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CSU College of Law Welcomes Our Newest Faculty and Staff
NEW FACULTY
James Ewing
Clinical Professor of Law & Director, Prosecutor Program
- JDWilliam & Mary Law School2002
- BSUnited States Military Academy at West Point1996
James A. Ewing brings decades of experience in criminal law to CSU Law’s new Prosecution Clinic. He served 15 years as an attorney with the Department of Justice, including as an Assistant United States Attorney in both the District of Columbia and the Northern District of Ohio, where he was Appellate Chief until 2025 and advised DOJ attorneys nationwide on professional conduct. He also served 30 years in the United States Army and Army Reserve, retiring as a colonel and military judge in 2026, with overseas assignments in Afghanistan, Italy, and South Korea. His career spans work as a federal prosecutor, defense attorney, appellate advocate, trial judge, and appellate judge. He earned a B.S. from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a J.D. from William & Mary School of Law, where he was Articles Editor of the William & Mary Law Review.
Jacob Schriner-Briggs
Assistant Professor of Law
- JDYale Law School
- BAYoungstown State UniversityPhilosophy and Political Science
Jacob M. Schriner-Briggs joins the faculty following appointments as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, a Resident Fellow at the Yale Law School Information Society Project, and an associate in the Media and Entertainment Group at Ballard Spahr LLP. His scholarship examines constitutional law, constitutional theory, and First Amendment freedoms of speech and press with work published or forthcoming in the UC Irvine Law Review, Journal of Free Speech Law, and Kentucky Law Journal, among others. A first-generation college graduate, he earned his B.A. from Youngstown State University in 2017 and his J.D. from Yale Law School in 2021.
Justin Hayman
Visiting Legal Writing Professor
- JDCleveland State University College of Law
- BABowling Green State University
Justin Hayman brings nearly a decade of private practice experience to teaching first-year Legal Writing I/II and Advanced Brief Writing. His approach centers on clear analysis, disciplined structure, persuasive advocacy, and the practical judgment effective lawyering demands, informed by experience in judicial chambers, appellate advocacy, and high-stakes motion practice. He has a particular interest in the future of legal writing, including the thoughtful use of generative AI as a tool for sharpening, not replacing. lawyerly thinking. Professor Hayman remains a persistent believer that most legal writing problems are improved by clearer issue framing, stronger topic and conclusion sentences, and a healthy skepticism of block quotes.
Khalida S. Jackson
Director, Pardon, Clemency & Reentry Clinic
- BAThe Ohio State UniversityEnglish2008
- JDWayne State University Law School2011
Khalida Sims Jackson directs the Pardon, Clemency & Reentry Clinic. A Cleveland Heights native, she earned a bachelor’s degree in English from The Ohio State University and her J.D. from Wayne State University Law School in 2011, joining the Ohio Bar in 2013. Her early career included working at the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office and the Salvation Army William Booth Legal Aid Clinic. Back in Cleveland, she practiced alongside her father at Sims and Associates before serving as an attorney with the Cuyahoga County Public Defender’s Office from 2013 to 2020 and as an Assistant Federal Defender for the Northern District of Ohio from 2020 to 2022. She has contributed to the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s 3Rs Program, Judge4Yourself, Cuyahoga County Witness/Victim Services, and the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Summer Legal Academy, reflecting a career built on public service and community engagement.
Jennifer Kinsley
Visiting Assistant Professor of Law
- JDDuke University School of Law
- BAUniversity of Florida
Judge Jennifer Kinsley sits on Ohio’s First District Court of Appeals and holds a tenured appointment at Northern Kentucky University Chase College of Law. She brings 24 years in legal education, having taught constitutional, juvenile, and criminal law while managing a clinical externship program and supervising an indigent defense clinic. Her scholarship on free expression and criminal justice appears in leading law reviews, and her advocacy for marginalized clients has been featured by The Washington Post, NPR, and the Oxygen network. A two-time Professor of the Year, she has built a career defined by constitutional advocacy, civil rights litigation, and a strong commitment to student mentorship.
