Upcoming Chapter Events
HR’s Most Frequently Asked Questions: A Legal Perspective Webinar
Thursday, November 12th | 12 – 1 pm CT
The CUPA-HR Iowa Chapter invites you to join us for a webinar on November 12th. Please RSVP by November 10th. Registrants will receive a Teams meeting invitation no later than November 11th.
RSVP link:
https://www.eventleaf.com/Attendee/Attendee/EventPage?eId=a9KtWJGFz1yg9vKw8yEGSg%3D%3D
HR’s Most Frequently Asked Questions: A Legal Perspective – Emily Pontius & Katie Overberg, Fredrikson & Byron, P.A
Emily Pontius is a higher education and employment attorney at Fredrikson & Byron with twenty years of experience advising and defending colleges, universities, and employers of all types. Before becoming an attorney, Emily worked in residence life, orientation, and student judicial services roles in higher education and earned a master’s degree in higher education and student affairs. Emily’s favorite part of practicing law is learning each client’s goals and culture, so she can provide practical and tailored advice for navigating the most challenging issues. Legal advice is not one-size-fits-all. In addition to litigation and day-to-day advice, clients turn to Emily to investigate complaints, review policies and procedures, mediate disputes, handle faculty tenure and promotion issues, creatively manage employee separations, do all things Title IX, and advise on board governance. Emily leverages the specialized knowledge of attorneys in Fredrikson’s immigration, employee benefits, executive compensation, data privacy, health law, and intellectual property practices (among others) to ensure her clients benefit from the deep expertise of her colleagues. Emily is a frequent speaker on employment and higher education law issues and is annually recognized by Chambers & Partners (Band 1), Great Plains Super Lawyers, and Best Lawyers in America. Emily is a past chairperson of the Labor and Employment Section of the Iowa State Bar Association and serves on the board of directors for the Fredrikson Foundation. Emily recently completed 12 years of board service with Des Moines Metro Opera. She is the proud parent of one college kid (On, Wisconsin!) and one high school kid (Go Tigers!).
Katie Overberg, an employment and higher education attorney with Fredrikson & Byron, she brings experience as both a private practice advisor and litigator, as well as 15 years serving in in-house roles on campus, which allows her to work with clients to prevent legal problems through substantive training and identifying risks while also providing thoughtful responses to concerns that may arise. Through each of these roles, Katie has also developed significant experience advising clients and conducting internal investigations into workplace and education matters, as well as drafting and reviewing employee handbooks and policies.
Mark your calendars for the 2027 Iowa Chapter Conference!
- Rooted in Purpose, Ready for Tomorrow - Cultivating excellence in higher ed HR
Thursday, April 1, 2027, Grand View University, Des Moines, IA
Upcoming National Events
2026 Annual Conference and Expo
Oct 4, 2026- Oct 6, 2026
Philadelphia
Full Calendar of Events
Visit the CUPA-HR calendar of events to see all the upcoming virtual sessions and workshops! Browse the calendar of events.
Past Chapter Events
Iowa Chapter Conference
From Thrive to Drive: Powering what's next in higher ed HR
Thursday, April 1, 2026
Grand View University, Des Moines
Thank you to those of you able to attend our annual conference and to the sponsors who made it possible!