Driving Diversity in Law and Leadership: Atlanta

D’Asia Hailey is currently General Counsel for the Services business of GE Steam Power.  In her role, her and her team provide legal support for the sale of steam power products, services, software and cloud-based digital solutions to nuclear, fossil and industrial power producers throughout the globe.  She also serves as a member of the GE Diversity Legal & Inclusion Council, Atlanta Leader of the Street Law Legal Pipeline Program, and Legal Advisor for GE Girls Camp.  D’Asia began her career at GE in 2012 supporting the equipment leasing business of GE Capital.  Prior to joining GE, she advised global institutions in leveraged debt financings, high-yield debt offerings, REIT lending, Islamic financings and other finance transactions at Alston & Bird LLP.  D’Asia holds a B.A. in Economics from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a J.D. from Howard University School of Law.  She resides in Atlanta and likes to travel, exercise, and spend time with her husband and two sons.

Ruby Jackson serves as Assistant Secretary for Alabama Power Company. As Assistant Secretary, Ruby is responsible for assisting the Corporate Secretary with matters relating to the Board of Directors, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance. Prior to joining the Corporate Secretarial team, Ruby served as Senior Counsel for Southern Power Company, a leading wholesale energy provider meeting the electricity needs of municipalities, electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, and commercial and industrial customers across the United States. 

Ruby earned a Bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from Florida State University, and her Juris Doctor from Samford University, Cumberland School of Law. She is licensed to practice law in Alabama and Georgia. She is a member of several local bar associations and the International Association of Defense Counsel.

Additionally, Ruby is active in the Birmingham community and has served on several Boards and Committees. Ruby and her husband, Sidney, currently live in Birmingham, Alabama with their two children.

As Assistant General Counsel, Compliance Matters, Samyra oversees Porsche’s formal compliance programs throughout North America. She is responsible for the implementation of compliance guidelines, including development and delivery of training materials and supporting the organization on various operational matters.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Samyra graduated from California State University with a degree in Spanish and earned her J.D. from Western State University. During her undergraduate and law school years, she worked for Toyota Motor Sales in Torrance, CA. After law school she relocated to Atlanta and after practicing Alston & Bird LLP for three years, returned to her passion – the automotive industry. She spent three years with Asbury Automotive Group, Inc. and finally joined Porsche Cars North America, Inc. in September 2013.

Alex works extensively with both small privately held companies and large publicly held companies on a variety of product liability and business matters. Her product liability experience is broad but is focused primarily on claims relating to large tort matters involving fuel gas. Alex also has significant experience handling complex business litigation matters, real estate matters, and matters involving post-employment obligations.

Brittany Teal is Senior Corporate Counsel for Nordstrom, Inc. where she advises the retail brand on strategic sourcing and purchasing transactions.  Prior to joining Nordstrom, Brittany was in-house counsel for Fiserv,  a global fintech provider for banks, credit unions and

other financial institutions, and taught Legal Research & Writing for the Continuing and Professional Education program at her alma mater, Southern Methodist University.

Brittany has been recognized as an Outstanding Corporate Counsel by D Magazine and the Association of Corporate Counsel. A native Texan, Brittany earned her B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and her J.D. from the SMU Dedman School of Law. Outside of work, Brittany enjoys traveling, live music and rooting on her beloved Longhorns.

Ashley Nightingale is Intellectual Property Counsel at The Lumistella Company (“Lumistella”). Lumistella owns The Elf on the Shelf, Elf Pets, and Elf Mates brands. Each brand is distributed through consumer products, engaging branded experiences, and original entertainment.

In this role, Ms. Nightingale develops Lumistella’s Global IP Protection Strategy and manages their Global IP Portfolio. She advises senior leadership, product development, and global marketing on innovative approaches to branding, risk management, and licensee procurement.

Originally from Conyers, Georgia, Ms. Nightingale graduated with Honors from Woodward Academy. She graduated Cum Laude from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology.

After completing her undergraduate studies, Ms. Nightingale began her legal career at Morgan & Morgan, PA., one of the nation’s largest personal injury firms. It was her time at the firm that inspired her to pursue her law degree.

Ms. Nightingale earned a Juris Doctor Degree from the Charleston School of Law. While in law school, she developed a passion for Intellectual Property, Licensing, and Brand Protection. She is admitted to practice in Georgia.

Ms. Nightingale serves as a proud member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyer Division, International Trademark Association, Copyright Society of the USA, Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA), and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Kyllan B. Kershaw provides clients with solutions for labor-relations issues, including challenges stemming from mergers and acquisitions, workforce reduction, startups, and other business restructuring matters.

Kyllan achieves optimal outcomes for her clients in collective bargaining negotiations, election campaigns, labor arbitrations, and labor-related litigation before the National Labor Relations Board. She is a skilled negotiator, with particular experience negotiating exits from costly union pension and healthcare plans and first contracts for large employers with multifacility bargaining units. Kyllan is also a proactive labor-relations counselor, helping clients spot and solve for potential issues before they become problems. She conducts union vulnerability assessments, workplace investigations, provides positive employee relations training, and counsels on labor relations issues such as lockouts and strikes, card-check and neutrality agreements, corporate campaigns, traditional organizing campaigns, withdrawal liability, and other employee benefits matters. Kyllan also represents employers in a range of industries, including transportation, retail, and entertainment clients. She has significant experience representing airlines in labor matters, including arbitrations, collective bargaining negotiations under Section 6 of the Railway Labor Act, bankruptcies, and business restructuring issues.

As a thought-leader on matters related to workforce change, Kyllan often speaks on topics related to automation, ecommerce, generational changes in the workforce, advances in employee communication and social media, and how to level the communication playing field between unions and employers when communicating with younger, more diverse workforces.