Jacob W. Tomory
Assistant Professor of Law
- JDYale Law School
- BAYoungstown State University
Jacob W. Tomory’s research focuses on the interpretation of statutes and other legal documents, with particular emphasis on how courts do and should account for the understandings of ordinary readers rather than legal professionals. He will teach administrative law, criminal law, and a seminar on legal interpretation. Before joining the faculty, he clerked for the Honorable Cindy K. Chung on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit and the Honorable Robert Kirsch on the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey and worked as an associate at a multinational law firm in Washington, D.C. He earned his law degree from Yale Law School and his undergraduate degree from Youngstown State University. A native of Northeast Ohio, he returns to the region to join CSU Law.
NEW STAFF
Jennifer Edlind
Executive Director, William I. Weisberg Center for Health Law & Policy
- JDBrooklyn Law School
- BACedarville University
Jennifer Edlind is a healthcare lawyer and compliance executive with more than 18 years of experience building and leading compliance, ethics, and privacy programs across an academic medical center and regional health system, a national physician group practice, and a Fortune 10 healthcare services company. Her prior health law work centered on designing and advancing compliance programs that supported organizational strategy while managing legal and regulatory risk. A frequent national speaker and published author on healthcare compliance and ethics, she is certified in healthcare compliance and an active member of the American Health Law Association and the Health Care Compliance Association.
Cory Scott
Executive Director, Center for Cybersecurity and Privacy Protection
- -
Cory Scott brings more than 25 years of cybersecurity expertise across private industry and public service, including vulnerability research, forensics, and incident response, along with security leadership roles at major financial institutions and technology companies including LinkedIn, Microsoft, Google, and Confluent. He currently serves as Deputy Regional Lead for the Cleveland branch of the Ohio Cyber Reserve, part of the Ohio Military Reserve focused on protecting state governmental bodies against cyberattacks. His research focuses on cybersecurity for public sector organizations and critical infrastructure, data protection for large multitenant service providers, and the intersection of cybersecurity with legal practice and professional ethics. He has presented at Black Hat Briefings, USENIX, OWASP, RSA Conference, and SANS.
Deborah Hoffman
Director, P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership and Law Program
- JDAlbany Law School
- BAThe University of Michigan
Debbie Hoffman is an executive leader, attorney, entrepreneur, and educator whose career spans financial services, corporate law, real estate, and technology innovation. She previously served as Managing Associate General Counsel at Western Union and as Chief Legal Officer of Digital Risk, a subsidiary of Mphasis, and spent a decade as a real estate finance attorney at Thacher Proffitt & Wood. She also founded Symmetry Blockchain Advisors, an early venture in blockchain and fintech. Her teaching experience includes Albany Law School, Barry University School of Law, Florida A&M College of Law, and the University of Central Florida College of Business, and her leadership has been recognized with numerous national honors across the legal, business, and technology sectors.
Dean Williams
Professor and Director, Student Success
- -
Dean C. Williams is a 2005 graduate whose career spans nearly three decades of public service, private practice, and academic achievement. He spent a decade as a sworn enforcement agent, including undercover operations and terrorism prevention work with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, before graduating law school as a Full Dean’s Scholar. He went on to build an accomplished litigation career at firms including Thompson Hine LLP and Jones Day, developing deep expertise in mass toxic tort, product liability, civil procedure, and complex litigation.
Olivia Kentner
Development Manager
- BAUniversity of Cincinnati
Olivia Kentner builds relationships with alumni, donors, and community partners in support of CSU Law’s mission. Before relocating to Cleveland at the end of 2025, she developed a strong background in communications, community engagement, and public policy through leadership roles in nonprofit and civic organizations, including the Office of Mayor Aftab Pureval in Cincinnati. She received the 2025 Cincy Serves Award at the Cincinnati Open in recognition of her leadership as a young professional and her dedication to community service. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati, she is currently pursuing a Master of Public Administration at The Ohio State University, with a continued focus on strengthening communities through education, service, and philanthropy.
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