The Healy+ Group, a professional services firm and ancillary business of Am Law 100 firm Cozen O’Connor, today introduced Laura Egan — former deputy executive director of Clery Center and one of the nation’s leading Clery Act experts — as its new director of Clery Consulting & Institutional Assessment. In her new role, Egan will join Healy+, a campus safety consulting firm that helps educational institutions comply with the Clery Act, a federal law that requires colleges and universities to gather and share information about crimes happening on or near campus, and to disclose information about campus safety, security, violence prevention and response, and emergency management. In addition, Egan will also focus on broader institutional assessments regarding the intersection of the Clery Act with related compliance areas, including youth protection, civil rights (including Title IX and Title VI), and campus safety.
The Clery Act was enacted in 1990, after the tragic 1986 on-campus sexual assault and murder of Jeanne Clery. Its purpose is to provide information to current and prospective community members to inform future decisions about their personal safety and to ensure that educational institutions have comprehensive campus safety policies. Educational institutions are charged with effectively implementing the myriad requirements under the Clery Act, which require pan-institutional commitment and coordination. Jeanne Clery’s parents later founded the nonprofit Clery Center, which is dedicated to helping colleges and universities create safer campuses and comply with federal campus safety laws. At Clery Center, Egan has served as a go-to national subject matter expert for compliance support, training and education, and advocacy to promote transparency, crime prevention, and accountability across higher education for more than a decade.
“Simply put, there’s not a better, more qualified candidate to join our Clery Act team than Laura Egan,” said Steven J. Healy, founder and chief executive officer of Healy+ and a nationally recognized expert on the campus safety ecosystem, campus policing, the Clery Act, and the intersections with Title IX and related civil rights laws. The Healy+ Group sits within Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group, a dedicated national practice that focuses on helping educational and child-serving institutions better prevent and respond to discrimination, harassment, including sexual and gender-based harassment and violence, child abuse, and critical campus safety incidents. The unique intersection of these two practices unites decades of campus safety, law enforcement, and civil rights experience under Title IX and Title VI to provide integrated and informed advice to campuses across the country.
“As a foundational Clery Act expert, Laura brings trusted experience advising colleges and universities, large and small, public and private, on a range of compliance measures,” said Gina Maisto Smith, chair of Cozen O’Connor’s Institutional Response Group. “And as a long-time educator, Laura is fluent in effective practices to address the practical needs of campuses. She is a terrific addition to our firm, and I’m thrilled to welcome her aboard.”
During her years at Clery Center, Egan worked with hundreds of educational institutions across the country, providing subject-matter expertise on the Clery Act and other intersecting federal laws. Her background includes providing compliance guidance on annual security report reviews, policy and procedure audits, and all aspects of Clery Act implementation. She also participated in countless on-site training sessions, conferences, and speaking engagements, appearing before hundreds of campus administrators, law enforcement officers, and campus partners across student affairs, human resources, athletics, civil rights, and academic affairs.
Egan also helped build Clery Center internally. By leveraging annual learning outcome analyses and client evaluations, she refined and expanded the curriculum. She also promoted collaboration between its programs, operations, and communications departments, resulting in new trainings, products, and services. Those efforts ultimately spurred collaborations with other national nonprofits and professional associations.
Egan began her career as a school counselor with the Philadelphia School District before moving to Saint Joseph’s University, where she held several positions involving the institution’s residence life and student conduct. As a nationally recognized Clery Act expert, she is a frequent media commentator.
“Joining Healy+ is an exciting opportunity for me. I’ve long been familiar with Steven, the group, and the exemplary work they’ve been doing for many years now,” Egan said. “Helping educational institutions address and elevate their campus safety functions requires the fluency to understand campus practices, culture, and climate in order to drive meaningful change. I am excited to work with pioneers in the field within Healy+ and the Institutional Response Group. This is a one-of-a-kind national practice, focused on the issues most important to me. Their collaborative culture and passion for this work are palpable, and it is aligned with my commitment to these issues. I’m looking forward to joining this team and working together to meet the moment in higher education.”
Egan earned her B.A. in psychology at Villanova University and an M.A. in education and human development from The George Washington University.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has over 1,000 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor serves its clients’ needs through 35 offices across two continents.
