I am pleased to announce that CPAA has a new General Counsel to represent the legal and professional interests of our members. As you know, the Law Department, OIG, and CPS, in general, have ramped up their attempts to investigate and discipline principals. I want you to understand the intense work we put into getting the most vigorous representation possible for our members.

A Wide Net and A Formidable Process

After we posted the General Counsel position in multiple online and physical sites, we received more than 100 inquiries. After reviewing their resumes, we contacted 50 attorneys and invited them to apply. The application process included six real-life scenarios that CPS principals and APs have faced. We required each candidate to select three scenarios and compose a detailed and assertive written plan to advocate for the school leader in each scenario.

Three Candidate Evaluation Rounds

In the first round, we evaluated all submissions and invited ten candidates in for interviews. In the second round, we held two-hour interviews, had our contract attorneys re-evaluate each candidate's written legal plan and narrowed the field to four. In this era of heightened consciousness of gender bias, I am encouraged to note that all four of our semi-finalists were women. Finally, we brought our contract attorneys in for interviews with each of the four semi-finalists. Based on their recommendations, we narrowed the field to two candidates.

Our New General Counsel

From those two finalists, I selected Ms. Aryelle Smith as the next CPAA General Counsel. Mrs. Smith is exceptionally sharp. Not only does she have the ability to advocate effectively for the legal and professional interests of our members, but she brings a far broader skill set that can grow our organizational programming and membership. She will introduce herself to you in the coming days, and you will get to know her better in the following weeks and months.

Please note, attorney Bill Quinlan is no longer with CPAA. All legal and disciplinary inquiries should be directed to Aryelle Smith at asmith@mycpaa.com or (312) 263-7767 ext 131.

In solidarity,
Troy