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MCCA Names Wanji Walcott as Chair of the Board of Directors
Washington, D.C. – The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) announced the appointment of Wanji Walcott, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel at Discover Financial Services, as the next Chair of the Board of Directors effective earlier this month.
“I’m thrilled that Wanji will be leading our Board at such a crucial moment for our organization, as we head towards the 25th anniversary of the MCCA’s founding next year,” said Jean Lee, President & CEO of the MCCA. “At a time when there is finally momentum for stamping out the inequities in our workplaces and our communities, Wanji is the right leader to help our profession translate good intentions into tangible actions.”
“It has been a pleasure to serve alongside Wanji on the Board of Directors. Wanji brings to the MCCA what she has brought to every one of her roles along her impressive career – a dedication to thoughtful excellence.” said Stuart Alderoty, the immediate past Chair of the MCCA Board and General Counsel at Ripple. “I’m delighted that she will serve as the MCCA’s new Chair. For the first time, the MCCA will be led by two women of color—including the first Black woman Chair—and I’m confident that together in the next phase of our work, Wanji and Jean will continue to advance the MCCA’s mission and bring us closer to a corporate America that truly looks like America.”
“All my life, I’ve lived by the saying, ‘To whom much is given, much is required,’” said Walcott. “In this pivotal time, I knew I wanted to do my part to ensure we turned this moment of increased understanding into a movement that transforms our profession. MCCA has long been at the forefront of pushing for systemic change, and I’m honored to be a part of its efforts to change the face of the legal industry.”
In addition to her duties at Discover as Chief Legal Officer, Wanji Walcott is 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.
With a passion for helping others, Wanji 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.
Prior to joining Discover, Wanji served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel at PayPal since 2017, where she was responsible for their legal affairs and managed their global legal organization. She also previously served as Senior Vice President and Managing Counsel at American Express, where she managed a team that provided global legal support in payments, ecommerce/social media initiatives, and data security. She holds Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees from Howard University.
MCCA’s Board of Directors consists of 17 members: MCCA Board Chair, Wanji Walcott, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel, Discover Financial Services; Jean Lee, President and CEO, MCCA; Stuart Alderoty, General Counsel, Ripple; Ricardo Anzaldua, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Freddie Mac; Duane Holloway, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer and Corporate Secretary, United States Steel Corporation; Seth Krauss, Chief Legal Officer, Endeavor; Sandra Leung, Executive Vice President & General Counsel, Bristol Meyers Squibb; Hannah Lim-Johnson, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, Meritor; Linda Lu, Senior Vice President & Deputy General Counsel – Litigation, Enforcement & Strategy, TransUnion; Lanesha Minnix, Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, Flowserve; Amy Fliegelman Olli, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, VMware; Tom Robertson, Corporate Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Microsoft; Anne Robinson, Managing Director, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Vanguard; Dawn Smith, President & Chief Operating Officer, Discover Financial Services; Michael Tang, Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Agilent Technologies; Amy Tu, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, & Corporate Secretary, Tyson Foods; and Neil Wilcox, Executive Vice President & Chief of Staff to CEO, Fiserv.
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The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) is the preeminent voice on diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal industry. It was founded in 1997 with a mission to recruit, retain and promote diverse attorneys by publishing research to providing professional development opportunities to offering advisory services. Today, MCCA empowers members with the tools needed to disrupt business as usual – and to blaze a path forward for their company, industry and corporate America.