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Dina is Co-Chair of Cullen and Dykman’s Higher Education Practice Group and a member of the Firm's Not-For-Profit and Religious Organizations Practice Group. Dina also serves as Chair of the Firm's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.

Dina’s practice includes providing advice on day-to-day issues that arise in the context of operating an educational institution or other charitable organization as well as guiding organizations through situations that are outside of the ordinary course of business.

Dina has substantial experience advising on the state and federal laws and regulations and accrediting agency standards governing educational institutions. She regularly advises not-for-profit colleges and universities on a wide variety of legal matters, including state and federal regulatory compliance, accreditation, student and academic affairs, policy development and implementation, governance issues, contracts, and other general corporate matters.

Dina has advised a number of higher education institutions in connection with the evaluation and consummation of strategic transactions. She has experience negotiating and implementing merger, asset acquisition, and other similar transactions for higher education clients. She has particular experience assisting institutions experiencing financial challenges to navigate the complex regulatory landscape as they evaluate various strategic options to strengthen their financial condition and long-term sustainability. In this regard, Dina works collaboratively with institutions’ boards and leadership teams to identify and evaluate transaction structures, state and federal regulatory considerations (e.g., charter actions, Title IV compliance), institutional and programmatic accreditation issues (e.g., substantive change requests), governance matters, and related employment matters.

Areas of Concentration:

  • Education Regulatory Compliance
  • Not-for-Profit and Corporate Entity Formation and Governance
  • Policy Review, Development, and Implementation
  • Contracts
  • Construction Matters

Practice Areas

Industries

Admissions

  • New Jersey
  • New York

Education

  • J.D., New York Law School, 2009
  • B.A., Quinnipiac University, 2003

Professional and Community Activities

  • Member, National Association of College and University Attorneys
  • Member, New York State Bar Association
  • Member, New York City Bar Association
  • Member, Nassau County Bar Association

Honors and Awards

  • Long Island Business News Diversity in Business Awards 2021 Honoree

Publications

  • From Class to Class Action Lawsuits: Considerations for Colleges and Universities Facing Coronavirus-Related Student Refund Actions (Nassau Lawyer, June 2020)
  • Designated Duty: A University’s Obligation to Students with Mental Health Issues (Nassau Lawyer, July/August 2019)

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