Suellyn Scarnecchia is a clinical law professor at the University of Michigan. She previously served as the general counsel and a vice president at the University of Michigan from 2008 to 2012. From 2003 to 2008 she was the dean of the University of New Mexico School of Law, the first woman to fill that position. Education and Practice Scarnecchia received her bachelor's degree from Northwestern University and her J.D. degree from the University of Michigan Law School. After graduation, Scarnecchia spent six years focusing on employment law at the Battle Creek, Michigan law firm of McCroskey, Feldman, Cochrane & Brock. Career at the University of Michigan After private practice and prior to coming to UNM, Scarnecchia returned to the University of Michigan Law School, where she was a member of the faculty and Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and taught in the Child Advocacy Law Clinic. For 12 years, she worked in the University of Michigan Child Advocacy Law Clinic, concentrating on civil child abuse and neglect. One of the cases that came into the clinic involved Jan and Roberta DeBoer, an Ann Arbor couple who were trying to adopt a child known as Baby Jessica. The case attracted national attention because the baby's biological parents sought the return of the 2-year-old girl. After a long court battle, the Michigan Supreme Court ordered the DeBoers to return the child to her parents in Iowa. Ever since, Scarnecchia has occasionally provided advocacy in similar cases across the country. Additional courses she taught at Michigan included Women and the Law Clinic, Civil Clinic, Child Abuse and Neglect Interdisciplinary Seminar, Negotiation, Access to Justice and Family Law. At Michigan, Scarnecchia suggested a position be created to oversee all of the clinics at that law school. The school's administrators agreed and she became the first person to serve as clinic coordinator, a position she held for two years, before being named Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs. Scarnecchia received the additional title of Associate Dean for Law School Administration for two years. Her management interests spread to the central university where, for eight months in 2002, she worked on special assignment to the provost's office, handling the duties of assistant provost for academic and faculty affairs. Scarnecchia has served on the board of directors of the Clinical Legal Education Association and was a panelist on the Michigan Attorney Disciplinary Board until she moved to