Women in Law & Leadership: Houston

As a M&A and compliance attorney with nearly 20 years of experience spanning regulated and technology industries, Dianna Jones is a corporate Board Director and trusted C-suite thought partner. She serves on the board of Next Fifteen Communications Group plc (LSE: NFC), a tech and data-driven growth consultancy firm. Dianna is respected for her collaborative engagement style and brings expertise in global ethics and legal compliance program implementation, business risk mitigation in regulated environments for mature and scaling companies, and ESG. Dianna is Director, Legal Compliance at Uber Technologies, Inc. She was previously Regional Compliance Counsel–Western Hemisphere at John Wood Group plc, a global leader in engineering and technical consulting services for the energy and infrastructure industries. Before that, she was with the international law firm, Greenberg Traurig, LLP, where she advised national and multinational companies on complex M&A transactions, reorganizations, and restructurings. She received her B.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma and her Juris Doctor from Vanderbilt University Law School.

Elizabeth “Beth” Ganiere is Assistant General Counsel at EnergySolutions, where she delivers strategic legal leadership in support of the company’s energy and environmental management operations. In this role, she counsels on corporate legal matters including contracts, compliance, risk mitigation, and governance that support the company’s mission in safe and sustainable energy solutions.

Based in Houston, Texas, Ganiere brings broad experience in in-house legal practice across energy, engineering, and corporate sectors. Her career encompasses senior counsel and compliance roles in dynamic commercial environments, where she has advised on complex legal issues involving operations, regulatory frameworks, and transactional matters.

She holds a J.D. and a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Southern California, grounding her practice in both strong analytical skills and strategic business insight. Ganiere maintains active bar licensure and is recognized for her practical, business-oriented approach to legal problem-solving in highly regulated industries.

Awesta Masshoor is an accomplished legal professional with a proven track record of strategic leadership and innovative problem-solving. With over a decade of experience at Schneider Electric, a global industry leader, Awesta has consistently demonstrated her expertise in providing comprehensive legal guidance. She currently serves as Associate General Counsel in the US, adeptly managing complex commercial agreements and offering creative solutions to clients’ needs. Her exceptional skills in negotiation, risk management, and cross-functional collaboration have been honed through her roles as Head of Canadian Legal Affairs and as North America Mergers and Acquisitions Senior Legal Counsel. Awesta’s dedication extends beyond her professional endeavors; she contributed to her community as an executive sponsor of the LGBT+ Employee Resource Group (“ERG”) and founding the Women in Schneider Electric ERG in Canada and through pro bono legal work.

Jennifer A. Carnahan is an intellectual property attorney serving as IP Expert Counsel at The Dow Chemical Company, where she provides strategic legal counsel on patent, trademark, trade secret, and broader IP matters for global materials science and chemical innovations. In this role, she collaborates with technical and business teams to align IP strategy with corporate objectives, support innovation protection, and manage complex portfolio and risk considerations.

Carnahan is based in the Pearland/Lake Jackson area and is licensed to practice law in Texas. She earned her law degree from the University of Houston Law Center and has developed deep expertise in intellectual property through both in-house corporate practice and participation in continuing education and professional forums focused on IP strategy.

She is a frequent participant and speaker in IP professional events, contributing insights on trade secret protection, patent strategy, and portfolio management.

Rachel Feiertag has nearly two decades of legal expertise with a strong focus on the energy sector, spanning domestic and international markets. Rachel’s experience includes energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives, power resiliency, utilities, and oil and gas exploration and production. As General Counsel at Concentric, a wholly owned subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Rachel partners closely with business leaders to deliver practical, timely, and effective counsel. Rachel thrives in fast-paced environments, leveraging exceptional problem-solving and communication skills to drive innovation and achieve strategic objectives. Passionate about continuous improvement and technology, Rachel has implemented best practices and optimized processes to enhance efficiency and reduce costs, all while fostering a collaborative and inclusive work culture.

Jennifer Lee is Assistant General Counsel at ContourGlobal, where she provides strategic legal counsel across corporate, commercial, and risk-related matters in support of the company’s global energy operations and growth initiatives. In her role, she partners with internal business and legal teams to advise on contracts, compliance, governance, and operational legal strategy.

