MCCA would like to thank our members, speakers, Title Sponsor VMware, and Host Google for contributing to the success of the 2023 Global Technology, Education, & Careers Forum: Data Boot Camp (G-TEC: Data Boot Camp)!
Attendees heard expert insights and analysis on topics from leveraging data to drive transformation to the implications of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action case on corporate diversity efforts. Case study conversations and discussion sessions gave attorneys from both law firms and in-house counsel’s offices the chance to share challenges and best practices, forge new connections, and discover opportunities for collaboration. And walk-throughs of key MCCA resources, including the Diversity Database and Diversity Scorecard, equipped participants with concrete tools to up their DEI data game.
MCCA members can view key session takeaways and materials – offered as an exclusive benefit to MCCA members – in their member portal.
As we move forward together, let’s continue sharing ideas and strategies to drive change in the legal profession and in our communities so that we can know better, do better, lead better, and transform for the better.
From all of us at MCCA, again, thank you so much for your commitment, engagement, passion, and support. Together we are #InspiringProgess and #AcceleratingImpact.
Special thanks to our Host:
Title Sponsor:
EVENT AGENDA
THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2023
7:45 AM – 5:00 PM
Check-In
7:45 AM – 8:45 AM
BREAKFAST
8:45 AM – 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Stop and Proceed With Caution: Strategies to Address the Potential Corporate and Legal Impact of the Supreme Court Decision on Affirmative Action
On October 31, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) heard oral arguments for two controversial affirmative action cases against Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC). The Supreme Court will issue a decision in June 2023, and it is widely expected to overturn, or at least radically redefine, race-conscious admissions practices for colleges and universities, a move that could have wide-ranging and unpredictable consequences on corporate America.
As these controversial cases are evaluated by SCOTUS, we are in active discussions with our partners and members on the broad-reaching implications across various laws, including those that impact workplace DEI and ESG efforts.
This session will discuss the Supreme Court case’s predicted outcome, the potential legal impact on corporate America, how to navigate the legal risk and the decision’s impact on organizations’ diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments.
Attendees will also participate in an interactive workshop where they will evaluate existing talent management systems to determine the impact of the Court’s decision.
Please note: CLE credit will not be awarded.
Session Breakdown:
Part 1: Panel | 9:00 AM – 9:40 AM
Moderator:
- Upnit K. Bhatti – Senior Associate, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Panelists:
- Debo Adegbile – Partner, Chair, Anti-Discrimination Practice, WilmerHale
- Mark Davies – Partner (Supreme Court and Appellate), Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Part 2: Panel | 9:40 AM – 10:20 AM
Moderator:
- Sheila Willis – Partner, Co-Chair Affirmative Action and Federal Contract Compliance Practice Group, Fisher Phillips
Panelists:
- John W. Kuo – Independent Director and Former Chief Legal Officer
- Yolanda Sanders – Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Gap, Inc.
Part 3: Workshop | 10:20 AM – 11:00 AM
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Lunch
12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
Strategies to Drive Transformation Leveraging Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Measuring and managing your strategic DEI framework helps to put form, meaning, value, accountability, execution, and forward progress into your internal and external DEI efforts. It helps move the needle from DEI as a conceptual framework to DEI as a sustainable, valued, integrated, benefit-generating feature business strategy.
This session will discuss how to utilize diversity metrics (specific quantitative and qualitative measures of diversity) to help translate business strategy into action by measuring the financial and non-financial value of diverse workplace and external environmental performance.
Attendees will also participate in small group discussions regarding the efficacy of the current data analytics tools in the industry.
Please note: CLE credit will not be awarded.
Session Breakdown:
Part 1: Panel | 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
Moderator:
- Corinn Jackson – Principal, Littler Mendelson, P.C.
Panelists:
- Charles Basinger – Lead Counsel, Autonomous Vehicles, General Motors Company
- Danielle Coleman – Senior Director & Associate General Counsel – Global Litigation, VMware, Inc.
- Vinita Kailasanath – Partner – IP Transactions, Life Sciences Transactions, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
Part 2: MCCA Diversity Scorecard Review | 12:45 PM – 1:15 PM
Presenter:
- Sophia Piliouras – Chief Operating Officer (COO) & Corporate Secretary, MCCA
Part 3: Workshop | 1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
BREAK
2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Best Practices and the Value of Sharing Data via Surveys with External Parties
This session will discuss what data we must know, to do, lead and transform our industry. The purpose of collecting demographic data varies; it could be a regulatory requirement to support enforcement actions, e.g., EEO-1 reporting, a business requirement per a client, advancing your organization’s broader ESG strategy, facilitating an internal self-audit on employment patterns to address inequities, providing nuance and context for conversations around issues like the lavender or glass ceiling and pay equity. Understanding the value of sharing your organization’s data with external parties will help your organization lead and transform your industry.
Attendees will also participate in an interactive workshop regarding the extraction and analysis of DEI data from the MCCA Diversity Database.
Please note: CLE credit will not be awarded.
