Kathy Whalen has been employed by the NJSBA since mid-2023, and currently serves as Legal Counsel/Human Resources. Kathy graduated from Vassar College in 2001, and from the University of Colorado (at Boulder) School of Law in 2004. While living in Colorado, Kathy worked as a criminal defense attorney, and represented plaintiffs in connection with personal injury matters. Upon relocating to her native New Jersey, Kathy worked for a union-side labor law firm, and represented private and public sector labor unions and/or their members in arbitration, federal court, state court, and in administrative proceedings. Kathy then transitioned to a new role representing school districts in New Jersey and Pennsylvania in the areas of special education, school law, and labor and employment law. Prior to joining the NJSBA family, Kathy worked at the New Jersey Department of Education for nearly a decade in various roles, including as the Director of the School Ethics Commission, and as the New Jersey Department of Education’s ethics liaison officer, and equal opportunity/affirmative action officer.