Elizabeth Xyr Named as Dean and Chief Academic Officer of Monterey College of Law

Monterey College of Law announces that Elizabeth Xyr joins recently hired President/CEO Lisa Sperow in the leadership position of Dean/Chief Academic Officer.

SEASIDE, CA, UNITED STATES, July 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Board of Trustees of Monterey College of Law is pleased to announce that Elizabeth Xyr will join recently hired President/CEO Lisa Sperow in the leadership position of Dean/Chief Academic Officer. Xyr has been employed with the law school since 2008, most recently as Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs. President/CEO Sperow and Dean/CAO Xyr are part of the three-member executive team that includes CFO/COO Greg Brandes.

Liza Horvath, president and CEO of Monterey Trust Management, and current chair of the MCL board of trustees said that, “It is excellent that Elizabeth brings continuity and more than eighteen years of experience working with MCL to our executive team. As Dean and CAO she will be a valuable leadership partner for our new President/CEO Lisa Sperow.”

As Dean/CAO, Xyr will be in charge of the law school’s academic program and manage all faculty, student, and academic policies. She will serve as the law school’s primary liaison for accreditation with the State Bar of California and the Committee of Bar Examiners. As President/CEO, Sperow will be in charge of the law school’s corporate operations, strategic planning, marketing, community relations, and development. She also serves as an ex officio member of the law school’s board of trustees and is the chief executive representative for the law school’s accreditation with the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). As the third member of the executive team, CFO/COO Brandes manages the school’s finance, accounting, audit, human resources, and facility operations. He will also support accreditation reporting and compliance with both the State Bar and WASC.

The new executive management team takes over the position following the retirement of long-standing President and Dean Mitchel Winick. Winick is retiring in July 2025 after 20 years at the helm of the non-profit California-accredited law school.

“I am very excited to continue my tenure with Monterey College of Law,” said Xyr. “The school has been an innovator and leader in online legal curriculum in California and will continue to be an advocate for providing high-quality legal education to underserved populations in the communities we serve.”

Monterey College of Law was founded in 1972 by local lawyers and judges as an evening law school program providing high-quality legal education for individuals living and working in the local community. The law school is also home to the Mandell Gisnet Center for Dispute Resolution that was founded in 2005 to provide community mediation services and training for law students, lawyers, and community mediators. The school has experienced a period of successful growth, including opening three additional residential campus locations – San Luis Obispo College of Law, Kern County College of Law, and Empire College of Law (Santa Rosa), and the development of one of the first California accredited online hybrid law school programs. The law school is also the only state-accredited legal education program that offers an advanced graduate LL.M. degree in addition to the J.D. and Master of Legal Studies degrees.

Xyr received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science/History from Notre Dame de Namur University, Master of Arts in Criminal Justice from CSU Stanislaus, and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Monterey College of Law. She brings extensive experience in curriculum design, online education, faculty development, and academic support to her new position at MCL. She will remain based at the law school’s main campus in Seaside, California. Xyr is an active member of the local community, serving as a board member of the Monterey County Women Lawyers Association, Action Council of Monterey County, and as a member of the Monterey County Bar Association. She is also a member of the Legal Writing Institute and Association of Academic Support Educators.

“I very much look forward to working with Elizabeth and Greg as we begin this new chapter of Monterey College of Law,” said Sperow. “The law school’s prior success has provided a great foundation from which we can continue to serve our local communities and improve access to justice.”

Mitchel Winick
MONTEREY COLLEGE OF LAW
+18315824000 ext.
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