JEAN LEE

President & CEO,
MCCA

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Jean Lee is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), the preeminent advisor on diversity, equity, and inclusion to C-suites across corporate America. As an immigrant woman of color with a background in social work and corporate law, the professional has always been personal for Ms. Lee. A fierce advocate for her individual and institutional clients, she now champions systems-level change to create greater opportunities for those who, like her, are building careers in defiance of the status quo.

Ms. Lee brings an intersectional focus to her leadership of MCCA, where she has established a researched-based management consulting practice to help organizations develop sustainable diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) strategies; identified and promoted more than a dozen high potential talent for executive level positions in the c-suite; benchmarked the first-ever inclusion survey, which has been used as a framework for creating an inclusive culture; and established the first-ever comprehensive law firm diversity scorecard card measuring quantitative and qualitative data.  She leverages her years of experience as a clinical social worker addressing some of the most complicated societal issues and as a litigator to serve as a solutions-oriented advisor focused on impact. As a result, MCCA is moving from being a thoughtful convener of people and ideas to a thought-leader and advisor on DEI issues in the workplace.

Prior to joining MCCA, Ms. Lee served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JP Morgan Chase & Co., where she worked on consumer litigation and regulatory matters, and was influential in re-establishing the diversity and inclusion committee to increase representation; and as a litigator at Milberg LLP, where she served on the firmwide global diversity committee to increase engagement of diverse communities. She is a past President of the Asian American Bar Association of New York and a longtime active member of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and ASCEND, the leading association of AAPI executives. She currently she serves on the Select Committee for the Legends in Law Award for the Burton Foundation and as an advisor to law firms and corporate legal departments.

Ms. Lee is a sought-after conference speaker and a frequent commentator on diversity in the workplace and beyond. She has been recognized by numerous leading organizations as a change agent. The Council of Urban Professionals named her a 2014 Catalyst: Change Agent, and in 2015, she was recognized as a Trailblazer by the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York. Follow Ms. Lee on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Ms. Lee holds a B.A. in Politics and Psychology and a M.S.W. in Social Work from New York University. She received her J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law, where she was a Senior Editor of the Rutgers Law Record. She began her legal career at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey after clerking for the Honorable John J. Hughes, United States Magistrate Judge (retired), in the District of New Jersey. Prior to law school, Ms. Lee was a social worker for the Legal Aid Society in New York.

Edward Peña

Director of Membership and Advisory Services,
MCCA

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Edward Peña serves as the Director of Membership and Advisory Services at the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA). Prior to joining MCCA, Edward worked at Baruch College and Fordham University where he worked in various strategic developmental roles for both students and staff. Additionally, Edward helped create Homecoming NYC, a nonprofit organization aimed at providing immersive experiences of local New York City neighborhoods through food and cultural storytelling, highlighting diverse immigrant-grown businesses. Dr. Peña holds a B.A. from CUNY Hunter College, an M.A. from Hofstra University, and an Ed.D. in Learning and Organizational Change from Baylor University.

Sophia Piliouras

Chief Operating Officer (COO) & Corporate Secretary,
MCCA

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Sophia M. Piliouras is the Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Secretary of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), the preeminent advisor on diversity, equity, and inclusion to C-suites across corporate America. Ms. Piliouras’ longstanding commitment to racial and gender equity goes hand in hand with her belief that leaders become changemakers when they strive to always do better. By consistently advocating for sustainable DEI strategies and modeling effective allyship, she empowers today’s leaders to take action beyond the status quo. 

As both a seasoned attorney and an expert in managing successful organizational partnerships, Ms. Piliouras brings a wealth of insight to MCCA’s leadership team, where she directs programming and events, strategic partnerships, membership, and more. Since joining MCCA in 2016, she has served as Senior Counsel, Director of Education and Research and as President of MCCA’s Advisory Practice (MAP). 

Prior to joining MCCA, she served as Vice President and Assistant General Counsel at JP Morgan Chase, where she led teams in Auto Finance and Student Lending, Business Banking, and Asset Wealth Management, and as a litigator at Seyfarth Shaw LLP. In addition, she provided pro bono legal counsel to refugee and immigrant children through Kids in Need of Defense (KIND).

Ms. Piliouras is a frequent presenter and guest lecturer on topics in diversity, law, and strategic planning. She is a Trustee of the Foundation for Advancement of Diversity in Intellectual Property Law. Follow Ms. Piliouras on LinkedIn. 

Ms. Piliouras holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Wisconsin and an M.S. from Columbia University. She received her J.D. from New York Law School, where she served as the United Nations Editor for the New York Law School Journal of Human Rights. Prior to law school, Ms. Piliouras was a project manager for CrossCom National and Hewitt Associates LLC.

MICHAEL THOMPSON

DEI Practice Leader,
MCCA

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Michael Thompson is a veteran Business Development and Training professional and brings over 25 years of corporate experience. As a business developer, he managed New England, MidAtlantic and Southeastern regions, consistently driving sales and expanding growth opportunities within the packaging and health insurance industries. He later worked within regional human resources consulting firms as a Solutions Consultant focused on making the DEI connection to business outcomes. More recently he operated as an independent consultant primarily focused on strategy-execution and executive-level Unconscious Bias facilitation.

As an accomplished trainer and facilitator, he has led training programs covering such topics as Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Unconscious Bias, Health Literacy, Cultural Competency, and Race in the Workplace. Michael has successfully facilitated hundreds of sessions for Fortune-ranked organizations across multiple markets. Michael holds a BA from Morris College and MA from Bowling Green State University.

CONNIE XU

Director of Research,
MCCA

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Connie Xu joined MCCA as the Director of Research and leads the organization’s key research projects and publications. A recent graduate from Columbia University’s Quantitative Research Methods in the Social Sciences (QMSS) program, Connie brings experience in academic research specializing in topics such as diversity and discrimination in the workplace on the basis of gender and race. She also has a background in business and client-facing work, holding a B.S. in Business from the University of Minnesota and having worked at KPMG and at Robert Half International in external audit and SOX implementation consulting respectively.

