Katherine Lee Carey

Attorney
Cooley LLP
Washington DC
Biographical Sketch: Katherine Lee Carey (Kate) began her career on the legal side of education with a start-up online college which led to a position in the college system’s regulatory affairs office, where she became an expert on the regulatory structure governing higher education. This expertise led to a position as VP of Compliance for a publicly traded higher education entity, a role as General Counsel/VP of Government Affairs with a system of 10 colleges/universities, and finally to her current role as Special Counsel with Cooley LLP. Kate currently leads Cooley’s west coast education practice group, which focuses on the legal, accreditation, administrative and regulatory aspects of regionally and nationally accredited higher education and K-12 institutions, as well as companies that provide services to the education industry. She provides clients with interpretation and implementation guidance on legal and regulatory changes, including impact analysis and strategic plans to implement complex regulatory requirements and compliance structures. Kate also has extensive experience in the development and implementation of legislative and policy priorities at the federal and state levels. Kate also serves as chair of the advisory board for the California Bureau for Private Postsecondary Education (BPPE) and is active with the San Diego Lawyers Club and the California Innocence Project.