Belmont Abbey College Appoints Heather A. Lachenauer as Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Belmont Abbey College Appoints Heather A. Lachenauer as Senior Vice President and General Counsel
Belmont, N.C. (August 19th, 2026) – Belmont Abbey College is thrilled to welcome Heather A. Lachenauer as Senior Vice President and General Counsel. In this role, Lachenauer will provide strategic legal counsel to the college’s leadership while helping advance the college’s mission and long-term priorities.
Lachenauer brings nearly two decades of experience advising nonprofit organizations, religious and educational institutions, corporations, and individuals on complex legal, regulatory, governance, and risk management matters. Throughout her career, she has worked closely with organizational leaders and boards to navigate challenges, strengthen internal policies and practices, and make sound decisions in support of their vision and mission. Heather has helped numerous organizations identify and mitigate potential liabilities and risks to prevent adverse consequences.
“Heather Lachenauer is an exceptional leader and attorney, and I am thrilled to have her join us as a senior member of Belmont Abbey College’s Cabinet,” said Dr. Jeffrey W. Talley, President of Belmont Abbey College. “Heather has dedicated her life to serving God, His Church, and others as a legal scholar and practitioner. We are very blessed indeed to have her as a critical part of our team. I know she will do great things here.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve Belmont Abbey College and to join a community so deeply committed to the formation of its students and the advancement of Catholic higher education,” said Lachenauer. “Belmont Abbey’s strong Catholic and Benedictine identity is central to its mission, and I look forward to drawing on my experience to support the college’s leadership and help protect and strengthen the mission that makes Belmont Abbey so distinctive.”
Prior to joining the leadership team at Belmont Abbey College, Lachenaur was a partner at Brown & Streza, LLP in Irvine, California, where she provided strategic counsel to a variety of non-profit corporations. Her work focused on governance, risk management, compliance and regulation, religious liberty, employment, and intellectual property. She advised organizational leaders and boards on complex decision-making and helped clients identify and mitigate potential liabilities and risks.
Before her time at Brown & Streza, Lachenauer served as Vice President for Board and Legal Affairs at the University of Dallas, where she was responsible for matters related to the Board of Trustees, legal affairs, compliance, and risk management. Her experience in Catholic higher education and nonprofit leadership has given her a broad understanding of the legal and organizational considerations facing mission-driven institutions.
An active member of the legal community, Heather has advocated on behalf of clients in a variety of pro bono matters involving asylum, the death penalty, and religious liberty. She regularly speaks at national conferences on the topics of non-profit leadership, employment, and religious liberty. She has also taught political science, rhetoric, and poetics and aesthetics as an adjunct professor. Lachenauer is a former member of both the Board of Regents of St. John Paul the Great Catholic University and the National Board of Directors of Young Catholic Professionals. She currently serves on the board of Duc In Altum Schools Collaborative.
Lachenauer completed her undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She studied philosophy and theology at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology and earned a master’s degree in education and human development from The George Washington University. She received her law degree from the University of Notre Dame School of Law. A native of Virginia, Lachenauer is a member of the State Bar of California and the State Bar of Texas, and is admitted to practice before multiple federal courts, including the United States Supreme Court. She anticipates obtaining her bar membership in the State of North Carolina in the near future.
For more information about Belmont Abbey College, please visit www.belmontabbeycollege.edu.
About Belmont Abbey College: Founded in 1876, Belmont Abbey College is a private, Catholic baccalaureate and liberal arts institution. Our mission is to educate students in the liberal arts and sciences so that in all things God may be glorified. Guided by the Catholic intellectual tradition and the Benedictine spirit of prayer and learning, we welcome a diverse body of students and provide them with an education that will enable them to lead lives of integrity, to succeed professionally, to become responsible citizens, and to be a blessing to themselves and to others. Our beautiful and historic campus is conveniently located just 10 miles west of Charlotte, N.C., and is currently home to more than 1500 students. For more information, visit belmontabbeycollege.edu.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Sarah Bolton
P: 704-461-7016 E: sarahbolton@bac.edu
