.edu
Scott Gaylord practiced with the Charlotte, N.C. firm of
Robinson, Bradshaw & Hinson before joining Elon Law.
During seven years with the firm, Gaylord handled complex
civil and commercial litigation involving breach of
contract, unfair trade practice, bankruptcy and appellate
work in both state and federal courts. He served as a law
clerk to Judge Edith Jones on the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals in Houston from 1999 to 2000, working on a wide
range of legal issues, including various constitutional
amendments and the Bankruptcy Code.
Gaylord began his teaching career in 1990 as a
teaching fellow at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, where he received the Students’
Undergraduate Teaching Award. He has served as a
teaching assistant and research assistant at University
of Notre Dame Law School, and as assistant professor at
Ave Maria School of Law.Gaylord received a
bachelor’s degree summa cum laude and Phi Beta
Kappa from Colgate University, and master’s and
doctoral degrees in philosophy from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is a summa cum laude
graduate of Notre Dame Law School, where he was a
member of the law review and received the Dean Joseph
O’Meara Award as salutatorian.
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Helen Grant, professor of
law
(336) 279-9234,
hgrant2@elon.edu
Helen Grant joins the Elon faculty from the Indiana
University Law School - Indianapolis, and the University
of Louisville (Ky.), where she was Distinguished Visiting
Professor of Law. A native of Australia, Grant was a
member of the law faculty for 11 years at the University
of Queensland, Brisbane, where she received numerous
awards for excellence in teaching. In legal practice, she
was the presiding legal member of the Mental Health
Review Tribunal in Brisbane, and also spent two years as
a legal officer in the Office of the Special Prosecutor
in Brisbane, investigating cases of official corruption
and prosecuting government officials. Grant has
bachelor's and master's degrees from the
Queensland University of Technology and a doctorate in
law from the University of
Queensland.
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George R. Johnson Jr.,
professor of law, associate dean for academic
affairs
(336) 279-9237,
gjohnson8@elon.edu
George R. Johnson Jr., formerly served six years as
president of LeMoyne-Owen College in Memphis, Tenn. He
also has been academic dean and professor of law at
Howard University in Washington, D.C. From 1979 to 1981,
he worked in the Carter administration as assistant
general counsel in the Executive Office of the President.
He also served as assistant counsel to the Committee on
Banking, Finance & Urban Affairs in the U.S. House of
Representatives. In addition to Howard, he has taught at
George Mason University. He has spent the past four years
in Washington, practicing law and serving as a consultant
to colleges and universities. Johnson has also served on
the boards of trustees/directors of Amherst College, the
United Negro College Fund, the Council of Independent
Colleges, the Economic Club of Memphis, and Universal
Life Insurance Company. Johnson has a bachelor's
degree from Amherst College and a juris doctor from
Columbia University.
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Jeffrey Kinsler, professor of law
(336) 279-9346, jkinsler@elon.edu
Prior to joining the Elon faculty, Jeffrey Kinsler
was dean of Appalachian School of Law, which he led to
full ABA approval during his tenure. The winner of
numerous teaching awards, he has taught at Valparaiso
University School of Law, the University of Denver
College of Law, the University of Tennessee College of
Law and Marquette University Law School in the United
States. He has served as a Fulbright Scholar at the
University of Queensland and has taught at the University
of Sydney and Griffith University, all in Australia.
Kinsler was a partner with Katten, Muchin & Zavis in
Chicago, where he also practiced with Mayer, Brown &
Platt. A member of the Virginia, Tennessee, Illinois and
Wisconsin bars, he has co-authored eight books and has
published numerous law review articles. He obtained his
undergraduate degree with honors from Ball State
University, graduated first in his class at Valparaiso
University School of Law and obtained a master of laws
degree from Yale Law School.
