MCCA Announces Expansion of Board Leadership

MCCA Announces Expansion of Board Leadership
Leading Attorneys Bring Pivotal Experience and Influence Needed to Advance MCCA’s Diversity and Inclusion Efforts

WASHINGTON D.C. – Today the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) announced the newest members to its Board of Directors: Ricardo A. Anzaldua of MetLife, Inc., Sandra Leung of Bristol-Myers Squibb, H. Gwen Marcus of Showtime Networks Inc., Suzan A. Miller of Intel Corporation, Dawn Smith of VMware, and Michael Williams of Staples, Inc., and Janice Brown of Brown Law Group, whose appointment serves to represent women and minority owned law firms. “We are thrilled to have seven new exemplary leaders join our board. Their diverse experiences and substantial strengths will expand our reach in advocating for diversity and inclusion in the legal profession,” said MCCA President and CEO Joseph K. West.

In addition to these new board members, Michelle Banks, Executive Vice President of Global Sustainability, Global General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Gap Inc., has been appointed to serve as Chair of the MCCA Board of Directors. With experience in international commercial transactions and corporate governance, Banks previously served as in-house legal counsel for the NBA’s Golden State Warriors, and worked in Japan as American Counsel for ITOCHU Corporation. She has experience with several law firms, including Morrison & Foerster in California and New York. “I look forward to working with this talented Board to champion MCCA’s vision of advancing diversity and fostering inclusion in all workplaces,” said Banks.

Currently serving as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of MetLife, Inc., Ricardo A. Anzaldua leads the company’s global legal operations and oversees MetLife’s corporate secretary’s office and corporate ethics and compliance group. Anzaldua serves on the board of directors for Common Ground, a New York City supportive housing developer and manager, and the Greater Hartford Legal Aid Foundation. He has also served the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, an international nonprofit focused on economic and community development and empowerment in the developing world as pro-bono general counsel since 2002, and as a trustee since 2014.

Founder and senior partner in the Brown Law Group, Janice P. Brown worked as a trial attorney for the U.S. Justice Department tax division. Recruited right out of law school into the Department of Justice’s Honors Program, Brown tried lawsuits on behalf of the United States and was chosen Trial Lawyer of the Year at the U.S. Department of Justice in 1987. She is a frequent public speaker on issues such as sexual harassment, wrongful termination, email policies and internet use, and has been featured on the local San Diego affiliates of CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC.
 

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Bristol-Myers Squibb, Sandra Leung is responsible for a wide range of legal and regulatory areas including intellectual property, regulatory law, litigation, environmental, health & safety, corporate security, philanthropy and transactions. Leung sits on the board of directors of the Asian-American Legal Defense and Educational Fund and is a trustee of the National Association for Law Placement (NALP) Foundation. She has received numerous awards for her work including the Justice in Action Award from the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Excellence in Corporate Practice Award from the Association of Corporate Counsel, and was named one of America’s 2014 Top 50 General Counsel by the National Law Journal.

Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Showtime Networks Inc., Gwen Marcus manages the company’s legal affairs including programming and distribution transactions and intellectual property, compliance, litigation and regulatory issues, among other legal and policy matters. Marcus has been named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Cable by CableFAX: The Magazine, and one of The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment Power 100 list. She serves on the board and executive committee for not-for-profit Theatre Development Fund and is a former board co-chair of the LGBT Community Center of New York, which awarded her with its Corporate Leader Award in 2006.

Corporate Secretary, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of Intel Corporation, Suzan A. Miller joined Intel in 1991. Since that time she has held a number of positions including General Counsel of Intel Capital, Intel’s strategic investment program, and Vice President of the Business Legal Group. She is the executive sponsor for the Santa Clara Women at Intel Network, a member of Intel’s Network of Executive Women Leaders, an executive sponsor of Intel’s Legal Diversity program and on the Board of National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL). She also oversees Intel’s Legal Pro Bono Programs, and is an active pro bono participant in the community and holds board positions on the Santa Clara Law Foundation and Silicon Valley Campaign for Legal Services.

Current Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Secretary of the Board of Directors at VMware, Dawn Smith is a part of the executive management team responsible for business strategy and execution. Among her responsibilities includes intellectual property strategy, government affairs, public policy, ethics and compliance, and litigation and mergers and acquisitions. Smith was named a Woman of Influence in 2012 by the San Jose Business Journal, and one of the top 25 In-House Counsel in California by the Daily Journal the same year.
 

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for Staples, Inc., Michael T. Williams is a former infantry officer of the U.S. Marine Corps. Prior to joining Staples, Inc., he served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of Sony Electronics Inc. and was responsible for legal operations of several professional and consumer electronics companies in the United States, Central America and South America.

MCCA is honored by the appointment of its new board chair and seven new members to the Board. The unique legal experiences and backgrounds of each member will further reinforce MCCA’s work in ensuring that diversity and inclusion are priorities in corporations and law firms across the nation.

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