Session Breakdown:
Part 1: Panel | 2:30 PM – 3:15 PM
Moderator:
- Jean Lee – President & CEO, MCCA
Panelists:
- Evangelina Almirantearena – Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Antitrust and Commercial Litigation, Intel Corporation
- Joseph Drayton – Partner, Cooley LLP
- Marie Ma – Chief Legal Officer, Articulate Global, LLC
Part 2: MCCA Diversity Database Review | 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM
Presenter:
- Miu Suzuki – Chief of Staff, MCCA
Part 3: Workshop | 3:45 PM – 4:30 PM
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM
NETWORKING RECEPTION
EVENT SPEAKERS
Debo Adegbile
Partner, Chair, Anti-Discrimination Practice,
WilmerHale
Evangelina Almirantearena
Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Antitrust and Commercial Litigation,
Intel Corporation
Charles Basinger
Lead Counsel, Autonomous Vehicles,
General Motors Company
Upnit K. Bhatti
Senior Associate,
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Danielle Coleman
Senior Director & Associate General Counsel – Global Litigation,
VMware, Inc.
Mark Davies
Partner (Supreme Court and Appellate),
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
Joseph Drayton
Partner,
Cooley LLP
Corinn Jackson
Principal
Littler Mendelson, P.C.
Vinita Kailasanath
Partner – IP Transactions, Life Sciences Transactions,
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
John W. Kuo
Independent Director and Former Chief Legal Officer
Marie Ma
Chief Legal Officer,
Articulate Global, LLC
Yolanda Sanders
Senior Vice President &
General Counsel,
Gap Inc.
Miu Suzuki
Chief of Staff,
MCCA
Sheila Willis
Partner, Co-Chair Affirmative Action and Federal Contract Compliance Practice Group,
Fisher Phillips
PREVIOUS GLOBAL TEC FORUMS
Debo Adegbile
Partner, Chair, Anti-Discrimination Practice,
WilmerHale
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Debo P. Adegbile, Chair of WilmerHale’s Anti-Discrimination Practice and a member of the firm’s Government and Regulatory Litigation Group, focuses on a range of matters at the intersections of law, business, government, not-for-profit, and education law and policy. He regularly represents colleges, universities, and higher education sports leagues, and was a member of the team that successfully defended university admissions policies and practices at trial and on appeal in SFFA v. Harvard. That case is now pending in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Debo also represents companies assessing ESG strategies. He regularly provides strategic counseling in high-stakes cases, anti-discrimination matters and investigations. Debo’s expertise extends to advising corporations on civil rights audits and assessments. He recently led the team that conducted the Google civil rights audit and is currently co-leading McDonald’s civil rights audit.
Debo has deep experience representing clients in matters involving the U.S. Department of Justice. He was lead counsel in the negotiation of the Baltimore police department’s consent decree following the killing of Freddie Gray, and the interagency resolution of the NYCHA False Claims Act housing conditions investigation. Debo also has assisted clients in responding to government inquiries about their uses of AI technologies. In 2020, he was appointed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals as amicus curiae to brief and argue an en banc Fair Housing Act appeal involving an issue of first impression.
Debo is a member of WilmerHale’s Global Management, Compensation, Recruitment, and firmwide Executive Diversity and Inclusion Committees. In addition to his practice at the firm, Debo recently completed a six-year term as a commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, following his appointment by President Obama.
Prior to joining the WilmerHale, Debo spent more than a decade litigating cases for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where he served in several leadership roles. At LDF, Debo argued significant civil rights cases in the U.S. Supreme Court (including Shelby County v. Holder, and Northwest Austin Municipal Utility District No. 1 v. Holder). He also previously served as senior counsel to the Chair of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, where he worked on the initial version of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act bill. Debo has testified before congressional committees several times, including in support of the 2006 reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act.
Debo chairs the Board of Trustees of Connecticut College and sits on the Boards of NYU School of Law and the Vera Institute of Justice, of which he is Vice Chair. In addition, he serves on the Advisory Council for the Center for Democracy and Technology and the advisory board of the Policing Project at NYU School of Law.
Among other recognitions for his civil rights advocacy and public service, Debo has received awards from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Southern Center for Human Rights, Selma Bridge Crossing Jubilee, Latino Justice, The American Constitution Society, The Brotherhood/Sister Sol, and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest.
Evangelina Almirantearena
Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Antitrust and Commercial Litigation,
Intel Corporation
—
Eva Almirantearena is Vice President, Associate General Counsel, Antitrust and Commercial Litigation at Intel Corporation. Eva has been with Intel since 2004, mainly in the Litigation Group, handling a wide variety of matters, including antitrust litigation and investigations, commercial litigation and misappropriation of confidential information and trade secrets. Eva is Intel Legal’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Leader and a member of Intel Legal’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee. She is also co-chair of Intel Legal’s Pro Bono Committee. Prior to joining Intel, Eva was an antitrust partner at Howrey in Northern California and, before that, was a trial attorney at the Antitrust Division of the US Department of Justice in Washington, D.C.
