The Inclusion & Equity Summit: East

Leander A. Dolphin was elected Co-Managing Partner at Shipman & Goodwin LLP in January 2021. She is the first woman and person of color elected to lead the firm in its 102-year history.  Leander practices law as a Partner in the School Law Practice Group and has dedicated her career to advising educational institutions and organizations that foster the development of children, youth and young adults.

Joaquina Borges King is a seasoned attorney with over twenty-five years of legal experience, the past decade of which has involved energy and public utility representation.  She is Senior Counsel with Eversource Energy, New England’s largest energy provider, where she has significant experience with energy procurements, renewables, distributed generation, rate applications, customer service and other regulatory representation and counseling.  She began her career in Washington, DC in a legislative practice representing international clients and governmental entities. She also practiced commercial litigation for several years, served as an assistant town attorney and performed appellate work for the State of Connecticut, Public Defender Unit.  Joaquina earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wesleyan University and a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center. She is the Vice President of Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity, serves as an executive board member of My Sister’s Keeper and Inextricably Bound (CDC), and is a past board member and supporter of several other nonprofit organizations. She is a committed mentor to several law, college and highschool students, and a strong advocate for building healthy, strong and inclusive communities. Besides enjoying international travel, movies, an occasional golf round and observing politics, Joaquina and her husband enjoy supporting and proudly watching their three children pursue their academic and personal goals. 

Michele E. Turner is a member of Bennett Bricklin & Saltzburg, LLC and is a Co-Chair of the firm’s Municipal Liability team where she principally handles premises liability matters from case inception to trial.  She also serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Toxic Tort team. Michele leads as Chair of the firm’s Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement Committee. She graduated from Howard University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, then received her Juris Doctor from the Temple University’s Beasley School of Law in 1992, receiving recognition for her outstanding advocacy skills. While in law school, Michele mentored Philadelphia high school students through Temple’s Law, Education and Participation program (“LEAP”) and coached these students in city-wide mock trial competitions. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Clifford Scott Green, former Senior Judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 1992, Ms. Turner was a founding member and Assistant Executive Editor of the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review.

Michele served with distinction as an Assistant City Solicitor for the City of Philadelphia Law Department for six years, serving for a time in the Civil Rights Division, and then in the Claims Division. In the Civil Rights Division, she handled cases stemming from alleged police brutality, false arrest and section 1983 claims against the City of Philadelphia. In this capacity, she second chaired a high profile trial involving the death of a City of Philadelphia inmate and, in another case, was specifically selected to cross-examine the plaintiff in an alleged sexual harassment case against a high-ranking prison official, which settled prior to trial. In the Claims Division, Michele handled many claims arising under the Pennsylvania Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act, ranging from slip and falls to catastrophic injury and death cases. She has conducted countless depositions, participated in numerous arbitrations and has tried many cases to verdict, all with great success. In the products liability area, Michele has represented numerous companies in multiple jurisdictions in the defense of asbestos claims including equipment manufacturers, component parts manufacturers and companies against whom traditional premises/negligence claims are asserted. She has tried asbestos cases to verdict, participated in mediations and conducted countless depositions of both fact and expert witnesses. 

Michele is regularly appointed as a Judge Pro Tem for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, and has served as an arbitrator for the court as well.  She has served as a volunteer attorney for the Support Center for Child Advocates, an organization committed to quality legal representation for abused and neglected children in Philadelphia. She was selected for the First Judicial District Honor Roll for Pro Bono service in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and she is a 2000 fellow of the Academy of Advocacy. She has lectured for the PBI to other attorneys about courtroom tactics, and to judges about case valuation and alternative forms of dispute resolution.  She is a member of the Barristers’ Association of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Bar Association and serves on the Executive Board of the Philadelphia Association of Defense Counsel.  She is admitted to practice in all Pennsylvania trial and appellate courts. She prides herself on the careful, pretrial preparation of cases and, in particular, the optimal use of discovery proceedings to the advantage of the client. She has extensive experience from both sides of the courtroom, having represented defendants and plaintiffs during her career.

