Amanda L. Walsh, currently an attorney with the Victim Rights Law Center in Boston, will become Brown University’s first Title IX program officer. Walsh will begin her duties in Providence in early May.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Amanda L. Walsh, a staff attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center in Boston and a consultant on victim advocacy and Title IX compliance, has been appointed as Brown University’s first Title IX program officer. Walsh will begin her service at Brown in early May, reporting to the vice president for academic development, diversity and inclusion in the Office of the President.

“Amanda Walsh is a strong advocate for victims’ rights, has provided legal representation in cases of sexual violence, trains staff on provisions of Title IX, and has significant experience as a consultant to high schools, colleges, and universities,” said Brown President Christina Paxson. “I look forward to her arrival in Providence and to her work across the entire campus community.”

Paxson appointed a 12-member selection committee of faculty, students, and staff, chaired by Liza Cariago-Lo, vice president for academic development, diversity and inclusion, to conduct a national search, and the position was established within the fiscal 2016 budget approved by the Corporation in February. The decision to hire a full-time Title IX program officer was an early step in the University‘s effort to provide national leadership for the prevention, advocacy, and response to issues of sexual assault. The program officer’s responsibilities include:

  • Ensuring compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of the 1972 Civil Rights Act and the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2012;
  • Convening regular meetings of deputy Title IX coordinators who manage student, staff, and faculty programs;
  • Overseeing training, education, advocacy, and awareness programs for the entire campus community;
  • Providing consultation to the University’s senior officers;
  • Gathering and reporting information and data necessary for discharging the University’s obligations and responsibilities under Title IX.

Amanda Walsh

A graduate of Northeastern University (B.S., with honors, in criminal justice; January 2007), Walsh earned her J.D. degree with honors at Roger Williams University School of Law (May 2011). Prior to joining the Victim Rights Law Center in 2011, Walsh worked for Stand for Children, an advocacy organization in Portland, Ore., and served as a law clerk in Portland and in Providence. As a member of the Massachusetts Bar and staff attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center in Boston, she has represented high school and college victims of sexual violence, trained educational administrators on campus sexual violence issues, and advocated for clients at administrative and legal proceedings, including at university disciplinary hearings.

In December 2013, she became a Resource Team member for the Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault and the Office on Violence Against Women Campus Program, training staff on issues related to Title IX and drafting and implementing effective sexual assault policies. She has conducted training programs and made presentations nationally on campus sexual assault issues, including “Gender Equity in Education: The Many Legacies of Title IX,” the Masha Dexter Memorial Lecture at Brown University, April 21, 2014.