He graduated from Arizona State University in 1981 with a degree in Journalism, and received his law degree from the University of Colorado in 1984. From 1986 to 1998, he was a contract and staff attorney for the Missouri Division of Child Support Enforcement. Mr. Pingelton wrote the first state-level administrative hearing decision for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to be published in the national Education of the Handicapped Law Reporter (now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Law Reporter). He served for 18 years as a hearing officer pursuant to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.