Outside of law, Michele enjoys spending time with her husband and three daughters. She also enjoys cooking, reading and supporting youth through service on the board of trustees of an independent school, as the servant leader of her church’s Education and Scholarship ministry and through membership in other organizations devoted to the encouragement, support and mentorship of youth.  

Inna N. Jackson is SVP & Managing Associate General Counsel, serving as U.S. Head of Legal, Wholesale Lending & Transaction Banking as well as Regional Legal Head, North America, GLCM and GTRF.  In this role, Inna leads a cross-functional legal focused on transforming customer and employee experiences through integrated offerings, digital evolution, alliances and innovation in Payments, Liquidity, Cash Management, Trade and Receivables Finance, Wholesale Lending and Issuer Services.  Inna is also a key member of the cross-functional team standing up HSBC’s global Banking-as-a-Service proposition for businesses and financial institutions.  Prior to joining HSBC in October 2019, Inna spent 9 years at American Express, most of that time focused on enabling initiatives for Amex Digital Labs, Enterprise Digital and Digital Partnerships and Development teams.  Among her accomplishments, Inna led a key team supporting the launch and expansion of numerous strategic partnerships and related product launches with Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, PayPal and Samsung.  Inna also served as a key thought leader and contributor in the development and evolution of Amex’s data strategy framework.  Prior to Amex, Inna spent 7 years in private practice as an M&A lawyer.   Inna Graduated from Fordham University Law School, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the International Law Journal and a Louis Stein Scholar in Law and Ethics.  She is fluent in Russian and Spanish and speaks Italian and French.  

Ms. Watson is the President and Managing Shareholder of the Firm.  She has been litigating asbestos matters since 1999, and joined our firm in 2000.  She handles general insurance defense, asbestos and toxic tort litigation, products liability and premises liability matters.  She is part of the National Coordinating Counsel Team for a supplier of asbestos- containing products and in her role she oversees all aspects of those matters .

Due to the strong profile she has developed in the asbestos litigation community, Ms. Watson serves on the sub-committee for asbestos cases that manages all cases pending in Western Pennsylvania and determines the expert witnesses to be retained by the joint defense group.  She also serves on the defense liaison committee that regularly meets with the judges handling the asbestos docket to discuss amendments to the case management order.

Ms. Watson regularly defends suppliers, equipment manufacturers, contractors and employers in asbestos related matters in Pennsylvania.  She oversees all cases handled by our Pittsburgh office, as well as handling all negotiations on behalf of our clients there.  In addition to her trial experience, she is actively involved in working with insurers and clients to determine baseline discovery to be used nationally in the defense of asbestos related lawsuits.  She has an active trial docket and has tried several asbestos cases to verdict in Allegheny County.

Responsible for leadership, management, hiring, training and staff development of corporate legal teams of up to 100 attorneys and support staff covering a wide range of practice areas including litigation, commercial contracting, product development, employment law and corporate compliance. Legal department budget responsibility of over $5 million annually. Workflow management, auditing document reviews and project management. Implementation and training on corporate compliance policies, procedures and programs.

Strategic Partner to C-level executive leadership in identifying and mitigating risk across all business functions including Sales, Product Development, Finance, Internal Audit, Regulatory Affairs, Risk Management and Human Resources.

Experienced Corporate Counsel delivering comprehensive legal guidance to global organizations. Subject matter expert in drafting agreements, negotiating settlements, court appearances, mediations and hearings. Collaborative Communicator focused on building and strengthening relationships with internal and external stakeholders to drive legal excellence while fostering growth.

A triple threat drawing on private practice, in-house and government experience, Nicole Edmonds counsels executives and directors on corporate governance, fiduciary duties, and SEC compliance. She represents global companies in U.S. capital markets transactions, national securities exchange listings, shareholder meetings, and SEC reporting. An advocate for DE&I efforts, Nicole is a 2017 LCLD fellow and has been recognized by National Black Lawyers. She also serves as Partner Advisor for Troutman Pepper’s Black Attorneys Affinity Group.

