Janine P. DuMontelle is Of Counsel and Senior Advisor to AJM Institutional Counsel and Strategy and brings more than three decades of experience in higher education governance, institutional leadership, and executive legal affairs.
DuMontelle recently retired as Vice President and General Counsel of Chapman University, where she served as the university’s chief legal officer and founded the institution’s first in-house legal office. Over the course of her tenure she advised the university’s president, senior leadership, and board of trustees on matters involving governance, institutional strategy, major transactions, real estate development, bond financing, litigation oversight, regulatory compliance, and large-scale organizational restructuring.
In addition to her legal leadership role, DuMontelle previously held senior administrative positions at Chapman University overseeing finance and administration and human resources. This experience provides her with a perspective most legal advisors lack on the operational realities confronting modern institutions, and directly informs her advisory work with senior leadership.
DuMontelle has played a significant leadership role in the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA), serving as Chair of the NACUA Board of Directors following prior service as Treasurer and as a member of the Board. She has also served on numerous NACUA committees, including Finance and Audit, Strategic Planning, Membership and Member Services, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of College and University Law.
Her broader professional service includes membership on the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities Legal Services Review Panel and a five-year appointment beginning in 2026 to the Board of the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs.
Earlier in her career, DuMontelle served in the administration of the College of Medicine at the University of California, Irvine and worked with the City of Long Beach Civil Service Commission on matters involving public sector governance and labor relations.
She received her J.D., magna cum laude, from Whittier Law School, where she served as Managing Editor of the Whittier Law Review.
She also holds a Master of Public Administration from California State University, Fullerton, and a Bachelor of Science from Southern Illinois University. She is a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional and a long-time California certified mediator.