Wanji Walcott

Former Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel,
Discover Financial Services

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Wanji Walcott is the Former Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at Discover Financial Services, and a member of the company’s Executive Committee. She is a high-impact global financial services executive with a proven track record of building and leading diverse teams and fostering a culture of collaboration as a trusted advisor. Ms. Walcott was responsible for Discover’s Legal Organization, Government Relations, the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance Program and the Patent & Innovation Program.

With a passion for helping others, Ms. Walcott is committed to Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) and serves as executive sponsor of HOLA, Discover’s Latinx Employee Resource Group. She leads the company’s DE&I Task Force and is an active participant in the Legal Organization’s pro bono program, which provides free, high-quality legal services to those in need.

In 2021, the Pro Bono Institute honored Discover and Ms. Walcott with the Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono Award. She was also recognized by Crain’s Chicago Business as a Notable General Counsel in 2021.

Prior to joining Discover in 2019, Ms. Walcott was Senior Vice President and General Counsel at PayPal Holdings, Inc., where she provided counsel to senior management and the board of directors, was accountable for all areas of the global legal department and provided legal support to corporate affiliates, including a bank. She has also held senior positions at American Express, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman, DSET Corporation and Lockheed Martin.

Ms. Walcott serves on the Board of Directors of Foresight II (NASDAQ: FACQU) and has served on a number of non-profit boards, including her current role as Board Chair for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) and director roles at movement.org and The Gunnery School. She is a member of the Executive Leadership Council, the Chicago Network, and the Economic Club of Chicago and holds a B.A. and J.D. from Howard University. She is licensed to practice law in New York, New Jersey and has a Limited License as In-House Counsel in Illinois.

Stuart Alderoty

General Counsel,
Ripple

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Stuart Alderoty is the General Counsel at Ripple, overseeing the legal, compliance and regulation departments. Stuart brings more than 30 years of legal experience to the role with expertise in financial services and regulatory affairs. He’s been General Counsel and part of the executive leadership teams at CIT Group and HSBC North America Holdings. Stuart also was Managing Counsel at American Express where he served on the leadership team of the President and CEO of American Express’ Consumer Card Business. Stuart began his career in private practice and was a partner with the international law firm of LeBouef, Lamb, Greene and MacRae where he specialized in complex litigation.

Ricardo A. Anzaldua

Former Executive Vice President & General Counsel,
Freddie Mac

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Ricardo A. Anzaldua is Former Executive Vice President and General Counsel at the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (“Freddie Mac”).

From December 2012 to December 2017, Anzaldua served as General Counsel and as Special Advisor to the CEO of MetLife. In that role he led the 1,000+ person team comprising the company’s global legal operations, corporate secretary’s office, corporate ethics and compliance group and government affairs operation. He designed and led the execution of the Company’s one-of-a-kind successful legal challenge of its too-big-to-fail designation under the Dodd-Frank Act.

Anzaldua joined MetLife from The Hartford Financial Services Group, where he was Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel. There, he led the Company’s efforts to qualify for TARP funding and to raise more than $10 billion of capital in the throes and the aftermath of the Great Recession. After the financial crisis, he led the legal teams advising the Company’s two largest operating divisions, Commercial and Consumer Markets. Prior to joining The Hartford, Anzaldua was a partner with Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York. He began his legal career with the firm upon graduation from Harvard Law School in 1990.

Before law school, Anzaldua was the publications director and senior editor at the Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies, a University of California think tank focusing on research relating to Mexico and U.S.-Mexican relations, as well as Latin America more generally.

Anzaldua currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, an international nonprofit focused on economic and community development and empowerment in the developing world, as well as on the Boards of MCCA, the New York City Bar Fund, and LatinoJustice/PRLDEF. From 2007-2018, he served on the Board of the Greater Hartford Legal Aid foundation (and as its President from 2015-2018).

CRAIG BEAZER

Executive Vice President & General Counsel,
Lincoln Financial Group

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Executive Vice President Craig T. Beazer is the general counsel for Lincoln Financial Group. He oversees all activities for the legal, compliance, government relations and corporate secretary functions of the company, and provides strategic counsel to the CEO, senior management team and board of directors. He reports to Dennis Glass, president and CEO, and sits on the company’s Senior Management committee, which drives the company’s long-term strategy.

Before joining Lincoln, Beazer worked for Cleveland-based KeyBank, where he served as executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary. Prior to that, he held leadership roles at major financial services companies, including The Bank of New York Mellon, Bank of America Corp., and General Electric Capital Corporation. He also held a number of private practice roles, beginning his career as an associate with Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, where he served as a member of the Corporate and Capital Markets Group.

Beazer earned his J.D. from New York University and a B.A. from Iona College, where he graduated summa cum laude. He is a member of the Society of Corporate Secretaries & Governance Professionals, where he is also a member of the Securities and Corporate Practices Committees. He is a former member of both The Clearing House Committee on Bank Governance and The Bank Policy Institute, and regularly serves as an expert panelist at high-profile industry meetings and events.

DUANE HOLLOWAY

Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer,
U.S. Steel Corporation

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Duane D. Holloway joined U. S. Steel in April 2018 to serve as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary. He was appointed the additional role of Chief Ethics Officer in September 2018. At U. S. Steel, Mr. Holloway holds executive responsibility for all legal, ethics and compliance matters across the company. He is also responsible for environmental affairs, corporate governance and managing relations with the company’s Board of Directors.