Mian R. Wang focuses her practice on high-stakes business litigation. She represents public and private companies, financial institutions, directors, officers, and individuals before state and federal courts in commercial and bankruptcy litigation. She has broad experience handling matters related to breach of contract, fraud, breach of fiduciary duties, preference claims, UCC secured transactions, negligence, wire fraud, and unfair and deceptive trade practices disputes. Her practice covers multiple disciplines and industries, including education, health care, event management, start-up firms, financial institutions, and commercial finance and asset management firms.

Prior to joining the firm, Mian served as a law clerk for the Honorable Alvin W. Thompson in the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. She also worked in Delaware as a business litigator in a national firm where she represented clients on both state and federal matters.

La Fleur Browne is an Associate General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary at Church & Dwight Co., Inc.  Ms. Browne is a dynamic and diverse attorney, speaker, and presenter with thorough knowledge of securities laws, corporate governance, underwritten public offerings (debt and equity), mergers and acquisitions, financings, executive compensation and general corporate transactions, and is relied upon as a trusted advisor to the board of directors, CEO and other members of senior management.

Ms. Browne is a graduate of Howard University School of Law and has a Diversity & Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University.

Ms. Browne is a member of the Executive Leadership Counsel and the Association of Corporate Counsel.   

Stacie Collier is a Partner/Chief Talent Officer of Nixon Peabody’s Labor & Employment group. She previously served as the firm’s Professional Personnel partner and is its first-ever Chief Talent Officer. In this role, Stacie focuses on growing and enhancing the firm’s legal talent, and developing and cultivating its people and distinctive culture.

In her law practice, she exclusively represents management in the resolution of employment-related disputes before state and federal courts and administrative agencies.

Stephanie Smiertka Riley focuses her practice on corporate, commercial, and intellectual property litigation in all Delaware Courts, especially the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, Delaware Court of Chancery, and Delaware Superior Court. Her experience in complex commercial litigation extends to business disputes, including misappropriation of trade secrets, breaches of contract, and tortious interference; consumer protection and RICO claims; constitutional law claims; and pharmaceutical and medical device multi-district litigations. Because of her vast array of experience, as Delaware lead or local counsel, Stephanie offers a unique perspective on litigation strategy in addition to her knowledge of Delaware practice and procedures. She has also served as Delaware counsel assisting outside counsel in intellectual property litigation. After law school, Stephanie served as judicial clerk for several Delaware state court judges, which laid the foundation for Stephanie’s familiarity with Delaware best practices.  

In addition to litigating disputes, Stephanie advises companies and individuals on best practices to avoid litigation and assists with drafting contracts. From her experience in advising companies on whether to initiate or defend litigation, she is able to identify and prioritize a business’s big picture goals. She has also represented government entities in a variety of capacities, including advising and litigation. 

Stephanie is involved in the Delaware community. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Delaware Children’s Museum. In addition to that role, she serves on the Development Committee for the Delaware Combined Campaign for Justice which provides life-changing legal services for Delawareans in need. 

Lorisa LaRocca is a Partner and chairperson of the firm’s Labor & Employment Department. In this capacity Lorisa concentrates her practice in all areas of labor and employment counseling and litigation. She routinely counsels organizations on all employment related matters, conducts employer trainings, represents clients in Division of Human Rights, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Department of Labor investigations, audits, drafts and reviews employee handbooks, employment contracts and other employment related policies, and provides guidance to business clients on HR best practices. Lorisa has also developed a niche representing physicians in negotiations of their employment agreements and practice purchases.

In addition to her labor practice, Lorisa has developed a substantial estate litigation practice, as well as contested and uncontested Article 81 Guardianship matters. She also manages a growing estate planning practice, which includes a focus on pre-nuptial and post-nuptial agreements, traditional and non-traditional planning options.

Christina Licursi serves on Wolf Greenfield’s Executive Committee and is a shareholder in the firm’s Trademark & Copyright Practice Group where she advises clients on branding strategies and understanding the business and legal risks associated with the adoption, use, and registration of trademarks. She is very active in the Boston start-up ecosystem. She has a strong business acumen and demonstrated ability to work closely with all levels of business. Her clients cover a variety of industries, including biotechnology, e-commerce, food and beverage, clothing, medical devices, and software and telecommunications.

