Our Team
Tiffany W. Kesslar, Esquire, CGMS
Partner
Tiffany Kesslar assists clients with federal education and grants compliance matters under the Office of Management and Budget’s Uniform Grants Guidance (UGG) and other federal administrative regulations, such as the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR). Ms. Kesslar also assists clients with federal education program compliance. Her areas of expertise include the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and various stimulus programs.
Ms. Kesslar joined the The Bruman Group, PLLC in July 2006 and became a Partner in 2011. Ms. Kesslar regularly serves as a keynote speaker on federal grants and education compliance. Ms. Kesslar also conducts mock monitoring and internal control reviews of States and non-federal entities for compliance with federal administrative requirements. In addition, Ms. Kesslar actively represents clients in administrative appeals and in the resolution of adverse audit findings.
Ms. Kesslar serves a co-chair on the American Bar Association, Public Contract Law Section, Grant Law Committee. Ms. Kesslar is also a member of Thompson’s Grants Editorial Advisory Board. Ms. Kesslar previously served as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the National Grants Management Association and remains an active member of the association, recently completing her time as Chair of the Education Committee. Ms. Kesslar also serves as a Board Member of a local childcare center. In 2020, Ms. Kesslar became a Certified Grants Management Specialist. She is also a Fellow of the American Bar Association.
Prior to joining the firm, Ms. Kesslar served as a law clerk at the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Ms. Kesslar graduated cum laude from Clemson University and received her Juris Doctorate from the Catholic University Columbus School of Law. Ms. Kesslar is a member of the U.S. Supreme Court bar and the District of Columbia bar.
Bar and Court Admissions:
- U.S. Supreme Court, 2009
- United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2016
- U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia, 2007
- District of Columbia, 2006
- Maryland, 2004 (inactive)
Education:
- Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, Washington, D.C., J.D.
- Honors: National Trials Team Competitor; Moot Court Associate; Extra Mile Award for Outstanding Service to the Law School Community; Student Bar Association Co-Chair.
- Clemson University, Clemson, SC, B.A.
- Major: Political Science Minors: Sociology and Speech and Communications
- Honors: Cum Laude
Recent Publications:
- ESSA: Moving Toward a Well-Rounded Title I 2nd Ed., 2020
- Federal Education Grants Management: What Administrators Need to Know, 5th Ed., 2019
- IDEA: New Expectations for Schools and Students, 6th Edition, 2018
- What Do I Do When… The Answer Book on Fiscal Compliance IN Special Education, Updated 2018
- Can Title I Pay For This? A Guide to Determining Cost, 2017
- ESSA: Moving Toward a Well-Rounded Title I, 2016
Affiliations and Activities:
- Fellow, American Bar Association, 2023 – Present.
- Certified Grants Management Specialist, 2020 – Current.
- American Bar Association, Public Contract Law Section, Grant Law Committee Co-Chair, 2018 – Current.
- Board Member, Thompson’s Grants Advisory Board, 2011 – Current.
- National Grants Management Association, Vice President, 2018 – 2020; Member-at-Large, 2016 – 2018; Board Member, 2014 – 2020; Chair, Education Committee, 2020-2021; Member, 2012 – Current.
- AGA, Member, 2017 – Current.