Navigate campus compliance
with confidence and empathy
Our Services
We offer a comprehensive range of services, including training, compliance, and investigations.
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Title IX, Title VI, and non-discrimination training designed to support institutions’ needs and comply with legal obligations. Each session is customized for various campus stakeholders and is tailored to individual roles and knowledge base.
Our current Live Training offerings are available here.
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Our experienced team can provide a full range of support for managing and updating policies and procedures. Whether you want to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations or set the gold standard with best practices, our team can help with drafting, updating, assessing, and refining your campus practices.
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We provide trained, skilled, experienced, and practical Title IX and Title VI investigators for colleges, universities, and secondary schools. Our investigators are also trained to handle a wider range of diversity and cultural matters.
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Ballast team members are trained to conduct mediation, restorative justice facilitation, and other forms of alternative dispute resolution as allowed by institutions’ policies and applicable law.
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We serve as hearing officers, chairs, panel members, and other adjudicatory roles. Our team also assists with appeals and serves as appeal adjudicators.
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Ballast offers interim services to fill gaps in Title IX roles, including coordinator, deputy coordinator, assistant coordinator, and hearing panel member
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Our practical, solution-oriented team aims to serve as your trusted resource for all Title IX and discrimination-related inquiries.
Shaped by real world experiences
Decades of real-world experience at top colleges and universities have shaped Ballast’s holistic approach and commitment to the transparency and compassion all stakeholders deserve.
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Sean Somermeyer
Sean Somermeyer helps colleges and universities navigate complex institutional challenges with practical guidance, sound judgment, and a clear understanding of how decisions affect the broader campus community.
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Carl Crosby Lehmann
Carl has nearly 30 years of experience advising institutions in all aspects of higher education legal services, including complex transactional, regulatory, and litigation matters. Carl has served as the General Counsel to St. Olaf College for the past eight years.
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Mary Dunnewold
Mary Dunnewold brings extensive practical experience in higher education to her work as a campus investigator, advisor, and trainer. Her work is grounded in over twenty years of experience as a law school teacher and administrator.
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Kari Hohn
As a former Title IX Coordinator and Equal Opportunity Director, Kari has extensive real-world experience in a higher education setting. Kari prides herself on being a problem-solver, a deep listener, and an excellent communicator.
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Nina Harris
Nina Harris brings more than a decade of experience managing complex matters and investigations to her work with Ballast. As a Director, she supports educational institutions through investigations, fact-finding, project management, and other matters that require careful organization, thoughtful communication, and close attention to detail.
Solutions tailored
to your culture and values
Ballast helps educational institutions navigate the complexity of Title IX and Title VI requirements with confidence and empathy. Our solutions are tailored to each institution’s culture and go beyond meeting legal requirements; Ballast helps educational institutions build trust with their communities and deliver on their promises of a world-class educational experience.
Get in touch!
If you would like to learn more about services or have any questions, please reach out.