Kim Starr works for Liberty Mutual as an in-house employment attorney.  Kim counsels clients on employment matters, including terminations (including RIFS), leave management issues, and wage and hour questions.  She handles administrative charges and manages outside counsel concerning state and federal litigation.

Prior to Liberty Mutual, Kim worked for Jackson Lewis where she litigated matters before the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, various state administrative agencies, and federal and state courts regarding age, race, national origin, disability and gender discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination.

Prior to that, Kim worked for the United States Postal Service as an agency attorney litigating employment matters at the administrative level where she quickly amassed one of the best records in the department in terms of win rates and settlement payouts.

Before she joined the Postal Service, Kim lived and worked in Tokyo, Japan where she focused her efforts on a variety of transactional matters including capital markets, M&A, licensing.

Kim Starr, a native New Yorker, received her B.A. from Trinity College and her J.D. from the University of Iowa College of Law. 

Matt is a Director & Associate General Counsel at Meta, where he leads a team responsible for counseling business groups on compliance with global anti-corruption laws and administering Meta’s anti-corruption compliance program. Matt joined Meta from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where he worked as a Director & Managing Counsel, Anti-Corruption in HPE’s Ethics & Compliance Office. Before moving to the private sector, Matt served as an Assistant Chief Litigation Counsel at the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission, as an Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S. Department of Justice, and for over ten years as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the District of Columbia, where he investigated and prosecuted dozens of cases in the District of Columbia.

Kim is Senior Lead Counsel in the Office of the General Counsel, American Red Cross and serves as a strategic partner with all lines of business by providing expert legal advice and analysis to mitigate risk and maximize value to meet organizational needs in furtherance of the mission and fundamental principles of the organization. Her work focuses on labor and employment and privacy matters. 

She began her career as a law clerk for a Judge at the District of Columbia Superior Court, and then transitioned to a national law firm in DC. Kim focused her career on complex commercial litigation and labor and employment. She was selected as a Rising Star in 2014, 2015, and 2016 by the Washington, DC Super Lawyers Magazine, which is awarded to the top five percent of lawyers in DC. She is also an adjunct professor at American University, Washington College of Law. 

Kim received her JD and MBA from American University and graduated magna cum laude from Temple University with her BA in Marketing and Legal Studies. She is very active in her community and serves as a board member with the DC Bar Foundation Young Lawyers Network, and ACLU DC Chapter. She also mentors high school students through the College Success Foundation. 

Darwin Conner is the firm’s US Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Officer. He is responsible for developing, implementing and managing the firm’s internal and external diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. He works closely with the firm’s Managing Partner; Executive Committee; DEI Committee Chair; DEI Committee; recruiting, human resources and talent development departments; affinity groups and others in firm leadership to advance Eversheds Sutherland’s DEI initiatives.

Darwin is a former law firm partner and DEI leader with over 20 years of experience in law firm practice, management, and client service. He spent most of his career developing his corporate finance practice at Winston & Strawn, and before joining Eversheds Sutherland, he chaired the DEI Committee at Sullivan & Worcester where he created and implemented the DEI strategic plan. Darwin was also named a Fellow in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity’s (LCLD) flagship leadership program in 2013 and continued his involvement with LCLD by serving on the Executive Council of the LCLD Alumni Program. He also served as a Board Member of his alma mater’s multicultural alumni network. In 2019, Darwin was named to the inaugural Lawyers of Color “Nation’s Best” list.

Multinational clients have engaged Erika Collins to handle their most complex cross-border employment and human resources needs. With nearly three decades of experience supporting multinational public and private companies, Erika brings substantive knowledge of the unique laws governing workforce expansions and reductions, personnel policies and employee data privacy. She routinely conducts multicountry audits to inform critical compliance advice. She is also well-versed in international differences in business and social customs, making her a strategic partner in cross-border deals and employee mobility matters. Erika has done work in more than 150 countries, and serves as the co-leader of the firm’s international employment law team.