Charles Basinger
Lead Counsel, Autonomous Vehicles,
General Motors Company
—
Charles Basinger is General Motors’ Lead Counsel – Autonomous Vehicles, where he leads the legal team supporting GM’s autonomous vehicle initiatives, including the close collaboration with GM’s majority owned subsidiary, Cruise LLC. Charles joined the GM legal staff in 2014 as Senior Counsel for Global Product Development, where he provided advice and counsel on various regulatory and safety-related matters in connection with vehicle development and NHTSA compliance. Prior to joining GM, Charles practiced law at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan in Washington, D.C., with a focus on high-profile patent litigation cases in various federal district courts throughout the U.S. as well as the International Trade Commission. Prior to private practice, Charles was a Captain in the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General’s Corps from 2004 to 2008, where he earned a Bronze Star and Combat Action Badge for his service in Iraq in support of the 172d Stryker Brigade Combat Team. Charles is originally from Anchorage, Alaska, and returns to Alaska several times a year to visit family, friends, and, of course, to ski.
Upnit K. Bhatti
Senior Associate,
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
—
A former Third Circuit clerk, Upnit is a Senior Associate in the Supreme Court and Appellate practice group.
Upnit represents clients in federal and state courts at both the trial and appellate levels, often working from the start of a case through the appeal. She has embedded in multiple trials as appellate counsel in high stakes cases to develop strategies and preserve appellate issues. Upnit also works with trial teams in large complex commercial matters to draft dispositive motions, take depositions and manage fact-finding, and develop creative legal strategies. She has presented oral argument in state and federal courts and has co-authored briefs before state and federal trial and appellate courts, including the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition, Upnit maintains an active pro bono practice.
Prior to joining Orrick, Upnit focused on products liability and complex litigation work at Arnold & Porter LLP and a mid-size firm in Upstate New York. This included representing a consumer products company in the defense of thousands of personal injury cases in state and federal courts. She was the primary drafter of several motions and appellate briefs. She was also deeply involved in the firms’ pro bono practice and first chaired a trial dealing with First and Eighth Amendment claims.
Outside of the firm, Upnit serves on the Board of Directors of the DC Women’s Bar Association and leads the Association’s advocacy efforts. She is also a member of the Board of her law school’s Alumni Association and serves as a mentor for several law students and newly-admitted attorneys through various organizations.
Upnit previously clerked for the Honorable Theodore A. McKee of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals and interned for the Honorable Thérèse Wiley Dancks of the Northern District of New York.
In law school, Upnit served as the Managing Editor of the Syracuse Law Review, and was an arguing member of the American Bar Association’s National Appellate Team. She received the Moot Court Honor Society’s Executive Director Award and the Syracuse Law Review Distinguished Leadership Award.
Danielle Coleman
Senior Director & Associate General Counsel – Global Litigation,
VMware, Inc.
—
Danielle Coleman leads the global litigation team at VMware as Senior Director & Associate General Counsel – Global Litigation. Before joining VMware, Danielle was Director, Global Litigation at Applied Materials. She previously was an attorney at Morrison & Foerster, and she clerked for the Honorable William H. Alsup, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California. Danielle earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Before law school, she worked at pharmaceutical companies Pfizer Inc. and Pharmacia Corp. performing biochemical research and is an inventor on four U.S. patents.
She is passionate about the community and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. Danielle co-leads VMware’s Legal Department Career Growth Initiative and is a Global Thought Leadership Chair for the Black@VMware Power of Difference employee resource group. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for the Alameda County Community Food Bank as well as OneJustice. The National Bar Association has recognized Danielle with a “Diversity in Tech and IP” award and a “Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40” award. The Minority Corporate Counsel Association has named her a “Rising Star.” The Bar Association of San Francisco also has recognized her with an “Excellence in Diversity” award.
Mark Davies
Partner (Supreme Court and Appellate),
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP
—
Mark Davies is Former Co-Chair of the Firm’s nationwide Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group. His practice focuses on litigation matters for technology companies, particularly ones that lead the world in hardware and software innovation. He is experienced in the Federal Circuit, the D.C. Circuit, other federal and state appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He also develops trial court legal strategy, presents policy arguments to regulatory agencies, and advises on complex global disputes.
Mark is a highly successful appellate lawyer who has argued and briefed many cases, both in private practice and government. Mark has argued 50 appellate cases, including multiple arguments for one of the world’s leading high-technology companies. He has handled many appeals for Asian and European companies in U.S. courts, including challenges to International Trade Commission actions. He has represented, often repeatedly, companies such as Bosch, Cisco, EMC, Emerson, Ericsson, Fujitsu, Harmon, Honda, Intel, MediaTek, Microsoft, Nintendo, Nvidia, Oracle, Solar City, Tesla, TSMC, VeriFone, Vizio, and others. And, he regularly helps defeat non-practicing entities such as Intellectual Ventures, IP Bridge, and Uniloc Corporation.
Mark has special experience at the Federal Circuit. Legal 500 reports, “prominent in the high-tech field, Mark Davies…is praised for his ‘unparalleled Federal Circuit experience.’” An interviewee noted that he “‘is an outstanding leader of their appellate teams, as well as a skilled and subtle advocate. He really knows the Federal Circuit. Mark also has the crucial ability to see both the big-picture forest and the technically-detailed trees at the same time, and to weave them all together into a compelling story on appeal.’”