Before joining U.S. Steel, Mr. Holloway served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Ascena Retail Group Inc., then the largest women’s specialty retail and fashion company in the U.S. During his time at Ascena, Mr. Holloway served as Global Chief Legal, Compliance, Sustainability and Diversity officer. As a member of the company’s senior leadership team, Mr. Holloway played a key role in the development and execution of the company’s revised business strategy and transformation program. He also led the transformation of those departments under his purview, significantly improving processes, service levels, outcomes, expense controls and levels of engagement. Mr. Holloway also oversaw the development of Ascena’s first-ever enterprise diversity function and strategy, in addition to a comprehensive corporate social responsibility and philanthropic program.

Previously, Mr. Holloway served as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Corelogic Inc., the leading global residential property information, analytics and data-enabled solutions provider. He oversaw members of the U.S. legal department advising on transactional, litigation, intellectual property, regulation, employment, antitrust, and governance matters. He also led the development of the department’s first-ever strategic plan.

Prior to joining CoreLogic, Mr. Holloway spent nine years at Caesars Entertainment Corp., the world’s largest gaming company at the time, where he progressed through increasingly responsible roles in the legal department before being named Senior Vice President and Chief Counsel, Operations and Litigation. In this role, he functioned as general counsel for the company’s global operations division, which included all casinos, resorts, hotels and other related holdings around the world, and helped lead the department’s continuous improvements to its operating model and strategy.

Mr. Holloway also practiced law at the firm now known as Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C.

A native of Baltimore, Md., Mr. Holloway earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and received his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Seth Krauss

Chief Legal Officer,
Endeavor

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Seth Krauss has served as the Chief Legal Officer of Endeavor since June 2014. At Endeavor, Mr. Krauss oversees the global legal function, government relations, risk management and physical security, managing a department of professionals located around the globe. Mr. Krauss is also a member of the executive team responsible for managing the day to day affairs of the company.

Mr. Krauss currently serves as a Director on the Board for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), a non-profit organization that promotes and supports diversity, inclusion and equity in the legal profession.

From 2007 until 2014, Mr. Krauss served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ TTWO).He joined Take-Two from Morgan Stanley, where he served as an Executive Director in the Legal and Compliance Division from 2004 until 2007. At Morgan Stanley, he was responsible for coordinating all significant regulatory and law enforcement matters in the U.S. and served as one of the firm’s senior liaisons to its regulators.

From 1995 to 2004, Mr. Krauss served as an Assistant District Attorney and Senior Investigative Counsel in the New York County District Attorneys’ Office. At the DA’s Office, Mr. Krauss was responsible for leading complex, long-term investigations into violations of securities, banking, accounting, and taxation laws and regulations, working closely with US Federal and State regulators and law enforcement agencies as well as numerous international regulators and agencies. Among other matters, he co-led the Office’s investigation of the role of financial institutions in Enron’s collapse.

From 1992 to 1995, Mr. Krauss served as a Trustee on the Board of Duke University. He has also served as a Director on the Board for the legal services organization, the Center for Family Representation, as well as on the Board of Advisors for the Asian American Bar Association of NY and the MacDella Cooper Foundation. Mr. Krauss received his undergraduate degree from Duke University in 1992 and his law degree in 1995 from the School of Law at Washington University in St. Louis.

Sandra Leung

Executive Vice President & General Counsel,
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company

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Sandy Leung is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. She leads the worldwide Law Department and is responsible for a wide range of legal areas including intellectual property, commercial and regulatory law, litigation, corporate governance, securities and transactions including licensing, acquisitions and divestitures. She also has responsibility for Environment, Health & Safety, Compliance & Ethics Corporate Security and Corporate Philanthropy.

Sandy joined Bristol-Myers Squibb in 1992 as a staff attorney in the litigation department. She was promoted to positions of increasing responsibility and was elected Corporate Secretary in 1999. In September 2006, she was appointed Interim General Counsel. In February 2007, she was named General Counsel.

Sandy began her legal career as Assistant District Attorney at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office in New York City where she was an original member of the Child Abuse Bureau. She ended her prosecutorial career, after trying more than 40 jury trials to verdict, as a member of the prestigious Homicide Investigations Unit where she conducted investigations of unsolved homicides linked with drug gang activity.

Sandy is on the board of directors of the Asian-American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the board of directors of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

Sandy is a graduate of Tufts University and Boston College Law School.

Additional Awards

• 2009 Recipient of the Justice in Action Award from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
• 2013 Recipient of the Excellence in Corporate Practice Award from the Association of Corporate Counsel
• Named one of America’s 2014 and 2016 Top 50 General Counsel by the National Law Journal

Hannah Lim-Johnson

Former Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary,
Meritor, Inc.

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Hannah Lim-Johnson was senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary for Meritor, Inc. She joined Meritor in August 2020.

In this position, Lim-Johnson had responsibility for Meritor’s legal affairs, which included oversight of legal activities related to corporate governance, acquisitions and divestitures, litigation, business standards compliance, regulatory compliance and intellectual property. She also managed the global corporate legal and compliance department.

Lim-Johnson was most recently a senior vice president and chief legal officer at Kelly Services, where she was responsible for leading the strategic direction of the Law Department and Global Security functions. She also held senior-level roles at PSEG, the ADT Corporation and TYCO International, and served as deputy attorney general for the Attorney General’s Office in Trenton, New Jersey.

Lim-Johnson holds a Juris Doctorate degree from Rutgers University School of Law, where she served as the Managing Editor of the Rutgers Law Review, and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University of Illinois. She also serves as a board member for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and the Leadership Institute of Women of Color Attorneys.

Linda Lu

Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel – Litigation, Enforcement & Strategy,
TransUnion

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Linda Lu is Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Trans Union.  She and her team are responsible for global litigation, government enforcement, strategy, legal counseling for HR, IP, real estate, and insurance risk management.  Prior to Trans Union, Linda was the Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Nationwide Insurance Personal Lines, and previously, it’s Chief Litigation Officer.