Lee is an active legal professional in the energy and corporate law community, regularly participating in industry events and contributing to discussions on legal collaboration, leadership, and professional development. Her engagement includes speaking on panels and attending forums that address current legal issues and effective partnership between in-house counsel and outside firms.

Based in the Greater Houston area, Lee earned her law degree from South Texas College of Law and has cultivated a career grounded in practical, business-aligned legal advice within complex commercial environments.

Katie Chatterton serves as Assistant General Counsel for Labor & Employment at S&B, where she provides legal leadership and counsel on workforce-related matters, including employment law compliance, workplace risk mitigation, policy development, and labor relations. In this role, she supports business partners and operational leaders in navigating complex labor and employment issues in dynamic industrial and construction environments.

Ashley Fischer is the General Counsel for Tiff’s Treats, an ecommerce cookie delivery company headquartered in Austin, Texas.  Ashley is licensed to practice law in Texas and Oregon and is CIPP/US certified. Prior to joining Tiff’s Treats, Ashley worked in-house at H-E-B, a grocery retail company, Marathon Petroleum, a refining, logistics, and marketing company, and Sirius Computer Solutions, a technology value added reseller.  She got her start in law by working as outside counsel in a general practice firm.  Ashley graduated from Texas A&M University, College Station and St. Mary’s University School of Law.

Margaret Munnelly is General Counsel at ProducePay, where she leads the company’s legal function and serves as a strategic advisor on corporate governance, regulatory compliance, transactional matters, and risk mitigation in support of the company’s mission to modernize the fresh produce supply chain. In this role, she partners with executives and cross-functional teams to align legal strategy with business priorities and sustainable growth objectives.

Munnelly is a highly experienced legal executive with more than 25 years of experience in general counsel and strategic advisory roles, encompassing executive leadership, M&A and due diligence, human capital strategy, and enterprise risk management. Her background reflects a blend of legal acumen and business-oriented leadership in dynamic commercial environments.

Based in Houston, Texas, she is recognized for her ability to navigate complex legal landscapes while enabling operational agility and strong corporate governance frameworks.

Samantha Johnson is Senior Counsel at HP, where she provides legal advice and representation across complex corporate and business matters, supporting strategic legal needs within a leading global technology company. She earned her law degree from the University of Miami School of Law and is based in Houston, bringing deep experience in corporate counsel work within fast-moving commercial environments.

Erasmia Gardner is Vice President of Law and Chief Counsel at NCR Atleos, where she leads the legal function and serves as a strategic advisor on corporate, commercial, and regulatory matters in support of the company’s growth and operations. In her role, Gardner provides counsel on contracts, risk management, compliance, and governance, partnering closely with business leaders to align legal strategy with organizational objectives.

A business-minded corporate counsel leader, Gardner brings a blend of legal expertise and practical commercial insight to her work, focusing on solutions that balance legal risk with business imperatives. Prior to her current position, she accumulated experience in legal roles that emphasize cross-functional collaboration and strategic support for technology and operations teams.

She holds a J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center and a B.B.A. in Business Honors from the University of Texas at Austin, providing a foundation that combines strong legal training with business acumen. Gardner is based in the Houston area and is recognized for her pragmatic approach to legal leadership in complex, fast-paced environments.

Jai Collier serves as Director of Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at LyondellBasell, where she leads enterprise-wide DEI strategy and programs that foster inclusive culture, equitable talent development, and organizational effectiveness across global teams. In this role, she partners with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into business operations, talent practices, and leadership development.

Collier is an award-winning attorney, industrial/organizational psychologist, and certified diversity executive (CDE®) with more than two decades of experience in DEI, change management, and leadership development. Prior to her current role, she built and led strategic DEI frameworks for major organizations, including Harris Health System and TDECU, where she championed cultural competence, equity-centered programming, and systemic transformation.

