Elise Scanlon Law Group is a Washington, D.C. based law and consulting firm that offers more than 30 years of experience in accreditation and higher education policy and regulation. The firm advises accrediting organizations and higher education institutions on the implications of federal policy, state and federal regulation and quality assurance and improvement protocols. Non-profit clients of the firm benefit from its experience in board governance, management and strategic planning and development.

Elise Scanlon has more than 25 years of experience in higher education accreditation having served as Executive Director of the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (now ACCSC) from 1999-2008. As ACCSCT’s Executive Director, Elise managed an accreditation process that included more than 700 higher education institutions. Her position brought her into frequent contact with state and federal officials as partners in the higher education oversight triad. During her time at ACCSCT, Elise was a national voice on issues pertaining to accreditation and higher education quality assurance.

Elise’s current law and consulting practice focuses on advising accrediting organizations and higher education institutions on the implications of federal policy, federal regulation and quality assurance and improvement protocols. Her clients include historically regional, national and programmatic accrediting organizations. Elise serves on the Board of the National Council of State Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA), the S-SARA Regional Steering Committee of the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and the Education Quality Outcomes Standards (EQOS) Board. In 2019, Elise received the Cynthia Davenport Award for exceptional contributions to the field of accreditation from the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors (ASPA).

Elise interacts routinely with the U.S. Department of Education, key congressional committees, and regional and national accrediting organizations. She has attended various national conferences focused on issues including accountability and student achievement and has participated in Department of Education negotiated rulemaking sessions as a lead non-federal negotiator. Elise has written several articles on accountability and transparency in higher education and is a frequent speaker on these and other topics.

Elise earned her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. She received her bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, from Dickinson College and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.