Linda is currently a Board Member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel Foundation. Linda is past Vice President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, past President of the Asian American Bar Association of Chicago, and an Alumni Fellow of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity.  She is also past Vice President of The University of Chicago Board of Governors. Linda is the recipient of NAPABA’s Best Lawyers Under 40 Award, and recognized as a R3-100 by Inside Counsel Magazine. Linda was recognized by the National Diversity Council as one of the Most Powerful and Influential Women of Ohio, received the Transformative Leadership Award from Inside Counsel, awarded the Diversity Leadership Award by NAPABA, and received the Ohio Asian Award.

Linda graduated from the Georgetown Law Center and The University of Chicago, where she was captain and MVP of the tennis team.

LAURENCE MIDLER

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer,
CBRE

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Laurence H. Midler is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Risk Officer for CBRE. Larry is a member of CBRE’s Executive Committee and oversees its Legal, Compliance and Risk Management functions. He joined the company in April 2004 and helped lead the firm through its IPO, several transformational acquisitions and a period of global expansion and robust growth to number 122 in the Fortune list of the largest U.S.-based companies.

Prior to joining CBRE, Mr. Midler served as General Counsel to Micro Warehouse, Inc. from 2000 to 2003 and as its Assistant General Counsel from 1998 to 2000. Earlier, Mr. Midler was General Counsel of Serviscope Corporation. Mr. Midler began his legal career with Latham & Watkins, a global law firm.

Mr. Midler is active in giving back to his community, both through work and in his personal time. Mr. Midler serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of Goodwill of Southern California.

Lanesha Minnix

Executive Vice President & General Counsel,
Ecolab Inc.

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Lanesha Minnix is executive vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary for Ecolab Inc., the global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention solutions and services that protect people, planet and business health.

Prior to joining Ecolab in June 2022, Minnix served as senior vice president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary for Flowserve, and was responsible for the company’s legal, compliance and regulatory matters. Previously, she served as senior vice president and general counsel for BMC Stock Holdings. Earlier in her career, Minnix held roles with increasing responsibility at ABM Industries, Shell Oil Company and Sprint. She began her career as a corporate associate at the law firm of K&L Gates.

Minnix holds a juris doctor and an MBA from the University of Tulsa, and a bachelor’s degree in Marketing from St. Louis University.

JENNIFER NEWSTEAD

Chief Legal Officer,
Meta Platforms, Inc.

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Jennifer G. Newstead is chief legal officer at Meta, formerly Facebook, overseeing all global legal and corporate governance matters on behalf of the company. Prior to joining Meta in 2019, Jennifer served in senior roles in government, most recently as the Senate-confirmed legal adviser of the US Department of State, advising on issues of domestic and international law affecting the conduct of US foreign relations. Previously, she served as general counsel of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and as a principal deputy assistant attorney general at the US Department of Justice. In the private sector, Jennifer spent twelve years as a partner in a global law firm, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, advising technology, media, and financial services firms on litigation and regulatory matters. She graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University in 1991 and from Yale Law School in 1994. Jennifer clerked for Justice Stephen Breyer of the United States Supreme Court and Judge Laurence Silberman of the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. She previously served as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center.

Amy Fliegelman Olli

Executive Vice President & General Counsel,
VMware, Inc.

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Amy Fliegelman Olli is the Executive Vice President & General Counsel for VMware. With more than 20 years of legal experience, Amy leads VMware’s Global Legal team, which includes VMware’s Ethics & Compliance and Global Government Relations organizations, and she champions the company’s commitment to integrity, ethics, compliance and risk management practices.

Prior to joining VMware, Amy served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at Avaya. She led the Avaya Law and Global Contracting organization. Prior to Avaya, Amy held a similar position at CA Technologies and spent more than 18 years at IBM.

In 2010, Amy was the winner of Burton’s “Legends in Law” award and was named by the Diversity Journal as a “Woman Worth Watching” in 2011. She was a 2014 winner of the “Aiming High” Award from Legal Momentum, and in 2017, was included in Corporate Counsel’s list of Transformative Leaders in Technology, Media & Telecom and Collaborative Leadership. In 2021, Amy was named to Financial Times “Top 20 General Counsels,” and she was recognized with a “2021 Women, Influence & Power in Law, General Counsel of the Year—In House” award by Corporate Counsel.

Amy holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the State University of New York at Oswego and a Juris Doctor degree from Western New England School of Law.

Tom Robertson

Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel,
Microsoft Corporation

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Robertson leads the Corporate, External & Legal Affairs team that supports the Experiences and Devices Group, which is responsible for Office, Windows, Office 365, Microsoft Surface devices, Skype, Teams and many other products and services. He has led other teams in Seattle, Tokyo and Hong Kong since joining in 1997. Before Microsoft, Robertson was Associate General Counsel in the Office of the United States Trade Representative within the Executive Office of the President, where he was responsible for intellectual property issues and general trade issues with U.S. trading partners in the Asia Pacific region. Before that, Robertson practiced law at Covington and Burling in Washington, D.C., and London, England, and was a law clerk to the Honorable Albert Bryan, Jr., then Chief Judge in the U.S. Federal Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in Alexandria, Virginia.

Robertson holds both Bachelor of Science and Law degrees from the University of Virginia. He is admitted to practice in Virginia, Washington D.C., and Washington State. He serves on the Boards of Greater Seattle Partners, the Coalition of Services Industries, the National Bureau of Asian Research and Town Hall Seattle. He is a Life Member of the Council of Foreign Relations and a Fellow of the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program.

ANNE ROBINSON

Managing Director & General Counsel,
The Vanguard Group, Inc.

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Anne E. Robinson is general counsel of The Vanguard Group, Inc., and secretary of the Vanguard funds. She is managing director of the Office of the General Counsel, which includes Legal, Compliance, Investment Stewardship, and Government Relations. She joined Vanguard in 2016, bringing over 20 years of legal experience in the financial services industry, where she has counseled senior executives on a wide range of legal, regulatory, and business issues.