Chambers USA also recognizes Mark’s Federal Circuit experience, quoting an interviewee: “his questioning is insightful and he quickly grasps complex issues. He cuts to the heart of issues in a quick way.” Another interviewee notes that “he has the ability to interact with complex patent issues and a layperson audience, making sure the story of complex cases comes through.”
He is the author of the “user manual” for Federal Circuit appeals, Patent Appeals: The Elements of Effective Advocacy in the Federal Circuit (November 2017) and Artificial Intelligence: Law & Litigation (June 2022).
His cases have involved virtually every area of patent law, as well as copyright, trade secret, and trademark law. Mark’s practice has a particular focus on cutting-edge legal issues of particular importance to high-technology clients, including novel issues such as patent damages, standard setting, and artificial intelligence.
Mark also appears frequently in federal district courts, serving as legal strategist in complex intellectual property cases. In high-stakes trials, Mark often leads ‘appellate eyes’ teams to set the stage for the inevitable appellate proceedings.
Mark also plays an active role in the development of U.S. technology policy. He has represented clients at the Department of Justice, the Commerce Department, the Federal Trade Commission, the Patent and Trademark Office, and other government agencies. His amicus briefs on behalf of various technology clients are often cited in judicial opinions.
Mark also has a strong pro bono appellate practice, representing clients in the D.C. Court of Appeals, as well as the U.S. immigration and criminal systems. He is a member of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals Criminal Justice Act Panel.
Before joining Orrick, Mark served as a member of the Appellate Staff of the Civil Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (1999-2006), where he represented the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, the Copyright Office, the International Trade Commission and other federal agencies before the Federal Circuit, other U.S. Courts of Appeals, and the U.S. Supreme Court. Mark also practiced with another major law firm appellate practice in Washington D.C.
Joseph Drayton
Partner,
Cooley LLP
—
Joseph Drayton is a first chair trial lawyer who has represented the nation’s largest enterprises in competitive and strategic litigation involving varied forms of technology. Joe’s mission as a lawyer is to find solutions to issues and disputes plaguing clients. Joe’s practice background includes a broad range of intellectual property and complex commercial matters including patent litigation, trademark and copyright usage, trade dress, design patents and false advertising.
Joe also counsels clients in all aspects of intellectual property acquisition, transfer, protection and enforcement. He has represented leading companies in the media, telecommunications, banking, private equity, pharmaceutical, electronics and retail industries. He practices before both state and federal courts, as well as the International Trade Commission.
Joe is routinely recognized as one of the top lawyers in the US by several legal directories and publications. In 2019 and 2020, Law Dragon recognized Joe as one of its 500 Leading Lawyers. In June 2018, he was named a “Distinguished Leader” by the New York Law Journal. He is named a “Client Service All-Star” by BTI Consulting Group (2016-2017) for “delivering superior client service” and was named in multiple years to the IAM Patent 1000 list, a recognition that honors the top patent practitioners in the world. In 2015 and 2018, he was named one of the “most influential black lawyers” by Savoy Magazine. He has also been recognized by the New York City Bar Association with the 2014 Diversity and Inclusion Champion Award. In 2010, he was named among the National Bar Association’s “Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40.”
Joe served as the 76th president of the National Bar Association, and is a vice president and former chair of the Executive Committee of the New York Bar Association. He serves on the ABA Standing Committee for the Federal Judiciary and the ABA Section of Litigation Council. Joe is a proud graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the University of Maryland, College Park (Electrical Engineering).
Corinn Jackson
Principal,
Littler Mendelson, P.C.
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Corinn Jackson has over a decade of experience as an employment lawyer and legal trainer, providing clients with counseling, advice, and innovative solutions to issues like pay equity compliance, harassment prevention training, and inclusion, equity, and diversity. As part of her work with the Littler Pay Equity Assessment™, Corinn works with in-house counsel and human resources professionals to manage pay equity analyses, and facilitate process improvements and efficiencies. Corinn is also one of the founding architects of the Littler X-celerator, the firm’s onboarding tool for tech startups.
Corinn has extensive experience conducting interactive employee and management training sessions for employers in a wide variety of industries, including entertainment and retail, on harassment prevention, lawful and effective workplace investigations, and other employment issues. She also regularly advises national employers on grooming and appearance policies and compliance with various state CROWN Acts.
As an associate at Littler, Corinn’s practice included matters arising under:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
- The Americans with Disabilities Act
- The Family and Medical Leave Act
- Wage and hour issues
- Other state and federal laws governing the employment relationship
Corinn has been an adjunct professor at the USC Gould School of Law, where she taught courses in legal writing and advocacy and contemporary issues in human resources.
Vinita Kailasanath
Partner – IP Transactions, Life Sciences Transactions,
Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP
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Vinita Kailasanath has extensive experience in strategic intellectual property and data-driven transactions in life sciences and technology, and particularly at their intersection. Vinita leads the MedTech practice at Freshfields and has represented life sciences companies, technology companies, healthcare companies and providers, and investors in connection with the execution of their cutting-edge MedTech and digital health strategies in addition to many of their other complex licenses and collaborations, strategic investments, and R&D and supply agreements. Vinita has advised clients on transactions involving medical devices (including SaMD), wearables, mobile apps, telemedicine, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), IoT, software, hardware, pharmaceutical products and biologics, and also routinely advises on the intellectual property aspects of mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures.