Her multidisciplinary background—blending legal insight, human capital strategy, and organizational psychology—enables Collier to drive measurable impact on inclusion outcomes, leadership accountability, and workforce engagement. She is also a TEDx speaker, author, and respected thought leader on inclusive leadership and workplace equity.

Based in Houston, Texas, Collier holds a J.D., is certified as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and maintains credentials that reflect her commitment to advancing equity and organizational transformation at scale.

Francesca Perkins Austin currently serves as Senior Counsel, Associate Vice President at National Life Group, a diversified family of financial services companies offering life insurance, annuity and investment products.  In that role, she provides counsel on the development, administration, sales, marketing and distribution of fixed and variable life insurance and annuity products, including related regulatory and legislative issues.
Prior to joining NLG, Francesca worked in the Commercial Litigation group at BakerHostetler LLP.  In that role, she served as a key member of litigation team seeking worldwide asset recovery from financial institutions in hundreds of cases in connection with the liquidation of Bernard L. Madoff Securities LLC.  In addition, she represented large manufacturers, sellers, premises owners and contractors in product liability and construction litigation.  She also represented the Tort Creditors Committee in the PG&E Chapter 11 bankruptcy; measured by asset value, the largest ever public utility bankruptcy and the biggest in California.Francesca also had the opportunity to serve as a federal law clerk to United States District Court Judge for the Southern District of New York, The Honorable Andrew L. Carter and as a legal intern to The Honorable Ronald L. Ellis (retired), also of the Southern District of New York.Francesca received her undergraduate degree in History from Carleton College.  She earned her law degree from Fordham University of Law.

Michelle I. Taylor is an Associate General Counsel with the U.S. Department of Defense, where she provides legal counsel and support across a wide range of matters that may include regulatory compliance, contracts, risk mitigation, and other areas critical to governance within one of the largest federal legal departments. She applies her legal expertise to support mission-critical operations and advise on complex government legal issues.

Taylor is licensed to practice law in Texas and serves as a government lawyer based out of the Department of Defense Office of General Counsel in the San Antonio/Lackland area. Her background reflects over two decades of legal experience, indicating sustained public service and professional practice.

She earned her Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law and is admitted to the Texas Bar. Taylor’s practice spans areas including business law, environmental law, energy resources, arbitration, and mediation, evidencing a broad legal foundation applied within her government counsel role.

Hillary Holmes is a partner in the global law firm Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Co-Chair of the firm’s Capital Markets practice group.  Hillary advises public and private corporations, private equity firms and investment banks on long-term and strategic capital raising.  She regularly counsels companies on disclosure and reporting obligations under federal securities laws, corporate governance and ESG issues. She frequently advises boards of directors, special committees, and financial advisors in transactions involving conflicts of interest or unique complexities. 

Hillary has been recognized as top of her field. She is the only woman and the youngest lawyer to be recognized by the premier legal review organization Chambers USA in the category that covers capital raising in the energy industry, receiving ranking in the highest level, as well as in the categories covering national oil and gas transactions and Texas corporate transactions.  She has also been recognized by the National Law Journal as a Finance, Banking and Capital Markets Trailblazer, a Most Effective Dealmaker by Texas Lawyer, a Woman Who Means Business by the Houston Business Journal, as well as by Who’s Who, the Legal 500, the Houston Bar Association, the Greater Houston Women’s Partnership, and the National Association of Women Attorneys, among others. 

Hillary regularly writes and speaks on topics relating to the capital markets, developments in securities regulation, ESG issues and the state of the energy industry, and she is Co-Editor of the academic blog the Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Monitor.

Hillary demonstrates a strong commitment to providing free legal services to those who cannot otherwise afford to access them, particularly abused women and immigrant girls, and serves on the board of directors of several local nonprofits, including Houston Volunteer Lawyers and Harrison’s Heroes.

Hillary received her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and her Bachelor of Arts from Duke University. Hillary is a native Houstonian who loves to run marathons and watch Avengers movies  with her two active young sons and one lovable pug.

