Heidi Michelle Maynard

Heidi Michelle Maynard

Vandeberg, Johnson, & Gandara LLP

As the daughter of a first-generation Mexican immigrant who has practiced as a pioneering cardiovascular surgeon in the United States for over thirty years, Heidi Maynard has witnessed firsthand the generational impact of education.  This experience motivates her on a daily basis as she assists school districts in navigating the highly regulated field of K-12 school law.  

Heidi earned her Juris Doctorate from The Florida State University School of Law.  While doing so, she studied the history of the common law at Oxford University, England, competed nationally as a member of the FSU Mock Trial team, and tried cases for the State Attorney’s Office in Tallahassee Florida.  She practiced civil litigation at a private firm in Tallahassee, Florida, prior to joining the Florida Department of Education’s General Counsel’s Office as an Assistant General Counsel.  After that she served as an Assistant General Counsel for the Florida Department of Health and then as a hearing officer for the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. 

After moving to Washington State with her family, she served as Policy & Legal Services Director for the Washington State School Directors’ Association (WSSDA) for five years, writing model policy for the state’s 295 school districts and providing legal guidance for board directors and superintendents statewide.  While at WSSDA, she founded the WSSDA Law Conference to provide school board members with legal insight to support their vision and goals for the Districts they served.  She also served on multiple statewide committees and workgroups contributing to statewide policy implementation, presented at the National School Board Association’s (NSBA) School Law Conference and for Western Washington University’s Principal Certification Program.  

Following WSSDA,  she served as Deputy General Counsel for one of the largest school districts in the state prior to joining Vandeberg Johnson & Gandara, LLP.  

Heidi is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the Florida Bar, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, the Western District of Washington Bar, the Tacoma Pierce County Bar Association, and the Washington Council of School Attorneys.  She is currently engaged in mentoring a candidate in the Washington State Bar Association’s Rule 6 program and is enjoying every minute of it.   

Outside of the practice of law, Heidi spends her time gardening, trying to keep up with her husband and three teenage daughters and all their sports and music activities, as well as exploring the beauty and scenery of the Pacific Northwest.

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