Vinita’s work across the life sciences and technology sectors makes her uniquely well-equipped to structure a wide variety of agreements to enable clients to develop, use, commercialize and protect innovative offerings. In doing so, she draws on her graduate degree in molecular and cellular biology and in-depth knowledge of intellectual property gained through a clerkship at the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. She is well-versed in the business, regulatory environment, and goals of the healthcare sector, while also being deeply familiar with Software as-a-Service (“SaaS”), Infrastructure-as-a-Service (“IaaS”) and Platform-as-a-Service (“PaaS”) arrangements as well as other cloud and technology-related considerations.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Vinita conducted graduate-level neuroendocrinology research; worked in the legal department of a leading alternative energy company specializing in the production of algal oils and bioproducts; and assisted pharmaceutical, biotech and medical device companies with product launches and other marketing and sales matters.
Vinita is the co-chair of the Freshfields Asian, Pacific, South Asian American Employee Resource Group and was selected as a 2023 LCLD (Leadership Council on Legal Diversity) Fellow.
John W. Kuo
Independent Director and Former Chief Legal Officer
—
John W. Kuo has been Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel for companies in the life sciences and technologies industries for almost 20 years, most notably 15 years as SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Varian Medical Systems, a S&P500/Fortune1000 company devoted to treating cancer. Most recently he was the Chief Legal Officer of Visby Medical, a late-stage start-up pioneering rapid, portable PCR testing technology.
John has worked across three industries – energy, high tech and life sciences – and advocates for cross-pollination of ideas across industries. He credits his two expat assignments (Scotland and Singapore), as seminal to his professional development and his views on the role of the legal department in helping to grow a global business. John speaks frequently on cross-border transactions, general counsel practice, corporate governance and DEI/ESG.
John also serves on the board of Mirion Technologies (NYSE:MIR) and is Chair of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee. He also has served on several not-for-profit boards, including the Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, Law Cabinet of the United Way Silicon Valley, Berkeley Law Alumni Association board (president) and the Cornell University Council Administrative Board (Chair). He helped establish the Ascend 10×25 Initiative (initiative to get 10% of F1000 directors to be AAPI by 2025) and also co-founded the Bay Area Asian American General Counsels group.
He and his teams have been awarded the 2020 Dale Minami Public Interest Trailblazer Award; 2018 Asian Law Alliance Business Impact Award; National Asian Pacific American Bar Association’s 2017 Diversity Leadership Award; 2016 Silicon Valley Business Journal’s Corporate Counsel Lifetime Achievement Award; 2015 Asian American Legal Education and Defense Fund (AALDEF) Justice in Action award; the 2015 Best Legal Department – Product Counseling from The Recorder, and the 2014 Asian Pacific American Bar Association-SV’s Diversity award; as well as being named to the Lawyers of Color’s Power List.
Marie Ma
Chief Legal Officer,
Articulate Global, LLC
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Marie leads the legal team at Articulate, the leading creator platform for workplace learning, bringing nearly 20 years of public company corporate governance, securities, global equity, M&A, and legal operations experience to her role. Prior to Articulate, Marie was Vice President, Deputy General Counsel at Gap Inc., and General Counsel for Banana Republic brand. Marie is a passionate champion of diverse talent and regularly speaks on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession. She has designed and driven DEI programs and initiatives, including vendor diversity and pipeline programs, and has served on nonprofit boards focused on supporting diverse talent in the legal profession.
Yolanda Sanders
Senior Vice President & General Counsel,
Gap Inc.
—
Yolanda Sanders is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Gap Inc., a portfolio of purpose-led, billion-dollar lifestyle brands including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Athleta. She provides day-to-day leadership of the Gap Inc. Legal Department, which includes oversight over the department as well as functional teams, on behalf of more than 120,000 employees, millions of customers, and Gap Inc. brands worldwide. She leads the company’s Global Employment Law, Corporate & Finance Law, Global Equity Administration, Corporate Secretary’s Office, Corporate Governance, Legal Operations, Real Estate Law and Employee Relations and Engagement teams Yolanda is also division General Counsel to Athleta brand serving on the brand president’s leadership team.
Beyond her work as legal counsel for Gap Inc., Yolanda played a pivotal role leading the Company’s Coronavirus Vaccine Task Force, a cross functional team tasked with development and implementation of the Company’s global COVID safety and response strategy. Yolanda also champions the company’s purpose, Inclusive, by Design, and works tirelessly to bring it to life for all. Through her work with Gap Inc.’s Equality & Belonging team, in 2020, she helped develop, craft, and launch the Company’s Commitments to Create For All, With All. On the Legal team, she co-leads diversity and inclusion initiatives for her department to foster an environment of belonging and support the engagement and development of department members to achieve their full potential. Her work is crucial to the Legal team’s mission to drive increased diversity among legal leadership across the profession through recruiting and hiring practices, engagement with law firm providers, and partnership with key diversity organizations like Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA), Diversity Lab, and the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD).
