The Education Law Association elected Kevin P. Brady, a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education and Health Professions, president of the organization, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary since being founded in 1954. 

He will lead the Education Law Association during the 70th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, and conclude his presidency with the organization's annual 2024 conference in Orlando, Florida.

"This organization has really helped shape my career, not only in terms of attending conferences and learning how to navigate publishing research, but it taught me how to interact with numerous constituencies impacted by legal issues in education," Brady said. "I've developed lifelong friendships, and after each conference, I am able to incorporate the knowledge I've gained into my own courses."

He first began attending ELA conferences in 1997 as a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a time in his life when he said he "had little to no idea what career to pursue." The organization, and that first conference 25 years ago, helped him find guidance, mentorship and a passion for educational law and policy issues that changed his professional trajectory and set him on a path in academia he's followed ever since.

"I am so pleased that Dr. Brady is the new president of the Education Law Association," said Preston Green, a leading scholar in educational law and professor of educational leadership and law at the University of Connecticut. Brady has known Green since his time pursuing a graduate degree at Columbia University.

 "He has consistently worked to ensure that parents, students and educators understand the importance of educational law," Green added. "He will continue to advocate for legal literacy in this new position."

Juggling the responsibilities of overseeing a major nationwide organization while fulfilling his duties at the U of A may seem challenging, but he attributes his successes to effective time management, a sense of perspective and a genuine passion for his work. He also acknowledges that the professional network within the College of Education and Health Professions has played a significant role in contributing to his achievements.

"My program colleagues in educational leadership and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction have fully supported me, and this support makes it much easier to give it my all," he said.

Julie Mead, a former ELA president and professor emerita in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said Brady's appointment reflects his importance to ELA and its members.

"ELA is a unique organization as it brings together both scholars and practitioners of education law in a vibrant community to explore the myriad of legal issues confronting educational institutions of all levels," she said. "That this body chose Kevin to lead us forward speaks to the high regard the membership has for him. The organization is privileged to have Kevin at the helm."

A little over a month into his tenure as president, Brady has targeted growing the organization's membership and improving the organization's digital footprint — two of the many objectives he hopes to accomplish. He remains committed to ELA's goals of serving as the "premier source of education law" and "being a professional family to its members." 

He's most grateful for having the opportunity "to influence the next generation of educational law and policy scholars and practitioners, as well as use the law as a moral compass to positively impact education at all levels for all students."