Julie Underwood

Position title: Susan Engeleiter Professor of Education Law, Policy, and Practice and former Dean of the School of Education, UW–Madison

Julie Underwood headshot

Julie K. Underwood served as dean of the UW–Madison School of Education for over a decade. During her tenure, she increased the diversity of faculty and developed a more inclusive culture at the school. Well-versed in K-12 educational policy and an expert on school law, she served as associate executive director and general counsel for the National School Boards Association. In that role, she led a legal advocacy program on behalf of the nation’s public school boards which included producing friend-of-the-court briefs and legal strategies before the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts. She was also responsible for the 3,000-member Council of School Attorneys.