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Don
Peters,
professor of law
(336) 279-9238,
dpeters2@elon.edu
Don
Peters has taught for 32 years at
the University of Florida, where he is a professor of law
and director of the Institute for Dispute Resolution and
director of the Virgil Hawkins Civil Clinics. He has
served as a visiting faculty member at universities in
Jordan, Australia and Malaysia as well as the University
of Iowa, the University of Alabama and the University of
Colorado. He has also been a legal consultant in South
Africa, Uganda, Ghana, Poland, Israel, the Republic of
China, Haiti, Jordan, Australia and India. After
receiving a senior Fulbright Hays award as visiting
professor with the law faculty at the University of
Malaya, he developed and co-taught the first clinical
lawyering skills course in Southeast Asia. Peters, who
has received an award for excellence and innovation in
teaching at Florida, has a bachelor's degree from the
University of Northern Iowa and a juris doctor from the
University of Iowa College of Law.
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Martha Peters, professor of
legal education
(336) 279-9240,
mpeters3@elon.edu
Martha Peters joins the Elon faculty from the University
of Iowa College of Law, where she has directed the
Academic Achievement Program for the last seven years.
Previously, Peters developed and directed the Law Student
Resource Program at the University of Florida. She has
led numerous workshops and given conference presentations
around the world on best practices in legal education and
ways to support students, reduce stress, and promote
their success in law school. She is a two-time winner of
the Clara Gehan Award for the Advancement of Women's
Issues presented by the Law Association for Women and
recipient of an outstanding service award from the Black
Law Students' Association. Peters has a
bachelor's degree from Mary Baldwin College, a
master's and doctorate in educational psychology and
an educational specialist degree in counselor education
from the University of Florida.
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Faith Rivers, associate professor of
law
(336) 279-9332, frivers@elon.edu
Faith Rivers taught courses in property and
administrative law, nonprofit organizations and
legislation at Vermont Law School, where she served as
associate professor since July 2005. She was a fellow at
the Land Use Institute and was awarded the David
Stevenson Faculty Fellowship for Nonprofit and
Philanthropic Studies. She served as a visiting assistant
professor at University of South Carolina School of Law
in 2005 and taught in the master’s in public
administration program as an adjunct professor at the
University of South Carolina from 1999 to 2002.
Rivers served as executive director of the South
Carolina Bar Foundation from 1998 to 2004. The
foundation manages the Interest on Lawyers Trust
Accounts (IOLTA) program and supports law-related
philanthropy. Rivers served as president of the
National Association of IOLTA Programs from 2003 to
2004 and served on the board of the National Conference
of Bar Foundations. Rivers has experience on Capitol
Hill, working as counsel and senior policy advisor to
Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt from 1993 to 1996.
Previously, she was an associate in the public law and
policy section of the Washington, D.C. firm of Akin
Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld from 1990 to 1993. Rivers
has done extensive research on African American
property ownership. She was instrumental in the
creation of the Center for Heirs’ Property
Preservation in Charleston, S.C., and serves on the
American Bar Association Property Preservation Task
Force. Her article, “The Public Trust Debate:
Implication for Heirs’ Property Along the Gullah
Coast,” was recently published in the Fall 2006
Southeastern Environmental Law Journal. Rivers received
a bachelor’s degree in government and sociology
from Dartmouth College and a law degree from Harvard
Law School.
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Victor Streib, visiting professor of law
(336) 279-9353, vstreib@elon.edu
Victor Streib is a noted national authority on the death penalty and its application to women and juveniles. He is a prolific author with more than 300 books, book chapters, articles and papers. His work has been cited 28 times in U.S. Supreme Court opinions. Streib has served as appellate counsel in several death penalty cases involving juveniles, including Thompson v. Oklahoma, the landmark 1988 case that established a Constitutional minimum age of 16 for the death penalty. He has testified before Congressional committees and as an expert witness in death penalty trials nationally. Frequently sought for media interviews, Streib has been quoted on violent crime and the death penalty in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Time magazine. He has also appeared on CBS' 60 Minutes, CNN's Larry King Live and NBC's Today Show.
Streib has taught and served as dean at Ohio Northern University College of Law. He has also taught at Indiana University, Cleveland State University and New England School of Law. Streib earned a law degree from Indiana University at Bloomington and a bachelor's degree from Auburn University.
