Susan Anderson is a trusted advisor to boards of education and public entities, guiding leaders through complex labor, governance, and compliance matters with steady, practical counsel.

Susan Keating Anderson is a partner in Bricker Graydon Wyatt’s Education Practice Group. Her practice focuses on representing boards of education on a wide range of legal matters, including labor and employment, board governance, policy development, and general counsel services. She regularly advises school boards and district administrators on the complex legal issues faced by educational institutions, including labor negotiations, grievances and arbitrations, teacher evaluations, vendor contracts, Title IX compliance, and public records and open meetings requirements.

Susan often serves as chief labor negotiator for both teaching and non-teaching collective bargaining agreements, utilizing traditional and interest-based bargaining approaches, and provides strategic guidance throughout negotiations. She represents school districts in grievance proceedings and arbitration, including termination challenges, and frequently counsels administrators on reductions in force, employee discipline, and non-renewals, and board governance matters. Susan also regularly conducts Title IX  and other professional development training to assist school districts in their compliance with state and federal law.

In addition to her education law practice, Susan advises municipalities, public libraries, and county boards of developmental disabilities on labor and employment, planning and zoning, and governance issues. She currently serves as Solicitor for the Village of Put-in-Bay and as labor counsel for the City of Elyria, and previously served as Law Director for the City of Vermilion. Susan has successfully defended public employers in state and federal courts, arbitration proceedings, and before administrative agencies, including the EEOC, OCRC, and OCR, as well as before the Ohio Supreme Court.

Education

Capital University Law School, JD (2002)

Magna cum laude, Order of the Curia, Associate Editor, Law Review

The Ohio State University, BA (1996)

Distinctions

• Listed, The Best Lawyers in America® – Labor Law Management (2025–2026); Education Law (2026)
• Rising Star, Super Lawyers®, part of Thomson Reuters®– Ohio, Employment & Labor, Schools and Education (2008)

Professional Activities

• Member, Ohio School Boards Association (2005–Present)
• Member, Ohio Council of School Board Attorneys (2005–Present)
• Member, Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association (2007–Present)
• Member, Lorain County Bar Association (2002–Present)
• Past Chair & Member, The LCADA Way

Additional Items

• Speaker, “Legal Issues for Superintendents,” Buckeye Association of School Administrators (January 2026)
• Speaker, “Lifting Leaders: Women's Leadership Network,” Summit ESC - Lifting Leaders (January 2026)
• Speaker, "Hot Education-Focused Provisions of the Biennial Budget Bill: Detailed Breakdown of What You Need to Know," Summit ESC Leadership Symposium 2023 (August 2023)
• Speaker, "The Injury, the Leave, the Pay - Navigating the Intersection of FMLA, ADA and Workers’ Compensation Laws," Summit ESC Leadership Symposium 2022 (August 2022)
• Speaker, "Hot Topics – Labor and Employment Edition," Educational Service Center of the Western Reserve (June 2022)
• Speaker, “Critical Junctures: Critical Race Theory, Policy Making and Public Relations,” Buckeye Association of School Administrators Conference (October 2021)
• Author, “The Tricky Impact of HB 244 on Covid-19 Protocols for the 2021-2022 School Year,” BASA AdminiScope (Fall 2021)
• Author, “OCR Publishes New Guidance on Title IX Amendments,” BASA AdminiScope (Winter 2021)
• Speaker, "Innovative Programming to Combat the Opioid and Heroin Epidemic in Schools," OSBA Capital Conference (October 2019)
• Speaker, "Combatting the Opioid and Heroin Epidemic in Schools," Buckeye Association of School Administrators Facility Conference (February 2019)

When not advising clients, Susan loves to listen to live music, travel, play tennis, and read. As the granddaughter of a World War II veteran and war bride, Susan also loves everything English. Susan lives with her husband, two children and chocolate labradoodle and spends most weekends cheering on her children at their athletic events.