Gabriella Neal is a dual licensed attorney in Mexico and in the state of New York, with vast experience in the legal and compliance landscape for multinational companies while understanding the cultural nuances and business mindsets. Gabriella is currently the Global Sanctions & ITC Counsel, as well as Data Privacy Counsel for Halliburton while also assisting with investigations. She was the former Latin America Compliance Counsel and Sr Counsel for Mexico at Weatherford for 8 years. Prior to that she was at Halliburton for 11 years holding various positions including Counsel for Mexico and Northern Latin America Counsel. Gabriella holds an LLM degree from the University of Houston and the Universidad Anahuac of Mexico City and a law degree from the Tecnologico de Monterrey.

Amanda Gutierrez is Senior Counsel for Labor, Employment & Benefits at Citgo Petroleum Corporation, where she provides strategic legal counsel on workplace law, employment policies, benefits programs, and compliance with labor regulations. In this role, she supports the company’s leadership and HR functions by advising on a wide range of employment-related issues, conflict resolution, and risk mitigation in a complex corporate environment.

Licensed to practice in Texas since 2010, Gutierrez focuses her legal practice on labor and employment matters, drawing on extensive experience advising employers on legal compliance and workforce-related challenges. She is based in Houston, where she partners with business and legal teams to align workplace practices with regulatory requirements and organizational goals.

Gutierrez received her J.D. from South Texas College of Law, grounding her practice in both legal analysis and practical counsel that serves Citgo’s operational needs.

An industry-leading environmental attorney, Lisa Rushton guides corporate clients, including global, multi-national, and local corporations, real estate developers, financial institutions and investment funds on matters relating to federal, state, and local environmental, health and safety laws and regulations and was identified by Chambers as one of the leading environmental practitioners for business transactions. Lisa serves as Head of the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group, Co-Head of the Energy and Natural Resources Sector and Head of the firm’s Renewable Energy Subsector.

With substantial experience in matters relating to air and water pollution control laws, solid and hazardous waste management and cleanup, toxic substance control laws and the development of “brownfield” properties, clients rely on Lisa’s guidance and due diligence to understand environmental issues attendant to corporate and real estate transactions, debt and equity financings, public offerings, and bankruptcy proceedings. She routinely assists buyers, sellers, lenders, borrowers, debtors, landlords and tenants with understanding and apportioning environmental liabilities; manages the environmental due diligence process; and drafts and negotiates contractual provisions covering environmental aspects of business and real estate transactions.

Lisa has more than thirty years of experience representing clients in environmental litigation and overseeing the investigation and remediation of site conditions. She counsels clients on compliance obligations and the implementation of environmental management systems and assists clients in the defense of claims relating to environmental liabilities and allegations of non-compliance. She has specific experience representing clients in such industries as:

• Energy generation and sale
• Waste management
• Real estate development
• Telecom
• Pharmaceutical
• Chemicals
• Adhesives and coating manufacturing
• Pulp and paper manufacturing
• Aluminum and steel mills, and
• Airport management

Lisa is described as “incredibly responsive, efficient, business-oriented and practical” by a client, who further highlights her ability to “parse through complicated environmental issues amazingly quickly and thoroughly.”

Lauren Brogdon is an energy litigation partner in Haynes Boone’s Houston office and chair of the firm’s Crisis Management Practice Group.

Lauren has significant experience representing corporations and individuals through all stages of crisis—from prevention, planning, and training to rapid response to long-term recovery. She specializes in mass tort litigation arising from catastrophic industrial accidents, suits related to hydraulic fracturing and other oil and gas operations, and toxic torts involving chemical exposure and environmental contamination. She is a vocal advocate for women and working parents both at her firm and in the Houston legal community.

Sarah Gonzales (Wilson), CCP, PHR is Vice President of Global Total Rewards at Zendesk, where she leads compensation and benefits strategy for a global workforce, driving programs that support growth, performance, and talent experience across the organization. With deep expertise in total rewards and human resources in high-growth, high-change environments, she brings strategic insight into how organizations can align rewards, culture, and leadership to fuel success.