Yolanda is a 2019 LCLD Fellow and served on the Advisory Board for Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule: Legal Department Edition 2.0. In 2022, Yolanda was selected as an inaugural Journey Fellow, a unique, year-long program designed to accelerate the diversity and trajectory of women in leadership.
Yolanda is also a dedicated volunteer in her community, involved parent, and a member of planning committees in the Castro Valley, California education system, where her two children attend school.
Miu Suzuki
Chief of Staff,
MCCA
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Miu Suzuki (she/her) is MCCA’s Chief of Staff, overseeing interdepartmental operations and strategic planning.
Previously, Miu worked at a social impact consultancy, integrating CSR and ESG strategy as a business imperative across for-profit and non-profit multinational organizations. Miu also managed the 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 Boards of Directors at a sexual and reproductive healthcare non-profit through crisis and transformation.
Miu received her B.A. in Political Science and English from Amherst College. As a second-generation Japanese American, Miu enjoys reading Asian American literature and advocates for race+ equity as a framework for our collective liberation.
Sheila Willis
Partner, Co-Chair Affirmative Action and Federal Contract Compliance Practice Group,
Fisher Phillips
—
Sheila Willis is a partner at Fisher Phillips, LLP, where she represents employers in all types of employment law matters, federal contractor compliance, and Title IX compliance. She frequently advises employers and speaks on topics regarding hiring, discipline, investigations, diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is co-Chair of the Firm’s Affirmative Action and Federal Contractor Compliance Practice group and co-leads the Firm’s diversity book club. She is a former president of both the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association and the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers’ Division. She is currently President-Elect of the National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations and serves on the South Carolina Bar Board of Governors. A former Staff Attorney for the South Carolina Supreme Court, she is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Law and has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business. She is an active community volunteer, serving as a member of the Junior League of Columbia and the Board of Directors for Trustus Theater and the Riverbanks Zoo Society. She is a recipient of the Silver Compleat Lawyer Award from the University of South Carolina School of Law and has been recognized as a Woman of Influence by the Columbia Regional Business report, a Best and Brightest 35 and Under by Columbia Business Monthly, and a Top 40 under 40 lawyer by the American Bar Association.
Danielle Coleman
Senior Litigation Counsel,
VMware, Inc.
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Danielle Coleman is Senior Litigation Counsel at VMware, where she oversees global litigation, including commercial and intellectual property matters. She also is Global Co-Lead of the Black@VMware Power of Difference group. Before joining VMware, Danielle was Director, Global Litigation at Applied Materials. She previously was an attorney at Morrison & Foerster and a law clerk for the Honorable William H. Alsup, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of California.
Danielle earned an undergraduate degree in biochemistry from Xavier University of Louisiana, and a law degree from Georgetown University Law Center. Before law school, she worked at pharmaceutical companies performing biochemical research, and she is an inventor on four U.S. patents.
Danielle recently was recognized as a 2020 MCCA Rising Star, and she received “Nation’s Best Advocates: 40 Lawyers Under 40” and “Excellence in Innovation” awards from the National Bar Association.
Alesha Dominique
Chair, Trademark Prosecution Practice Group,
Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP
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Alesha M. Dominique represents clients in intellectual property litigation, with an emphasis on patent, trademark, false advertising, and unfair competition matters. Alesha’s experience includes representing clients before federal district courts, the U.S. International Trade Commission, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. She also counsels clients on trademark clearance, prosecution, and enforcement matters. Alesha’s experience cuts across multiple industries, including the entertainment, music, fashion, beauty, food and beverage, software and e-commerce industries. Effective June 1, 2020, Alesha will be named the Global Chair of the Trademark Prosecution Group at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP. In 2019, Alesha was chosen as a “Women Worth Watching,” in Profiles in Diversity Journal (2019).
Susan Garcia
Associate General Counsel,
Thomson Reuters
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Susan is Associate General Counsel for Thomson Reuters, overseeing the legal function for software solutions and commercial transactions. Over the course of Susan’s career at Thomson Reuters, she has been responsible for a variety of commercial and corporate transactions including mergers & acquisitions, global commercial contracting and partnerships. Susan manages a team of high performing lawyers and legal professionals across the US and in the UK. Prior to joining Thomson Reuters, Susan was a Senior Corporate and Transactions Counsel for NBC Universal, handling a variety of corporate transactions, including global program distribution, joint ventures, acquisitions and affiliation agreements. Prior to NBCU, Susan was a corporate associate at two major New York law firms (Clifford Chance LLP and Cadwalder, Wickersham and Taft), working on corporate finance, securities and M&A transactions. Susan received a B.A. from Cornell University and a J.D. from University of Pennsylvania School of Law. Susan lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children.
Kayvan Ghaffari
Counsel,
Crowell & Moring LLP
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Kayvan M. Ghaffari is an attorney in the San Francisco office of Crowell & Moring. He is a member of the Litigation, Intellectual Property, and Privacy & Cybersecurity groups. Kayvan’s areas of emphasis include technology-related litigation, involving cybersecurity and digital crimes, blockchain, competition issues, copyright/DMCA, CDA 230, trademark, and trade secrets disputes, and complex commercial matters. He has handled numerous disputes involving cybersecurity technologies, cybercrime, fraud and hacking. He has litigated numerous Lanham Act, false advertising, unfair competition, and trade disparagement claims.
