Julie

Julie is a nationally recognized authority on education law, including areas of equity, diversity, and constitutional rights.  

She was the Dean of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education from 2005 - 2015.  The UW School of Education is the #1 public School of Education in the United States.   

Dean Underwood holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science and Sociology from DePauw University (1976), a Law Degree from Indiana University (1979), and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from the University of Florida (1984). 

She served on the faculty of the Department of Educational Administration (now Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis) and the School of Law at UW-Madison from 1986-1995.  She also served as chair of the Department of Educational Administration 1993-94, Assocaite Dean of the School of Education 1994-95, and co-director of the Wisconsin Center for Education Policy at the Robert M. LaFollette Institute of Public Affairs 1990-93.  

Julie left Madison to become Dean of Miami University School of Education and Allied Profession and remained in that position from 1995-1998. 

From 1998 to 2005 Dean Underwood was Associate Executive Director and General Counsel for the National School Boards Association in Washington, D.C. At the NSBA, she led a legal advocacy program on behalf of the nation's public school boards, including producing friend-of-the-court briefs and legal strategies before the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts. She also was responsible for the 3,000-member Council of School Attorneys.

Julie assists in all service aspects of The Riseling Group.