Brandon S. Sherman

Brandon is Of Counsel in Maynard Cooper’s Higher Education practice group. His unique perspectives come from his time at the U.S. Department of Education and experience in the private sector.

Brandon’s practice focuses on advising institutions of higher education, accrediting agencies, and education investors on a wide-range of legal and compliance challenges. He regularly counsels clients on the rules and procedures related to participation in federal student financial assistance programs, accreditation, and education licensure. Brandon also counsels clients on compliance with nondiscrimination laws and cybersecurity requirements.

Prior to joining the Education Group at Maynard, Brandon served as an adviser in the Office of the Secretary at the U.S. Department of Education, where he advised senior Department leadership in making informed decisions on various plans and goals concerning higher education policies, regulations, and legislation and other related proposals critical to the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary. In that position, he served as the primary adviser to the Secretary on appeals of the Office of Hearings and Appeals decisions and appeals of the Senior Department Official decisions regarding the recognition of accrediting agencies. In addition, he coordinated the development of the Campus Cybersecurity Program and advised senior staff on cybersecurity legal and policy considerations.

Brandon also served as Senior Counsel in the Department's Office for Civil Rights, where his responsibilities included advising the Assistant Secretary on drafting Title IX regulations and revising OCR investigation process and procedures. He previously was in private practice in Washington, DC, specializing in higher education matters.

Brandon received his J.D. from Michigan State University College of Law and holds a Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, in Political Science from York College.

• Advising school owners and investors regarding the regulatory aspects of education investments, mergers, and acquisitions.
• Drafting comments regarding the U.S. Department of Education’s proposed regulations regarding Gainful Employment and Borrower Defense to Repayment
• Reviewing and developing accrediting agency standards, policies, and procedures
  • Assisting in preparing and filing applications for state authorization and accreditation
  • Authoring the U.S. Department of Education’s plan for enforcing campus cybersecurity requirements

• Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU) and Career Education Colleges and Universities (CSPEN)
• Board of Directors, Michigan State University College of Law Alumni Association

• Presentation: Cybersecurity and Data Protection Issues, Mid-Atlantic Association of Career Schools Annual Conference (July 2021)
• Webinar: Campus Cybersecurity – The Path Forward, Career Education Colleges and Universities (March 2021)
• Presentation: Brave New (Socially Distanced) World: Privacy and Data Security Challenges for Distance, CAPPS Annual Conference (November 2020)
• Presentation: Campus Cybersecurity: A Department Priority, CSPEN Annual Conference (October 2020)
• Webinar: Campus Cybersecurity: A Department Priority, CSPEN Virtual Conference (August 2020)
• Webinar: Campus Cybersecurity: A Department Priority, American Association of Cosmetology Schools, Compliance Webinar Series (July 2020)
• Presentation: Washington Update: Is Your School Doing Enough to Protect Student Data?, CECU Convention (June 2020)
• Presentation: Office for Civil Rights Update, U.S. Department of Education Rural Stakeholder Initiative (September 26, 2018)
• Presentation: Getting all your Docs in a Row: Clery/Title IX Compliance for Institutions of All Sizes, California Association of Private Postsecondary Schools Annual Conference (October 2017)
• Presentation: OCR Update, 2017 HBCU-LEEA Training Conference (July 2017)
• Closing Remarks: White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African American Summit on Supporting African American Youth with Disabilities (July 2017)
• Discussion: Uncertain and Unplanned: The Future of Higher Education, Distance Education Accrediting Commission Annual Conference (April 2017)
• Presentation: New Developments in Federal Policy - and what about HEA Reauthorization, Distance Education Accrediting Commission Annual Conference (April 2016)
• Webinar: Call to Arms: Department of Defense Suspensions and Related Actions, Career Education Colleges and Universities (March 2016)
• Presentation: DEAC Degree Comparability Study, Distance Education Accrediting Commission Annual Conference (April 2015)