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Cheryl Cunningham, adjunct professor of
law
(336) 279-9370, ccunningham3@elon.edu
Cheryl Cunningham has served as adjunct professor of
government and American history at High Point University
since 2005. She previously taught history and
constitutional law and served as dean of students at
Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, La., from 1999 to
2005, where she chaired the strategic planning committee
and served on the board of trustees.
Cunningham was a litigation attorney with Liskow &
Lewis in New Orleans from 1986 to 1999, representing
vehicle manufacturers in disputes with their dealers
before the Louisiana Motor Vehicles Commission. She
also published articles on developments in oil and gas
law in the Loyola Law Review Fifth Circuit Symposium.
Cunningham received a bachelor’s degree from
Louisiana State University, a master’s degree in
history from the University of New Orleans, and a law
degree from Loyola University School of Law, where she
was a member of the law review.
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Jack Hicks, adjunct professor of law
(336) 279-9368, jhicks7@elon.edu
Jack Hicks, a licensed patent attorney with the Greensboro firm of Womble Carlyle, teaches the Intellectual Property Law course at Elon. Hicks has significant experience in counseling clients in all areas of patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret law. A substantial portion of his practice includes the preparation and prosecution of U.S. and foreign patent and trademark applications, as well as litigation in various jurisdictions and forums.
Hicks counsels clients in a wide range of industries, including those involving the general mechanical, electro-mechanical, manufacturing processes, chemical and "business methods" arts. Specific industries in which Hicks is active include pharmaceuticals, electronics, banking, computer software and telecommunications. He earned a law degree in 1987 from the University of Texas School of Law and a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia in 1979.
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Thomas Noble, adjunct professor of
law
(336) 279-9369, tnoble@elon.edu
Thomas Noble joins the Elon law faculty after working
with the Greensboro firm of Tuggle Duggins & Meschan,
P.A., since 2004, where he concentrated on commercial
litigation and labor and employment matters. From 2001 to
2004, Noble was a litigation associate with Neal, Gerber
& Eisenberg LLP, in Chicago, where his practice
focused on general business and appellate litigation,
primarily involving contract and partnership disputes,
professional liability defense, real estate litigation,
and consumer fraud and warranty actions. Prior to law
school, Noble worked as a litigation and labor and
employment legal assistant with Morrison & Foerster
LLP, spending time in the firm's Palo Alto, San
Francisco and Tokyo offices.
Noble received his law degree in 2001 from the
Northwestern University School of Law, where he was a
three-time recipient of Dean's Honors. He graduated
from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in
1994 with a bachelor's degree in environmental
studies.
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James Roane, adjunct professor of law
jroane@elon.edu
James Roane is the practice group leader for Litigation and Nursing Home Units with the law firm of Crumley & Associates. Roane serves on the Guilford County Nursing Home Advisory Committee and was recently named to the Young Guns list of top attorneys under age 40 by Business North Carolina magazine. He is an officer of the Nursing Home Division of the North Carolina Academy of Trial Lawyers. Roane earned a bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a law degree from Wake Forest University.
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Melanie S. Tuttle, adjunct professor of law
mtuttle3@elon.edu
Melanie Tuttle practices law in the Greensboro offices of Schell Bray Aycock Abel & Livingston. Her practice focuses on securities regulation, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, general corporate and employment law. She has served on the Legal Opinion Committee of the Business Law Section of the N.C. Bar Association. Tuttle clerked for Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert of the Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals from 1983 to 1985. She earned a law degree from The University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she was editor-in-chief of the law review. Tuttle earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan.
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Karlan Barker, assistant to
the dean
(336) 279-9204,
kbarker5@elon.edu
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Meg Jordan, admissions
counselor and law school assistant
(336) 279-9202,
mjordan2@elon.edu
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Sue Sinclair, administrative
assistant - Office of External
Relations
(336) 279-9207,
ssinclair@elon.edu
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