Prior to joining Vanguard, Ms. Robinson was a managing director and general counsel in the Citigroup global legal department. Before that, she was a managing counsel at American Express; during more than 10 years at that company, she served in a wide range of senior legal positions. Prior to joining American Express, she was division counsel to Deloitte Consulting’s venture capital firm and its global outsourcing organization. She started her legal career in private practice with the law firm of Milbank, Tweed, Hadley and McCloy.

Ms. Robinson earned a B.S. from Hampton University and a J.D. from Columbia University Law School.

DAWN SMITH

President & Chief Operating Officer,
Cologix, Inc.

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Dawn is President and Chief Operating Officer of Cologix, where she leads the company’s strategic initiatives, real estate development, human resources, legal, all other administrative functions, and corporate strategy. She also serves as Corporate Secretary to the company’s Board of Directors.

Prior to Cologix, Dawn was most recently the executive vice president and chief legal officer of McAfee, where she led the legal and government relations organization globally. Prior to McAfee, Dawn was the senior vice president and chief legal officer at VMware.

After serving in the U.S. Navy, Dawn graduated from Stanford Law School. Dawn joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and then became partner at Morrison & Foerster with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, private equity and debt financings, board advisory, and corporate governance.

Dawn currently serves on the board of directors of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. Her leadership has earned numerous recognitions in the field of law, including: Top 50 Women Lawyers in the U.S. by the National Diversity Council, Value Champion Award by the Association of Corporate Counsel, Most Innovative In-House Legal Team in North America, and Top 20 General Counsel by the Financial Times.

In addition to her JD from Stanford Law School, Dawn earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, where she also received the Vice Admiral Lawrence Award for most outstanding woman athlete. As a commissioned officer, Dawn was chosen for the highly competitive naval nuclear submarine program founded by Admiral Hyman Rickover, and while in the Navy she earned an MBA from Providence College.

MICHAEL TANG

Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary,
Agilent Technologies, Inc.

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Michael Tang is Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Agilent Technologies. He is responsible for leading Agilent’s global legal organization and advising the board of directors and management team on all aspects of the law, including mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and securities matters.

Tang has served in the Legal and Corporate Development departments of Agilent since joining the company in 2006. In 2013 he was named Agilent Vice President, Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary. Tang was the lead attorney on Agilent’s spinoff of its electronic measurement business to form Keysight Technologies.

Prior to Agilent, Tang represented public and private technology companies in a broad range of corporate and securities matters at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a Palo Alto, California, law firm and Fenwick & West LLP, a Mountain View, California, law firm.

Tang is a graduate of Columbia Law School. He also holds a B.S. in economics from The Wharton School of Business, University of Pennsylvania. He is an active member of the State Bar of California.

Amy Tu

President, International and Chief Administrative Officer,
Tyson Foods, Inc.

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Amy Tu leads the Company’s international business with over 18,000 team members globally. She is responsible for Tyson’s international growth, its strategy, and global operations. Amy leads a diverse team across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Central and South America, Australia, and the United States.

Amy continues to lead the team that manages Tyson Foods’ most significant risks and leverages its greatest opportunities. Her Global Governance and Corporate Affairs organization includes nearly 5,000 team members across 10 functions and many areas of expertise. She leads the legal, government affairs, corporate communications, ethics and compliance, audit services, health and safety, food safety and quality assurance, environment, corporate services and aviation functions. Since joining the enterprise leadership team in 2017, Amy’s role and responsibilities have continued to expand. She reports to President and CEO Donnie King.

Amy joined Tyson from The Boeing Company where she held progressive leadership positions in law and corporate development and strategy departments. She served as chief counsel for Boeing global law affairs, commercial airplanes and aviation services divisions, supporting multiple business and functional leaders worldwide. Amy was also instrumental in shaping the global law affairs practice as Boeing’s first regional counsel based in London, U.K., with responsibilities for commercial, military and defense matters in Europe, Russia, and Israel. Prior to joining Boeing in 2001, Amy led global transactions and international legal matters as an international corporate counsel at The Gap and Walmart.

Over the course of her career, Amy has developed deep expertise establishing and supporting global operations, executing complex cross-border, international and domestic transactions, and developing and integrating teams and new ventures into existing businesses.

Amy earned a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Wellesley College, and in 2013 was selected as the Johnson Fellow for the University of Arkansas. Amy serves as a member of the NWA Council Executive Committee and as a board member for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA).

Neil Wilcox

Executive Vice President & Head of Corporate Social Responsibility,
Fiserv, Inc.

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Neil H. Wilcox is Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at Fiserv, Inc., leading the company’s focus on corporate citizenship and social responsibility, including strategies to build upon its success in community and non-profit engagement, diversity and inclusion, and global philanthropy and volunteerism. He oversees sustainability commitments for the organization and helps govern and measure the impact of these initiatives and their value to the business and key stakeholders.

Wilcox joined Fiserv in September 2020 as Chief of Staff for the Office of the CEO, gaining a deep understanding of day-to-day operations across the organization and working closely with the Fiserv leadership team on a wide range of operational effectiveness initiatives.

Prior to joining Fiserv, Wilcox served as interim General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer at USAA, providing strategic counsel and legal advice to the CEO, Board of Directors and Executive Council. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President, Enterprise Shared Services Counsel at USAA. Previously, Wilcox was Senior Vice President and Associate General Counsel at First Data. He has also held division general counsel and senior compliance roles with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Marsh & McLennan.

Over the course of his career, Wilcox has developed significant expertise with bank and insurance regulatory matters, corporate real estate, intellectual property, procurement, litigation, and mergers and acquisitions. He serves on the boards of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association and New York’s Hale House Center, and is a member of the Executive Leadership Council.

Wilcox received his undergraduate degree from Duke University and his Juris Doctor degree from the Georgetown University Law Center.

