Jennifer Rippner

Jennifer Rippner is a full-time Lecturer at the Indiana University School of Education and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Higher Education at the University of Georgia (UGA). Her expertise lies at the intersection of education law, policy, and governance. She holds a B.A. and Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida and a Ph.D. in Higher Education from UGA. Her research focuses on constitutional issues in education, including student speech rights, religious freedom in public institutions, and legal frameworks governing education systems.

Dr. Rippner has held significant policy roles, including serving as Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue’s education advisor, director of the Governor’s Office of Student Achievement, and executive director of policy and programs at the University System of Georgia. She also directed a K-5 public charter school in Florida and served as a senior policy and legal advisor at EducationCounsel, LLC, focusing on access and diversity in higher education.

Her publications include a co-edited textbook, Contemporary Issues in Higher Education Law, and a book analyzing the American education policy landscape. Her work emphasizes policy diffusion mechanisms, governance structures, and diversity initiatives in education.

Dr. Rippner’s awards include a Global Policy Fellowship (2008) from the Institute of Higher Education Policy. She has advised on state and national education policy, contributing to P-20 council collaboration and performance-based funding strategies. Her affiliations include the Southern Regional Education Board and Georgia’s State Charter Schools Commission.

Her research and teaching reflect a commitment to bridging legal, policy, and practical dimensions of education governance, with a focus on equity and systemic reform.