Erika is a mainstay at the International Bar Association and American Bar Association, providing thought leadership on issues in international employment law. She is the editor of The Employment Law Review, a go-to guidebook for legal practitioners and HR professionals, and the chair of Cambridge Forums’ International Labor and Employment Forum.

Nancy Rappaport is involved in a variety of litigation matters focusing on product liability litigation, including the defense of multinational manufacturers in catastrophic injury cases arising from the use of consumer and commercial outdoor power equipment, construction equipment, farming equipment, elevators and escalators, glassware and automotive component parts, bicycles and other products.

Nancy also represents various corporations in toxic tort litigation in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois and Delaware. Her experience includes counseling, litigation, trial and appellate practice in state and federal courts. She acts as national counsel for various outdoor power equipment manufacturers and has presented motions, conducted hearings, arbitrations, mediations and tried cases in numerous venues across the country. Nancy acts as a consultant to product manufacturers in preparing manuals and warranties for new products, including kitchen appliances, glassware and outdoor power equipment. She has handled an array of contractual and construction disputes and defended hospitals, physicians and other healthcare workers in medical malpractice litigation in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

Nancy also counsels clients and speaks at industry meetings regarding litigation prevention, discovery and trial strategies. She has been an instructor at firm-wide litigation associates training events on discovery and trial techniques since 2008, and chaired the Philadelphia office’s summer associate program from 2002 – 2006.

Dawn Steele is the Vice President, Global Anti-Money Laundering and Trade Sanctions Officer for Automatic Data Processing, Inc. and the BSA/Anti-Money Laundering and Trade Sanctions Officer for ADP Trust Company, N.A. She was charged with the implementation of the global anti-money laundering (AML) and economic and trade sanctions programs and is responsible for providing oversight and strategic guidance related to global AML and economic and trade sanctions compliance with U.S. and international laws, with primary responsibility for maintaining effective AML and economic and trade sanctions compliance programs and related training across the enterprises. She collaborates with different functional areas to help drive the business initiatives and growth while ensuring compliance. Dawn was previously the AML Compliance Officer for ADP’s payroll card program, charged with the full roll out, implementation and oversight of the then newly adopted AML Program, ensuring compliance with federal and state laws, regulatory interactions with state examinations and licensing, third party compliance oversight, and AML and state money transmitter law training. Dawn’s legal responsibilities at ADP have also included supporting the legal functions for various business groups and areas, including ADP’s employment background screening, electronic I-9 employment verification and payroll card businesses, and money movement and banking areas, where she was responsible for monitoring, and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations, which have included the Fair Credit Reporting Act, states private investigator licensing requirements, employment eligibility regulations, E-Verify, Bank Secrecy Act, economic and trade sanctions including the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), state money transmitter laws and NACHA.  She has been a frequent presenter at industry conferences on topics related to AML, OFAC and other payroll card compliance matters and has participated in industry groups to help shape legislation and best practices related to payroll cards and employment background screening, among other compliance areas. Dawn has been actively involved in various ADP diversity initiatives, which has included serving as a member of the Southwest Regional Diversity Council, serving as the first President of the West Coast Cultivate Business Resource Group (BRG), serving as an inaugural member of the CULTIVATE – National Board of African American BRGs and is a current member of ADP CULTIVATE BRG, ADP Women in Leadership and ADP Pride BRG.

Dawn spent the first 10 years of her legal practice with the international law firm of Pillsbury Winthrop LLP, and, just prior to joining ADP, was briefly with Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP, practicing in the areas of securities, mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financings, IPOs, compliance and general corporate matters, representing both privately held and publicly traded companies.  Dawn was involved in various diversity initiatives while in private practice, including having served as the Co-Chair of Pillsbury Winthrop LLP’s then newly formed Diversity Committee.

Throughout her career, Dawn has served as a mentor for different mentoring programs and has formally and informally mentored high school girls, women and other professionals, and she is currently a mentor to law students as part of the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, Alumni Mentor Program and Women’s Law Society Attorney Mentor Program.  Dawn is also the Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Redlands-Riverside.

