Alison Nygard is part of the Investigation, Hearing, & Appeal Services Team at Grand River Solutions. In her current role, she primarily serves as a Hearing Officer. In addition to providing hearing, investigation, written determination, and appeal services to clients, Alison is a Team Manager and supervises an internal team.  She also presents training for Grand River Solutions on conducting effective investigations, report writing, and decision-making (with a focus on Title IX hearings).

Alison joined the Grand River Solutions team with over 10 years of experience in higher education and served as an Associate Director of Equal Opportunity at her previous University in the California State University (CSU) system. She fulfilled the functions of both Deputy Title IX Coordinator and Deputy Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation (DHR) Administrator for her campus, conducting hundreds of investigations and inquiries along the way. 

Alison is accustomed to providing calm and efficient consultations in response to complex issues as well as to working with diverse groups of staff, faculty, students, administrators, and even third parties, in an ever-changing legal landscape. She played a vital role in organizing her former campus’s training and outreach efforts. 

Alison takes seriously the charge of serving as a neutral arbitrator and aims to build trust in any adjudication process. While not everyone will agree with outcome on any given case, she can assure all parties and witnesses that the statements and evidence they provide will be reviewed fairly and in an unbiased manner. Alison earned her bachelor’s degree from Rice University and her Juris Doctorate from the University of California, Davis – King Hall.