Kayvan is regularly called upon to represent clients in RICO actions. He has successfully litigated RICO as a plaintiff in complex cases involving parent-subsidiary relationships, extraterritoriality, and the DMCA. In addition, Kayvan has successfully defended clients facing bet-the-company RICO claims, including most recently, dismissing with prejudice a RICO claim against one of the world’s largest ticket marketplaces.
A Bay Area native admitted to practice in California and New York, Kayvan has substantial experience developing successful strategies that addresses all aspects of a major crisis in a high-profile setting — the legal issues; congressional and general investigations; civil litigation; media and investor scrutiny; and the long-term business or career implications. With deep relationships amongst a myriad of legal, media, and government stakeholders, Kayvan uses a unique blend of creativity and technical know- how to relentlessly protect his clients. In addition to being procedurally meticulous and a compelling writer, he focuses on unearthing ways to unravel the opposing side’s case. Using his litigation insight, Kayvan provides counseling on an array of technology and cyber-related issues for companies ranging from market leaders to start-ups.
Kayvan believes it is important to give back to his community by using his legal skills to assist those in need. He litigates pro bono cases involving civil and constitutional rights. While attending law school, he started a chapter of the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), where he worked with attorneys and other law students to provide legal representation to refugees and their families in an effort to help them obtain resettlement.
Kayvan graduated Order of the Coif from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, where he also served as senior submissions editor of the Southern California Law Review.
Prior to joining Crowell, Kayvan spent over five years of his career as an intellectual property attorney at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP in San Francisco and New York.
Mark Grider
Partner,
Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP
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Mark Grider is a partner in Cadwalader’s White Collar Defense and Investigations Group and leads the firm’s Crisis Management and Congressional Investigations Practice.
Mark has worked across multiple administrations, most recently serving as a Deputy Associate Attorney General in the office of the Associate Attorney General in the Department of Justice, where his portfolio included criminal matters relating to the Antitrust Division, Civil Division, the Consumer Protection Branch, Environment and Natural Resources Division and the Tax Division. He is a subject matter expert on the False Claims Act, healthcare fraud, the opioid crisis, and competition and consumer harm in the online marketplace. Mark liaised on policy initiatives relating to elder fraud and financial exploitation as well as criminal antitrust procurement collusion. Prior to that, he served in the Executive Office of the President as Senior Associate Counsel and Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the White House Counsel, advising White House Counsel and senior administration officials on broad oversight and regulatory matters involving the White House, Health and Human Services, and federal agencies contributing special expertise on health care regulatory and litigation matters and science and technology oversight and policy issues. Between early 2019 and September 2020, he assisted on congressional oversight and investigations and coordinated responses to related litigation, FOIA requests, and Inspector General investigations.
Mark also worked as a deputy compliance officer in a Fortune 500 healthcare company that was under a HHS-OIG Corporate Integrity Agreement. He knows firsthand how to counsel companies and boards on effective detection of fraud, waste and abuse and how best to refer or disclose possible fraud matters to government agencies. In addition, Mark managed False Claims Act and bribery investigations for the DOJ’s Civil and Criminal Fraud Sections, was a member of DOJ’s Medicare Fraud Strike Force, and also served as Deputy General Counsel for the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction. As the executive director of the Justice Department’s Task Force on Intellectual Property, Mark spoke internationally on government enforcement strategies for corporate and small-business trade secret and intellectual property protection. Mark also has extensive experience on capitol hill, having served as a staffer to Senator John Ashcroft and later on a Special House Investigations Committee.
Mark received his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law, where he was a Thurgood Marshall Scholar. He received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Truman State University.
Mark is a member of the D.C. and Missouri Bars, and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Norene Lew
Senior Corporate Counsel,
Salesforce.com, Inc.
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Norene Lew is Director, Senior Corporate Counsel at Salesforce, where she manages attorneys and contracts negotiators on the commercial team. Before joining Salesforce, Norene was the head of legal and corporate secretary for a privately held global fitness company. She also previously practiced in the litigation department of the law firm Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass. Norene began her legal career in 1997 at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office.
Karthika Perumal
Partner,
Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP
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Karthika Perumal is a Technology Transactions Partner with Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP. Karthika’s practice involves all aspects of technology law with an emphasis on the protection, acquisition, and monetization of intellectual property. She advises clients on patent and transactional matters in the energy and healthcare sectors across a wide range of technologies. She leverages her background in scientific research and technology transfer to help clients meet their business objectives at every stage of product development. Karthika handles a variety of transactions, including multiparty collaborations, joint ventures, manufacturing, supply, distribution, and software development, service, and support agreements. She has developed commercialization strategies for several technologies, and participated in the structuring and financing of six startup companies for various pharmaceutical, medical device, and informatics products.