Dawn received a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, and a B.A. degree from Bernard M. Baruch College, City University of New York.

Anya Bogusky is Senior Counsel for Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., an iconic brand and cranberry cooperative. She supports various teams including North America sales and marketing, innovation, product labelling, regulatory, and trademarks. She is dedicated to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.

Chelsea Loughran is a shareholder in Wolf Greenfield’s Litigation Practice Group, where she focuses on complex patent litigation and post-grant matters in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical device fields. Chelsea has experience litigating cases in federal district courts across the country as well as before the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB). She chairs the Public Services Committee and Diversity Committee at Wolf Greenfield.

Margarita K. O’Donnell Morales focuses on white collar criminal defense and civil matters, representing individuals and corporations in government investigations, criminal prosecutions, and civil disputes. Maggie previously served as a public defender in Washington, D.C., and clerked on the Third Circuit and U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.   

Maggie is the co-lead of the firm’s pro bono program. She is a Board Member of Rising for Justice, and a member of the D.C. Hispanic Bar Association. Maggie speaks Spanish and has experience representing clients in matters related to Latin America.

Maggie earned her J.D. from the New York University School of Law and is admitted to practice in New York and the District of Columbia.

Heather M. Schneider is a partner in the Intellectual Property Department and President-Elect of the New York Intellectual Property Association. Ms. Schneider’s practice focuses on patent litigation, trademark prosecution, transactional work, and antitrust issues involving intellectual property. Her litigation experience encompasses numerous technologies, including pharmaceuticals and biologic products, computer software, medical devices, and chemical products. Her transactional experience includes client counseling on patent and software issues, including licensing, development and collaboration agreements, mergers, and bankruptcy.

As an Associate General Counsel in the Public Policy, Law and Security department at Verizon Communications Inc., Rippi handles contracts for Sourcing involving Human Resources Benefits/Plans, Supplier Diversity, Advertising Agencies, Contact Centers, Contingent Workforce and Executive Recruiting. In addition, she works with the Diversity Equity & Inclusion Council, PACE and WAVE organizations at Verizon.

She has received the prestigious Verizon Pro Bono Service Award for her legal contributions in domestic violence and corporate matters. Rippi speaks frequently on diversity and business law at various conferences.

In 2021, she was appointed to the New Jersey Supreme Court Committee on Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Engagement. Furthermore, she is the Treasurer of WEN – Women’s Excellence Network – an organization dedicated to impacting high performing women lawyers. Additionally, she serves as the 2023 President of SABA-NJ and Co-Chair of the NJ Punjabi Chamber of Commerce. Lastly, in early 2022, Rippi was appointed to the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Commission of New Jersey by Governor Murphy.

As a complimentary service, she runs a LinkedIn series titled “Attorney of the Week” to highlight the notable achievements of diverse attorneys.

Nicole Stach has been in-house counsel at Elsevier since 2016, providing support and guidance to stakeholders and customers on a variety of areas including IP/technology licensing, publishing, compliance, privacy, product development, marketing/promotions, and strategic partnerships. Prior to joining Elsevier, Nicole worked in private practice and in-house at IMS Health (IQVIA). She earned her law degree from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law and graduated summa cum laude from King’s College with a B.A. in English and Psychology. Outside of the office, Nicole enjoys reading mystery novels, traveling, and volunteering with MANNA and TechGirlz.

Fallon DePina Banks serves as Deputy General Counsel at UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the world.  Her practice focuses on data use, privacy, and cybersecurity.  She has extensive experience managing Fortune 10 privacy programs, driving data use strategy, and ensuring enterprise compliance amidst complex regulatory regimes. She also leads UnitedHealth Group’s Culture, Inclusion, and Diversity Council, where she helps advance workplace equity. Prior to joining UnitedHealth Group, Fallon served as Privacy Counsel at Aetna (now a CVS Health company) and an associate at a leading New England law firm. She graduated magna cum laude from Northeastern University and the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Jessica Golden Cortes is a partner in the Labor & Employment Practice Group of Davis & Gilbert. Ms. Cortes regularly counsels and actively litigates on behalf of her clients in all aspects of employment law, and frequently conducts employment trainings across the country, educating her clients in subjects such as respect in the workplace, unconscious bias and manager best practices. Representative counseling services include:

• Conducting internal company investigations of discrimination complaints;
• Advising clients on:
  – Hiring, terminations and reductions in force
  – Restrictive covenants
  – Wage and hour issues
  – Federal and state family and medical leave laws
• Drafting employment policies, handbooks and employment and separation agreements.