Joseph J. Centeno

Outside General Counsel & Assistant Corporate Secretary,
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

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Joe Centeno’s practice includes collective and class action litigation,employment litigation, high stakes #MeToo matters, restrictive covenants, labor relations, policies, leave, termination of employment, joint employment, diversity and inclusion strategy and planning, Title IX investigation and compliance, and C-suite executive employment agreements. Joe counsels employers on virtually all employment and labor-related laws and regulations.He has extensive jury trial experience and has been lead trial counsel in numerous high-profile trials and arbitrations. He also has broad experience in defending claims before state and federal agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the Department of Labor, the National Labor Relations Board, many state and city Human and Relations and Civil Rights Commissions and agencies, and the Philadelphia Commission on Human Relations, where he served as a Commissioner by mayoral appointment.

Joe has been nationally recognized for his lawyering by Best Lawyers in America, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Philadelphia Business Journal, Minority Corporate Counsel Association and Pennsylvania Super Lawyers. He co-chairs Buchanan’s Labor, Employment, Benefits & Immigration section, which has been recognized as a national Tier 1 practice by U.S. News & World Report.

Clients can expect highly responsive, strategic guidance and aggressive advocacy from Joe. He is passionately client-focused and brings 25 years of legal, human resources and business experience to every matter.

Haley Ayure

Corporate Secretary,
Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC

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Haley R. Ayure focuses her practice on a full range of domestic and international corporate transactions and general commercial matters, advising businesses through each stage of the business cycle: formation, fundraising, operations, acquisitions and sale. She handles matters including mergers and acquisitions, financings, joint ventures, federal and state securities law compliance, commercial contracts, entity selection and formations, alcohol beverage licensing, general corporate governance and corporate restructurings. Haley also practices in the area of business immigration law, with a particular emphasis on developing corporate solutions to help foreign entrepreneurs start U.S. companies and qualify for visas.

Haley represents clients in a variety of industries, including technology, sports, fitness and nutrition, beer manufacturing/craft brewing, restaurants, hotels and hospitality, real estate development, security alarm, manufacturing and entertainment. Haley’s clients include startups and emerging companies, entrepreneurs, investors, private equity/venture capital, closely held companies, public companies and nonprofits.

Haley volunteers as an Expert-In-Residence at the University of Tampa Lowth Entrepreneurship Center’s incubator/accelerator program and has guest taught business law classes at the University of Tampa. Prior to joining the firm, Haley served as a Judicial Intern for the Executive Office for Immigration Review in Orlando. While attending Stetson University College of Law, Haley received the John B. Stetson Merit Scholarship and several high-grade designations. She writes for the firm’s corporate startup blog, buchanan-labs.com, and immigration blog, knowingimmigrationlaw.com.

Haley is fluent in Spanish and proficient in American Sign Language.

In addition to providing sophisticated legal counsel, Haley is committed to people. She strives to approach every interaction with a positive outlook and friendly demeanor, and endeavors to understand the real-life concerns of her clients while guiding them through transactions. Having owned and run a small business herself, Haley understands the balance involved in both taking and minimizing risk, and she strives to help her clients through this process in a way that sets them up for success.

Outside the office, Haley enjoys spending time with family and friends, singing, working out, reading and taking in all the beauty and activity that Florida has to offer. As a working mom, Haley values the time she spends with her daughter and is a firm believer in making every moment count.

Suzan A. Miller

Former Corporate Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, & Corporate Secretary,
Intel Corporation

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Suzan (Sam) A. Miller was a Corporate Vice President, Intel Corporation. Currently working on a corporate governance consulting project, Ms. Miller’s previous roles at Intel include Vice President, Corporate Secretary, and Deputy General Counsel, Intel Corporation. In this role, Ms. Miller led Intel’s worldwide Corporate Legal Group, providing legal support for corporate governance, security law, corporate finance, and treasury; Vice President of the Business Legal Group and General Counsel of Intel Capital. Ms. Miller was an active advocate within Intel and externally for diversity and inclusion in the legal profession and the technology industry. She was the executive sponsor for the Santa Clara Women at Intel Network, a member of Intel’s Network of Executive Women Leaders, and on the Board of the National Association of Women Lawyers (“NAWL”). Ms. Miller is currently on the Boards of the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, US National Committee for UN Women, Silicon Valley, the Silicon Valley Campaign for Legal Services, and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (“MCCA”). She received her B.S. from Bryn Mawr College and her J.D. from Santa Clara University. Ms. Miller can be reached at suzan.miller@me.com.

Robin H. Sangston

Vice President, Chief Compliance & Privacy Officer,
Cox Communications, Inc.

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Robin Sangston is Vice President, CIPP/US Chief Compliance and Privacy Officer for Cox Communications, Inc. She leads the company’s Ethics and Compliance organization, which is responsible for the company’s Ethics and Doing Business Right compliance program. In addition, she has responsibility for privacy, antitrust compliance and employment law. In 2015, Cox was a recipient of a MARCOM award – Platinum Winner – for its Code of Conduct.

Robin is a native of Washington, D.C. where her father was an announcer for NBC and Voice of America. She received her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania where she was a member of the Mortar Board Honor Society. She received her J.D., with high honors, from George Washington Law School where she graduated Order of the Coif and was a member of the Law Review. She practiced First Amendment law with a D.C. firm before joining Cox in 1995.

Robin is passionate about helping people succeed at Cox, in the legal profession and in the community. She served as founding co-Chair of Cox’s Women’s Employee Resource Group, which has over 1,100 members, and is the Executive Sponsor of Cox Enterprises’ 25 year-long mentoring relationship with Chamblee High School in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition, she currently serves on the board of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. She is also board President of Jerusalem House, Atlanta’s oldest and largest provider of free and subsidized housing and wrap around services to HIV/ AIDS infected individuals and their families.

