Marianne Schimelfenig, founder and principal of HELP: Higher Education Legal Professionals, served as an in-house lawyer for public and private institutions of higher education for over 30 years.  From 2008 until mid-April 2020, she served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary for Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and from 1998-2008 as the first General Counsel for Saint Mary's College of California. Prior to her service as a general counsel, Marianne was a trial lawyer for the Office of General Counsel for the Regents of the University of California system (1990 - 2008) and an equity partner in the trial department of the Portland, Oregon law firm of Spears, Lubersky (Lane Powell, now Ballard Spahr).   

She has been involved in the National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) for over 30 years, serving in 2010-2011 as its President and the Chairperson of the NACUA Board of Directors.  In 2016, she received the NACUA Distinguished Service Award.  Among other NACUA volunteer positions, she has served as Chairperson of the Committee on Nominations & Elections, the Committee on Honors & Awards and has been a speaker at NACUA, AGB, NACUBO, ACCU and other higher education related conferences.  

Marianne is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, California, New York, the District of Columbia, Oregon and before the Supreme Court of the United States.  She is a member of the Philadelphia Forum of Executive Women and serves on the boards of the Women’s Nonprofit Leadership Initiative, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs and the Come to Believe Foundation.