In addition, Ms. Cortes represents employers in federal and state courts, federal, state and local administrative agencies and in arbitrations and mediations nationwide in the areas of race, sex, age, disability, failure to hire and other discrimination claims, and in breach of contract disputes arising primarily from alleged breaches of continuing post-employment obligations and for cause terminations.  She has successfully defended several of the firm’s clients against claims of discrimination before the EEOC and state agencies in multiple states, including New York, Connecticut, California, Ohio and Michigan.

Ms. Cortes has been recognized by The Legal 500 United States in the area of labor and employment: workplace and employment counseling area for seven consecutive years (2013-2019). She has also been recognized as a leading lawyer for labor & employment law by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2012-2016). In addition, she has been selected as a Super Lawyer (2018 and 2019) and Rising Star (2013-2016) by New York Metro Super Lawyers, and named a winner in the Esquire Industry Practice category for SmartCEO’s 2015 CPA & ESQ Awards. Before joining Davis & Gilbert, Ms. Cortes was a litigation attorney at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP.

LaTanya Langley serves as Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at BIC®, one of the best known international brands in writing instruments, lighters, shavers and other promotional products based in the Greater New York area. Ms. Langley has global responsibility for managing all legal matters for BIC’s largest business unit, Supply Chain and leads Anti-Corruption compliance. She also is currently responsible for legal matters in North America and Latin America and was previously responsible for legal matters in Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific.

Prior to joining BIC® in October 2015, Ms. Langley held several positions at Diageo PLC, a global leader in beverage alcohol with iconic brands in spirits, beer and wine, including Director and Senior Counsel of Diageo North America, General Counsel of Diageo Guinness USA and General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd. based in Accra, Ghana.

Ms. Langley joined Diageo in 2008 following positions as an Associate at Shipman & Goodwin’s Corporate Department, Weil, Gotshal & Manges’ Business Finance and Restructuring department and Paul Hastings’ Corporate department.

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 Fellows and received her juris doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law.

Melissa represents employers in all aspects of labor and employment law, including employment–related agreements, union negotiations, Act 111 negotiations, grievance hearings, executive compensation, internal investigations, wage and hour matters, employee benefits, as well as employment litigation. Melissa works with municipalities and companies in a wide range of industries including health care, financial services, information technology, universities and secondary schools, manufacturing, and nonprofit organizations.

Melissa is a people person and natural problem solver. She welcomes the opportunity to face and resolve conflicts. Moreover, Melissa became a lawyer because to her, the law is one of the few professions that provide an intense analysis of the past as a roadmap for the important decisions to be made in the present. Melissa believes that clear communication is the key to success. She talks to her clients, listens to their issues, evaluates the problem, and recommends several strategies.

In her free time, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband and their three children. She is often found relaxing on her front porch or playing tennis. As a former team captain of the University of Miami’s basketball team, Melissa is an avid sports fan. She never misses an opportunity to cheer on her favorite Philly teams and her Miami Hurricanes.

Nina Allen Blackshear is Senior Counsel at Spark Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in gene therapy innovation. She provides business-focused legal compliance advice and training, and drafts and negotiates a broad spectrum of contracts across the globe.  Prior to Spark, Nina was a Director, Corporate Counsel at Incyte Corporation,  where her remit included North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East/North Africa regions. Nina is also a Certified Executive Coach who has helped an array of senior-level and C-Suite clients to overcome limiting beliefs and achieve outrageous success, and serves as a Board Member of the Association of Corporate Counsel (Greater Philadelphia Chapter). Nina earned her BA in Political Social Thought from the University of Virginia and her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. She holds a Graduate Certificate in Strategic Communication Cross-Cultural Leadership from Temple’s Klein College of Media Communication, as well as a Certificate in Supply Chain Fundamentals from Georgia Tech. Nina is admitted to the Pennsylvania bar.