Robin has also served on numerous boards that promote diversity, inclusion and equality for everyone, including Women in Cable Telecommunications (WICT), Cable Positive, The Atlanta Legal Diversity Consortium, Page Turners Make Great Learners, the Atlanta Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, and the Boy Scouts of America, Atlanta Area Council, where she focused on the Scout Reach program to bring scouting to underprivileged youth in Atlanta.

She is also an active mentor and has participated in many formal and informal mentoring relationships, including the Pathbuilders Achieva mentoring program, the Georgia Association of Women Lawyer’s Leadership Academy, the J. Mack Robinson College of Business women’s mentoring program, WICT’s mentoring program and various Cox mentoring programs.

Robin is a graduate of the Class of 2014 of Leadership Atlanta.

She has been recognized nationally and locally for her leadership and efforts to advance others by various organizations, including WICT, the Atlanta Business Chronicle and the Association of Corporate Counsel, Atlanta Chapter, Counsel on Call, OnBoard, Womenetics, and the Atlanta Chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.

Anne Lee Benedict

Former Chief Legal Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary,
Thomas James Homes

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Anne served as Chief Legal Officer, Chief Administrative Officer and Secretary, of Thomas James Homes, where she oversaw corporate administration, risk management, people management, corporate affairs, ESG, and legal affairs. She previously served as the Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of Summit Materials, Inc. (NYSE: SUM), a leading U.S. based construction materials company. 

Prior to joining Summit in 2013, Anne was a partner in the Washington DC office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, where she had practiced since 2000. Her practice involved a wide range of corporate law matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic transactions, securities offerings, securities regulation and disclosure issues, and corporate governance matters. She began her legal career with Chadbourne & Parke (now Norton Rose Fulbright) in New York in 1999.

Anne graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1999. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Psychology from the University of Michigan in 1995.

SAMANTHA C. GRANT

Partner,
Reed Smith LLP

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Rodney Pratt

Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer,
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Inc.

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Rodney C. Pratt has over 20 years of experience and success leading global retail organizations as a trusted and strategic business executive and legal advisor. Rodney currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton Inc., the North America subsidiary of the French multinational conglomerate and world leader in luxury products and services. Rodney oversees the North American business, leads the LVMH North America legal team, and serves on the LVMH North America Executive Leadership Team. In his role, Rodney is responsible for strategic, tactical, and operational execution and oversight on the entire range of legal matters that typically confront a business unit within a major global consumer company. Rodney also supports LVMH Maisons, providing proactive and pragmatic legal counsel regarding worldwide regulatory, corporate, litigation and commercial matters. 

Prior to joining LVMH, Rodney spent over 11 years at NIKE, Inc. While at NIKE, Rodney served for over six years as General Counsel of Converse Inc., a wholly owned NIKE subsidiary. In addition to his legal responsibilities, Rodney was a highly valued and respected enterprise leader and served as an inaugural member of NIKE’s externally focused Black Community Commitment Task Force and Co-Founder of the Converse Diversity Network.  

Rodney is Co-Chair of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s Advisory Board.  Rodney serves on the Board of Directors of Massachusetts Eye & Ear (MEE), a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School and home to the world’s largest hearing and vision research center. Rodney is a Co-Founder and Board member of the Boston-based New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF). Rodney is an Adjunct Professor at Howard University School of Law where he co-teaches a course on Sports & Social Justice.  

Rodney is a graduate of the College of William & Mary and received his law degree from the George Washington University Law School. While in law school, Rodney served as a White House Intern in the Office of the Chief of Staff under the Clinton Administration. 

Rodney proudly serves as a mentor and advisor to attorneys of all practice areas and backgrounds.

Elena Centeio

Assistant General Counsel, Corporate Finance & Global Innovation,
General Motors Company

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Elena is an experienced corporate attorney who started her career at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP 25 years ago and has since spent more than 15 years in-house. She proactively partners with business leaders at GM to balance risk and opportunity utilizing broad-based legal and business experience. Elena advises on M&A, financing matters, venture projects, co-developments, joint ventures, government contracting, and internal reorganizations. She is also fortunate to support the new business incubator within GM and ensures the team is well positioned to react quickly to differing risk profiles while remaining nimble. She gets to work on flying cars!

Her passion is enabling GM to become the most inclusive company in the world. She leads GM Legal Staff’s committee on Awareness and Training which is driving better understanding and awareness within GM on the disparate treatment of certain people and increasing more open dialogue on diversity, equity and inclusion.

She also serves on the board of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra which enables her to support programs to put instruments into the hands of all children within Detroit.

She is a practitioner of continuous improvement and holds a green belt in Six Sigma.

Willie Hernandez

General Counsel, International
The Coca-Cola Company

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Willie Hernandez is an executive who leads large-scale, high-performing teams and global public companies through transformation, expansion, complex crises and opportunities worldwide. He currently serves as General Counsel, International of The Coca-Cola Company where he is responsible for legal support to the company’s operations in 200 countries and territories.

 Known for growing, protecting, and restoring credibility with governments, investors, consumers, and the public in the U.S and worldwide, Willie has more than 20 years of experience navigating highly competitive, heavily regulated environments for leading public companies. He has served across all lines of business and supported a wide range of corporate functions, from global finance to government affairs and from communications to cybersecurity.

Previously, Willie served as Head of Legal for the Facebook and Messenger apps (Meta), Deputy General Counsel for Hewlett Packard Enterprises (HPE) and Senior Counsel at two top public companies (Amazon and IBM). His global expertise includes first-hand experience of doing business overseas, where he navigated government investigations, operational challenges and disputes, complex M&A and other global expansion strategies.   He lived and worked for three years in Shanghai, China as General Counsel for IBM’s services unit across the Emerging Markets.

Willie began his legal career as a litigation associate at Jackson Walker LLP after earning his J.D. from UCLA School of Law and B.S. in Environmental Science from the UC Berkley.