Leigha Simonton is a Partner in the Dallas office of Dykema Gossett, PLLC, where she founded and leads the southwest branch of the firm’s White Collar & Investigations practice, which is composed of the largest concentration of high-level DOJ alumni in Texas. Before joining Dykema, she spent nearly 20 years in the U.S. Department of Justice and held several management roles. In her last two years as a DOJ attorney, she served as a presidentially appointed, Senate-confirmed United States Attorney who led the Northern District of Texas, one of the largest districts in the nation. As U.S. Attorney, she was the top federal law enforcement official over 100 counties and almost 100,000 square miles. She is respected at the highest levels by fellow attorneys and courts as an expert strategist in investigations, trial, and appeals and thrives in fast-moving, high-stakes legal environments. She is also regarded as a specialist in Northern District of Texas practice and as one of the preeminent advocates in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Prior to her government service, she clerked for two Texas judicial legends—Judge Barbara M.G. Lynn in the Northern District of Texas and Judge Patrick Higginbotham on the Fifth Circuit. She holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, where she was Managing Editor of The Yale Law Journal, and a B.A. with highest honors from the University of Texas at Austin.

María Guadalupe “Gupy” Carreón Sánchez is Executive Managing Counsel for Digital Industrial and Energy Technology at Baker Hughes, a leading global energy technology company. In this role, she heads legal strategy and counsel for digital and industrial energy technology initiatives, advising on complex commercial, regulatory, and risk matters that support the company’s innovation and growth in energy and industrial markets. Baker Hughes is a global energy technology provider headquartered in Houston and London.

Carreón Sánchez is dual-qualified to practice law in both Texas and Mexico and brings extensive experience navigating cross-jurisdictional legal landscapes in the energy and technology sectors. She is known for her ability to integrate legal insight with business strategy—particularly in areas where digital transformation intersects with industrial and energy technology deployment.

Based in the United States, she leverages her international legal background to support Baker Hughes’s digital innovation priorities while ensuring compliance and effective risk management across dynamic technology and industrial ecosystems.

Sheana Chen is a senior legal executive with over 20 years of experience in international commercial transactions, M&A, IP strategies, cross-border dispute resolution, as well as ethics and compliance.

As a forward-thinking international lawyer, Sheana is passionate about the intersection between law and technology.   She brings innovative solutions to help companies solve complex legal and business challenges.   She has held Vice President roles in semiconductor companies where she leads a global legal team to counsel business units, R&D, sales, manufacturing and support entities, while managing ethics and compliance.   In addition to her current role as Diodes Incorporated’s General Counsel, Corporate Compliance Officer and Leader of the ESG Task Force, Sheana also serves as the Policy Advisor and a board member to the Chinese Institute of Engineers/USA-DFW Chapter.

Sheana is a dual qualified English Solicitor and Barrister and a qualified New York State Attorney.  Sheana was a Partner at Baker & McKenzie and has worked in Dallas, Taipei, Shanghai, Singapore and London.

Sheana holds a Master’s degree in International Commercial Law from the University of London and a LL. B Honors degree from the University of Manchester. She also has a Postgraduate Degree in Professional Legal Skills from the Inns of Court School of Law in the U.K.

Sheana has completed the Harvard Business School Executive Education program, and the INSEAD Women Leading Global Change Program in France and is a Fellow with the International Women’s Forum.

Sheena R. Hamilton concentrates on employment litigation and internal investigations. Primarily, Sheena defends public and private employers in state and federal courts and before administrative agencies nationwide. She leads strategy handling all aspects of litigation through trial and appeal. She also handles sensitive, high-stakes internal investigations for corporations, public entities, and educational institutions, bringing experienced judgment to matters that demand independence, credibility, and strategic clarity. Her focus is helping prevent and address concerns through comprehensive workplace, whistleblower, ethics, and Title IX investigations.  She is uniquely qualified to offer solutions and investigative findings are positioned to withstand regulatory, judicial, and public scrutiny.

During her tenure as the City Counselor, Sheena served as the chief attorney for the City of St. Louis, overseeing its Civil Law Department which housed more than 80 civil servants. In that role, she represented the City’s elected and appointed officials along with its boards, commissions, departments, and agencies – including St. Louis Lambert International Airport, the St. Louis Development Corporation, and the Metropolitan Police Department. This role deepened her executive leadership experience and broadened her exposure to a wide variety of complex civil and class action litigation, legislative review and enforcement, and complex investigations across a large, decentralized organization subject to overlapping regulatory and public accountability frameworks.