Ashley N. Southerland is the Senior Assistant General Counsel for Digital Technology & Innovation at the American Medical Association (AMA).  Ashley provides legal, strategic, and regulatory counseling on a range of digital health issues, including interoperability and information blocking, telehealth, FDA safety (software as a medical device), health IT reimbursement, and other emerging technologies in health care (artificial intelligence, 3-D printing in health care, and blockchain/distributed ledger technology).  Prior to joining the AMA, Ashley was an attorney at Crowell & Moring LLP.  Immediately prior, she clerked for the Hon. Charles R. Wilson at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and the Hon. Jillyn K. Schulze, Magistrate Judge, at the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland.  Ashley received her J.D. from Cornell Law School, and her A.B. from Duke University.

Christine J Chao is the General Counsel of The Foremost Group, an international shipping company where she provides general corporate legal advice.   Christine has extensive corporate and commercial law experience having worked in senior legal positions for three Fortune 100 companies:   GE (Stamford, CT), Federal Express (Hong Kong and London) and Ultramar Corporation (Greenwich, CT).  Christine began her legal career with the Wall Street law firm of Dewey Ballantine.

Christine lived abroad for nearly ten years – five years in Asia and five years in Europe before repatriating to Greenwich, CT.   

Christine currently serves as a Trustee for Colgate University and the Foremost Foundation, which strives to help young people access higher education and greater opportunities generally.  Christine also serves on the Boards of LitWorld, an organization devoted to promoting literacy around the world, and The One Love Foundation, which is committed to educating our young people about healthy and unhealthy relationships. 

Christine received her BA from Colgate University, majoring in English and her JD from Columbia Law School.  She is married to Jos Shaver, and they have two sons, Ben (Babson ’22) and Tyler (Stanford ’22).

Ana Reyes serves as co-chair of Williams & Connolly’s International Disputes practice group and on the firm’s Executive Committee. She devotes significant time to her pro bono representations of asylum seekers and refugee organizations, including numerous appellate and advisory matters for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ana is a Clinical Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School teaching Advocacy in International Arbitration. Ana was born in Montevideo, Uruguay, and grew up in Louisville, Kentucky.

She received her B.A, summa cum laude, from Transylvania University in 1996 and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School in 2000, where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. In 2014, Ana also received a Master’s in International Public Policy, with distinction, from the Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies.

Brenda Oliver provides advice and counsel to United States and foreign companies to facilitate transfers of high level and special skilled employees to the United States, partnering with clients to build an immigration program that fits their unique objectives and scale.

Brenda’s maternal family immigrated to the United States from South Korea and her interest in immigration law was sparked during law school while working for an immigration practitioner. It was there that she gained an appreciation for the ability of a business to thrive when employers have an opportunity to employ talented foreign nationals. She also learned first-hand that employment of foreign nationals often rested on a nuanced understanding of the complex legal and regulatory system governing their ability to work in the United States.

Today, Brenda combines her experience and personal history, putting them to work for clients helping them to obtain nonimmigrant and immigrant visas and permanent residency based on employment and/or family sponsorship. She also provides guidance to clients on applying for employment-based permanent residency petitions and labor certifications for employees. She has worked with clients in creating a global rotational program, working to ensure compliant policies are in place prior to initiating immigration processes for their foreign national employees. Brenda also provides advice on I-9 compliance and assists with company audits to ensure U.S. employment authorization practices are being followed. Brenda has advised individuals seeking to gain permanent residency after successfully appealing denials of PERM applications and multinational manager petitions. She has also prepared clients for consular processing as well as advised clients with citizenship and naturalization issues.

Brenda’s pro bono activities focus on immigration law including assisting individuals in obtaining T and U visas and eventually adjusting their status to permanent residency. She is active in the immigration bar and the D.C. Bar’s pro bono immigration clinic.