N.C. A&T Attorney Holloway Receives National Distinguished Service Award

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (June 29, 2020) – North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University general counsel for legal affairs Melissa J. Holloway, J.D., has received the national 2019-20 National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) Distinguished Service Award.

Holloway received the award during a recent virtual ceremony. The award recognizes individuals who have given extraordinary service both to NACUA and institutions of higher learning over an extended period of time.

At N.C. A&T, Holloway oversees the Office of Legal Affairs, the Office of Enterprise Risk Management and Compliance, and Title IX. Her legal practice has focused on employment law and student issues, employment litigation, student affairs and disciplinary procedures, policy development, employment contracts, immigration, and sponsored research.

Holloway joined A&T in May 2019 after serving as deputy general counsel at Ball State University from October 2015 through April 2019; as general counsel at North Carolina Central University from February 2009 to October 2015; and as chief legal affairs officer at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay from January 2001 to February 2009. She spent four years as an associate at the law firm of Foley & Lardner in Milwaukee before entering higher education.

Holloway has been member of NACUA since 2001 and is chair of its Committee of Membership and Member Services. She previously served the organization as an at-large member of the Board of Directors for 2016-2019, a member of the Board Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusivity, and has spoken at or moderated several annual conferences, Continuing Legal Education Workshops, and the Lawyers New to Higher Education program. She has also spoken on higher education law at the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources Annual Conference.

Holloway holds a B.A. in business administration from Syracuse University, M.A in political science from Binghamton University, and J.D. with honors from the University of Wisconsin School of Law.

NACUA’s mission is to advance the effective practice of higher education lawyers for the benefit of the colleges and universities they serve. Its members are accredited, nonprofit, degree-granting institutions from two-year and four-year, public and private sectors of higher education. Membership includes more than 850 institutions representing at least 1,850 campuses with budgets ranging from $50 million to $10 billion, collectively serving more than eight million students.