Patience Bartunek is Chief of Staff to the Managing Partner at TNG, bringing over two decades of experience in student conduct, investigations, Title IX, Clery compliance, crisis communication, athletics, programming, and practitioner development. She is the operating coordinator for TNG’s Expert Witness Program and leads program reviews, audits, and structural assessments for institutions across the nation.  

Bartunek has served in various Title IX roles, including investigator, decision-maker, and deputy coordinator. Her work is grounded in translating complex legal and regulatory frameworks into equitable, sustainable systems, particularly in HE assessments, military schools, and government entities. She is a seasoned trainer and frequent conference speaker on student conduct at industry conferences, including the Association of Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA). She has contributed to key professional resources, such as “Types and Forums for Resolution” in Student Conduct Practice: The Complete Guide for Student Affairs Professionals, and TNG’s NCAA-compliant sexual misconduct disclosure policy template. She co-authored the Title IX Regulations Study for the Colorado Department of Education, which became the foundation for the state’s Title IX laws. 

Before joining TNG, Bartunek was Director of Student Conduct at the University of Mount Union, where she received the Jane Weston Chapman Award for advancing gender equity. Her career also includes leadership roles in student conduct at Arkansas State University, the University of Toledo, and Radford University, with additional experience at the University of South Carolina and the University of Colorado at Boulder.  

Bartunek approaches her work through a justice-informed, student-centered lens. She believes that conduct and compliance systems can and should support both accountability and community care. Her educational background and experience as a teacher and mentor continue to inform her consulting practice. 

She holds an M.Ed. in Student Personnel Services from the University of South Carolina and a B.A. in English from Allegheny College.  

She has earned numerous professional certifications through the ASCA’s Gehring Academy and national associations, including those for higher education attorneys, financial aid administrators, and state departments of higher education. 

Bartunek has played an active role in leadership and committee positions within the ASCA, serving as the Ohio State Coordinator, a member of the Vendor Relations Committee, a Faculty Fellow, and a faculty member for the Gehring Academy.  

She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.