Raised in the east side of San Jose, CA, Willie was the first member of his family to attend college. Drawing from personal experience, he is committed to educational and professional development for students from low-income backgrounds to attend college and achieve professional careers. Currently he serves as the Board Chair of Cristo Rey San José Jesuit High School, and he serves as a board member for the Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area. He is also a longstanding member of the Hispanic National Bar Association and an advisory committee member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.

 

JENNIFER IVAN

Associate General Counsel,
Microsoft Corporation

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Jennifer Ivan is an Associate General Counsel for Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington, where she supports Microsoft’s Security, Compliance, and Management (SCM) group. In this role, she manages a team of legal professionals that provides general counseling and transactional legal support in areas of product development, product marketing, privacy, regulatory and compliance matters. The SCM group is responsible for IT management tools and services like Windows 365 and Microsoft Endpoint Manager, and security and compliance products like Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Information Protection.

She also previously led Diversity & Inclusion for Microsoft’s Corporate, External, and Legal Affairs (CELA) organization. In this role, she led CELA’s efforts to build and sustain a diverse department that reflects the diversity of our global company, the communities in which we work, and the customers that we serve and to take full advantage of that diversity by creating and nurturing a culture of inclusion that allows individuals and teams to do their best work.

Prior to joining Microsoft, Jennifer was Legal Director for Dell Computer Corporation in Austin, Texas, where she supported the Dell Services organization.

Prior to joining Dell, Jennifer was a Staff Attorney for IBM in Austin, Texas, where she provided comprehensive legal support for IBM’s Server Group.

Jennifer graduated Cum Laude with Honors in Liberal Arts with a B.A. in Political Science and English from the Ohio State University in 1990. Jennifer received her J.D. Cum Laude from the Ohio State University School of Law in 1994. She has served for more than 13 years on the board of Youth Eastside Services (currently Vice President), a non-profit that provides counseling and support programs for children and young adults who are dealing with drug and alcohol addiction, mental health issues, abuse and other difficult issues. She is also on the Next Generation Advisory Board for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her 17-year-old daughter (Olivia), her 23-year-old son (Parker) and her husband, Donnie.

She can be reached at Jenivan@microsoft.com.

Mike Jackson

Associate General Counsel/General Manager, Compliance & Ethics Governance, Training, and Culture,
Microsoft Corporation

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Mike Jackson is Associate General Counsel for the Compliance Governance, Training, and Culture (GTC) team here within CELA. As a member of Microsoft’s Compliance and Ethics (C&E) leadership team, Mike and his team are responsible for advancing trust in Microsoft through policy and policy governance, compliance learning, communications, culture assessments and surveys, and through providing legal guidance on anti-corruption and other regulatory matters. Additionally, the team is responsible for ensuring that Microsoft’s products, goods, and services are inclusive, considerate of local practice, and reflect Microsoft’s mission and values globally. Immediately prior to this role, Mike led a team responsible for conducting complex workplace investigations in North America within C&E. Mike is a member of Microsoft’s Corporate, External, Legal Affairs (CELA) Leadership Team and recently concluded his two-year term as the D&I lead for CELA and now serves as Chair Emeritus for CELA’s D&I Council. Prior to Microsoft, Mike built and led teams at several Fortune 500 organizations including Target and The J.M. Smucker Company.

Mike is a member of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA)’s N-Gen Advisory Board and served previously on the Board of Directors for the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Mike Jackson was recently recognized by Yahoo U.K. as part of its 2021 OUTstanding LGBTQ+ Role Model List.  Mike and his husband, Chad, reside in the Seattle metro area.

LaTanya Langley

Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary,
Edgewell Personal Care Company

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LaTanya Langley serves as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Edgewell Personal Care Company, a leading pure-play consumer products company with an attractive, diversified portfolio of established brand names in the wet shave, sun and skincare and feminine care categories based in the Greater New York area.

Prior to joining Edgewell, Ms. Langley was most recently Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at BIC®. Throughout her 22-year career, Ms. Langley held several leadership roles including executive roles at Diageo, including General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd. based in Accra, Ghana.

Ms. Langley began her legal career as an associate at Paul Hastings LLP, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP and Shipman & Goodwin LLP, specializing in corporate law and business finance and restructuring.

Ms. Langley is a member of the New York and Connecticut Bars and the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut. Ms. Langley received her bachelor’s degree in Political Science and doctor of laws, honoris causa from Trinity College, where she serves on the Board of Trustees and received her juris doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law where she serves as an adjunct professor.

Sumit Mallick

Associate General Counsel,
Chime Financial, Inc.

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Sumit started his legal career at Berkeley Law as a Colbentz Civil Rights Fellow. As a fellow, he worked on education civil rights work with the NAACP LDF, MALDEF and the ACLU to address inequities in the public education system. After graduating from law school, Sumit worked as a Fellow at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights focusing on affirmative litigation in the area of educational equality. At the Lawyers’ Committee, Sumit worked as co-counsel on an affirmative litigation against the New Orleans school district for its disparate treatment of disabled students. Sumit was also part of a team that sought injunctive and compensatory relief against the state of Maryland for its long standing disparate funding of the state’s HBCUs. Sumit then joined the law firm of WilmerHale in Washington, D.C. where he was a part of the appellate and while collar groups. Sumit represented clients in a variety of industries focusing on internal investigations, regulatory inquiries, and appellate matters. Sumit maintained a robust pro bono practice while in the private sector. Sumit co-chaired a class action lawsuit with the SPLC against the city of Mobile, Alabama for its practice of long-term suspending students without proper due process which disparately impacted minority students. Sumit also briefed and argued several state appellate arguments on gay marriage and LGBT adoption rights. Sumit transitioned to public service and joined the Department of Justice in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Sumit’s career in public service focused on prosecuting violent crimes, sexual assaults, human trafficking, drug cartels, gun trafficking, cyber crimes, and financial crimes. Sumit more recently has returned to the private sector where he led the Global Litigation and Investigations team at Stripe prior to joining Chime in his current role as the Head of Litigation and Product.