Sheena regularly speaks and writes on emerging legal issues. An author of more than 20 articles in publications such as Missouri Business and St. Louis Lawyer, Sheena also has been quoted as an authority on legal matters by The New York Times, Law360, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the ABA Journal.

Early in her career, she clerked for the then-Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri.

Kelsi Stayart White focuses on dispositive motions and appeals in state and federal court. She began her career as a trial lawyer, which allows her to bring a practical perspective to high-stakes motions, appellate briefs, and oral arguments. As a large part of her practice, Kelsi supports trial teams in presenting critical legal issues to judges and handling the jury charge and other appellate issues at trial.

Kelsi is Board Certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and has handled appeals of all types in both state court and the Fifth Circuit, including interlocutory appeals, mandamus proceedings, and direct appeals. She has handled oral arguments before the Texas Courts of Appeals, the Texas Supreme Court, and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Some of her noteworthy career wins include obtaining a precedent-setting reversal of a female firefighter client’s hostile work environment claim in the Fifth Circuit in 2022; securing reversal of a federal agency’s FOIA decision concerning a client’s confidential information at the Fifth Circuit; and three Texas Supreme Court wins as a petitioner in 2024 and 2025.

Kelsi was named to the 2021-2026 lists of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch for commercial litigation. This is a national peer review award developed by Best Lawyers in America to target associates for their outstanding professional excellence early in their careers. She was also named on the Texas Rising Stars lists from 2022-2025 for her excellence in plaintiff civil litigation. Rising Stars, which is compiled by Thomson Reuters’ Texas Super Lawyers, honors leading attorneys age 40 and younger and those who have been in practice no more than 10 years.

Kelsi is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law. She served as a law clerk for Judge Leslie H. Southwick, a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. During law school she served as associate editor of the Texas Law Review and interned for U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Tony M. Davis in Austin. She graduated with highest honors, Phi Beta Kappa, from the University of Texas at Austin. Kelsi is actively involved in the Appellate Section of the HBA. She attends St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, plays a lot of tennis, and most importantly, loves spending time with her three children.

Jill Willhoft has built a successful legal career across the Gulf Coast supporting maritime companies and, by association, numerous other businesses. Her knowledge of the industry and broad range of legal skills gives her an edge as a trusted adviser who not only stays ahead of potential problems but also quickly resolves those that materialize. Her practice has focused for many years on maritime personal injury and other admiralty-related issues, including cargo matters, environmental spills and cleanup. She has defended countless creditors in bankruptcy matters across the Gulf Coast and elsewhere and has handled asbestos and other mass tort matters, gaining the experience required to manage class actions and other types of cases that produce a high volume of documents.

A natural outgrowth of her role as general counsel for numerous companies and corporations, Jill is a powerful asset on the transactional side, tracing the full cycle of a business from formation to dissolution. She partners with banks and insurers to see that her clients’ interests are represented and that deals go smoothly and as intended.

Kelly Becker is often retained by clients as appellate counsel for complex litigation, including environmental, energy, and commercial matters. Her appellate practice regularly includes cases before the Louisiana courts of appeal, the Louisiana Supreme Court, and the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Because of her experience, Kelly is frequently retained to write amicus briefs on behalf of businesses and trade organizations in matters of industry-wide significance. Kelly is certified by the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization as an Appellate Practice Specialist and currently serves on the Advisory Commission for the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization regarding Appellate Practice.  Kelly is one of only a handful of lawyers in the state of Louisiana who is a Board Certified Appellate Practice Specialist.

Building upon her appellate practice and skills, Kelly routinely represents clients in the trial court to handle legal defenses, including strategic motion practice and preservation of error for appeal. Currently, Kelly manages legal strategy and briefing for several energy industry clients in the Louisiana litigation dockets concerning claims for environmental contamination and coastal land loss.