Simone Wu of Choice Hotels Named Chair-elect of the Board of MCCA

Simone Wu of Choice Hotels Named Chair-elect of the Board of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association

Washington, D.C. – The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) announces the election of Simone Wu of Choice Hotels International, Inc. as Chair-elect of its Board of Directors. She has served on the MCCA Board since February 2007 and will replace the current Chair, Mary Snapp of Microsoft Corporation, in 2013. Ms. Snapp is the Corporate Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for the Legal & Corporate Affairs Department for Microsoft.

Ms. Wu serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer for Choice Hotels International, one of the world’s largest lodging franchisors. She provides leadership to the business as the primary legal advisor to the company’s senior management team and board of directors, and serves as an integral part of the leadership team. As General Counsel, her responsibilities include advising on all legal matters, including major domestic and international contracts and transactions, and matters relating to securities compliance, SEC filings and governance, licensing, and litigation.

Prior to joining Choice Hotels in February 2012, Ms. Wu served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary for XO Communications, a leading nationwide provider of advanced IP communications, managed network, and IT infrastructure services. She has also held legal and business executive roles at MCI and AOL, and has practiced corporate transactional and communications law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Ms. Wu is also a member of the boards of the Washington Metropolitan Area Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and The Inkwell.

“I am extremely pleased that Simone has accepted the post of Chair-elect,” said Joseph K. West, MCCA’s President and CEO. “She has demonstrated exceptional leadership both professionally and as a member of MCCA’s Board. I look forward to working with her to continue the dynamism that has been a hallmark of MCCA under Mary Snapp’s tenure.”

“Simone has been an integral part of MCCA’s success,” said current Chair Mary Snapp. “She has taken a leadership role in Board initiatives and will be an excellent leader for the organization.”

“I am delighted that my fellow directors have asked me to become MCCA’s Chair-elect,” said Simone Wu. “I am eager to work with Mary Snapp, the other members of the Board, Joe West, and the entire MCCA team to continue MCCA’s success as a premier organization in the legal diversity arena.”

The mission of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association is to advance the hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA furthers its mission by publishing research on achieving diversity and best practices in the legal profession, honoring innovative diversity programs with its Employer of Choice and Thomas L. Sager awards, and assisting diverse law students through the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. MCCA’s work has been recognized with awards from the National Minority Business Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Gay and Lesbian Law Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Founded in 1997, MCCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and also has a Southeast regional office in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, go to mcca.com.