Karthika has a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the Baylor College of Medicine and a JD from the University of Houston Law Center. She has been recognized by Texas Super Lawyers® as a Rising Star in Intellectual Property for 2018-2021. Karthika serves on the Board of Directors of the Licensing Executives Society (USA & Canada) and also serves as the Secretary of the Honorable Nancy Atlas Inn of Court. Karthika was also part of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) Fellows class of 2020.
Justin Pierce
Co-Chair Intellectual Property Division,
Venable LLP
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Justin Pierce is co-chair of Venable’s Intellectual Property Division. Justin has significant experience advising companies and their executives on how best to acquire, develop, and apply their intellectual property to achieve their business objectives. He has guided clients through a wide range of matters involving patent litigation, trademark and brand protection, anti-counterfeiting initiatives, copyright, design rights, trade secrets, and licensing. Justin is also well versed in strategies for handling rights of publicity, domain name, and social media disputes, and he routinely engages in international government affairs work involving intellectual property.
Justin’s practice includes:
- Representing clients in litigation involving patents, trademarks, copyrights, and advertising claims in a variety of industries, including apparel, consumer goods, electronics, food and beverage, footwear, media, mobile device, pharmaceutical, software, and telecommunications. Justin has handled cases in U.S. federal courts and the U.S. International Trade Commission
- Developing and implementing worldwide brand protection strategies for companies around the world, ranging from start-ups to multinational corporations. Justin regularly assists clients in identifying vulnerabilities in their business model and devising innovative solutions to protect their brands and content, and their company’s reputation in the international marketplace
- Working with regulatory and law enforcement agencies in the United States and abroad to address counterfeiting issues. Justin has helped brand owners recover substantial damages through enforcement actions and litigation aimed at high-value counterfeiters, and worked with clients to facilitate the seizure and destruction of numerous counterfeit products
- Working with clients to maximize and better leverage the value of their intellectual property through licensing and other transactions. Justin has managed complex intellectual property licensing on an international scale in matters dealing with patents, trademarks, and copyrights
- Providing counsel regarding cross-border trade, customs, and outreach to foreign governments on intellectual property matters. Justin has worked with a number of U.S. agencies responsible for intellectual property and trade enforcement issues on behalf of clients
Prior to joining Venable, Justin served as an in-house counsel to a major multinational corporation for a number of years. In this role, Justin led a government relations initiative that enhanced company intellectual property enforcement efforts in key markets around the world. This experience gave him substantial knowledge of the business and strategy issues that challenge executives and their in-house legal teams.
Justin is also an inventor who currently holds a patent and a number of published applications dealing with mobile applications, augmented and virtual reality, gaming, and anti-counterfeiting technology.
Before law school, Justin served as an infantry officer in the U.S. Army, and attained the rank of captain.
Alexandra Ross
Director, Global Privacy and Data Security Counsel,
Autodesk, Inc.
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Alexandra Ross is Director, Global Privacy and Data Security Counsel at Autodesk, Inc. and an Advisor to BreachRx. Previously she was Senior Counsel at Paragon Legal and Associate General Counsel for Wal-Mart Stores. She is a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM, CIPT, FIP and PLS) and practices in San Francisco, California. She holds a law degree from Hastings College of Law and a B.S. in theater from Northwestern University. Alexandra is a recipient of the 2019 Bay Area Corporate Counsel Award – Privacy.
Alexandra launched The Privacy Guru blog in 2014 and has published an ebook Privacy for Humans (available on Amazon and iTunes).
Adrienne Valencia Garcia
Senior Executive Counsel,
IBM
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Adrienne Valencia Garcia is currently IBM’s Senior Counsel for Blockchain Solutions, a first-of-a-kind role created in April 2017 while she was completing a three-year assignment in Latin America. As the Senior Counsel for Blockchain, Adrienne is the worldwide legal executive focal for all blockchain engagements and oversees the global members of the law department who support blockchain transactions. She is a trusted adviser the senior leadership relies upon to navigate complex legal, policy and regulatory issues. Consequently, Adrienne has become a recognized thought leader in establishing IBM’s positions in these areas and is a sought-after speaker in the space.
Adrienne joined IBM in June 2006 after practicing as a litigator in NYC for 10 years. After various client-facing roles focused on closing key strategic deals around IBM’s varied portfolio, in August 2014, she relocated to Mexico City to be the Lead Counsel for IBM’s Latin America Global Consulting Services business and co-leader for IBM’s internal Latin America law department education efforts.
Adrienne holds a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in NYC and received her B.A from the State University of NY at Stony Brook. She is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion; and is an active alumni Fellow of the Leadership Council for Legal Diversity (LCLD) which works to identify high-potential attorneys from diverse backgrounds and set them on the path to leadership in their organizations. Adrienne is also a proud co-founder of the NYC Chapter of Diversity in Blockchain (https://diversityinblockchain.com/), a non-profit organization focused on empowering everyone from all walks of life to engage with blockchain technology to ensure equal participation and distribution. In 2020, Adrienne became an advisory council member of the Glamour Gals Foundation, a non-profit that organizes teenage volunteers to spend time with the elderly in senior homes and provide complimentary makeovers, which facilitate multi-generational conversations that empower women across generations.
A first-generation American, Adrienne speaks Spanish fluently.