Outside of her legal practice, she serves as an advisory board member of the Atlanta Humane Society, having previously served on its Board of Directors and as chair of the Governance Committee. She is also a member of the host committee for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s annual Monster Mash fundraiser benefiting the Marcus Autism Center.

Timia works in general liability litigation, defending clients in a variety of matters including product liability, premises liability, medical malpractice, as well as data privacy and data security-related class actions. Additionally, she has experience in the areas of labor and employment law. Timia has provided a broad array of labor and employment legal services for clients including counseling and advice, litigation and arbitration defense, responding to charges filed with government agencies, and conducting workplace investigations related to employees’ claims of discrimination and retaliation. She has also provided in-house legal services on secondment. 

Timia earned her J.D. with honors from the University of Georgia School of Law, where she competed on the National Moot Court Team, served as a notes editor for the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and participated in the law school’s Prosecutorial Justice Clinic.

During law school, she also interned for the Honorable Sara Doyle, chief judge of the Georgia Court of Appeals, where she researched various substantive and procedural legal issues, drafted judicial opinions and orders and prepared bench memoranda in preparation for oral arguments.

Rodney Miller is a Partner in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Atlanta office. He is a registered patent attorney who represents public and private companies in intellectual property matters, including due diligence, licensing and transactional work, IP monetization and portfolio valuation, patent office post-grant review, and litigation, including patent, trademark and trade secret disputes. He has litigated intellectual property cases across numerous industries, including telecommunication, semiconductors, Internet protocols, operating systems, hardware and software storage systems, user interface, and pharmaceuticals. Rodney earned a B.S.M.E degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology and his J.D. from the University of Houston Law Center

Natasha Walwyn Robinson is Legal Counsel at Splunk, a cybersecurity and observability leader, where she leads the global marketing, trademarks and brand protection practice. With nearly 15 years of in-house legal experience, predominantly in technology, she is regularly sought after for her thoughts on leadership, driving diverse initiatives and creating opportunities for the next generation of Black intellectual property lawyers and technologists. She leads the Charlotte chapter of the Blacks in Technology Foundation and was recently featured in the Charlotte Business Journal as a Woman in Technology at the Forefront of AI and Digital Transformation. She earned a B.A. in Biology from the University of Virginia, a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School, and completed Executive Education in Computer Science for Lawyers at Harvard Law School.

Riane N. Sharp is a staff attorney on the Global Supply Chain, Innovation & Commercial Team at Starbucks Corporation.  

In this role, Riane primarily supports the Global Supply Chain Operations team on commercial matters, including the purchase and sale of goods and services, licensing of intellectual property, development of commercial products, and product distribution and transportation.

Riane came to Starbucks from Winter Capriola Zenner, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia where she was an Associate in the firm’s transactional practice group. While there, Riane worked closely with legal matters pertaining to community associations, real estate law and corporate law. 

Originally from Stone Mountain, Georgia, Riane returned to the metro Atlanta area after completing her studies. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and her Bachelor of Business Administration in International Business from Howard University in Washington, DC. After law school, Riane joined the University of Georgia Office of Legal Affairs before transitioning to Change Healthcare, a healthcare IT company, where she advised her clients on consumer protection matters related to TCPA, CAN-SPAM and the FTC Act as well as marketing related issues.

She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys (GABWA). She also serves as a member of both the Representative Council and Board of Directors for the State Bar of Georgia Young Lawyers Division. When she is not working, Riane enjoys spending time with her 2-year-old dog son, Bolt.  

Sarah serves as Associate General Counsel for CRH Americas, a global leader in the construction industry and North America’s largest building materials company.  In her role and since 2008, Sarah supports the operations of CRH and its numerous subsidiary businesses, including litigating disputes, managing claims, negotiating contracts, and performing proactive training on various topics ranging from antitrust to safety.  Sarah serves on the Safety Best Practices Committee at CRH.  Sarah also serves and has served on various boards in her community, including the Dunwoody Perimeter Chamber of Commerce, the Dunwoody Preservation Trust, and the Atlanta Community Food Bank.  Sarah obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy from Emory University in 2002, and her Doctor of Jurisprudence from Georgia State University College of Law in 2005.  Outside of the office, Sarah enjoys time with her three children, running, working out, reading, and traveling.

Shantia Coley is a transformational speaker, facilitator and attorney who serves as in-house counsel for Wells Fargo. At Wells Fargo, she handles an international defensive litigation caseload and manages a docket of over 100 matters annually. As a millennial and first-generation college graduate, she is equally passionate about wellness, leadership and inclusion. As such, she enjoys engaging in courageous conversations on these and other topics.

Shantia is a graduate of Elon University where she currently serves on the President’s Young Leaders Council and North Carolina Central University School of Law. In her community, she was appointed to the Domestic Violence Advisory Board by the Charlotte City Council and recently joined the Goodwill Industries Board of Directors.

Shantia was recognized as one of the top 40 litigators in the nation by the National Bar Association and presently serves as its liaison to the American Bar Association. She has shared the stage with dynamic actress/comedienne Kim Coles and the phenomenal Miss USA. Shantia is married and is the mother of identical twin six-year-old boys.

Katherine Dunn, Vice President, General Counsel at Aptean, Inc., a leading global provider of industry specific software based in Alpharetta, Georgia, is a future-focused leader with a natural leadership style embracing collaboration, resiliency and simplicity. During her 15+ years of corporate legal experience and as general counsel, she has been responsible for all aspects of running a legal department and overseeing the legal affairs of local and global companies.

As a business strategist that has helped launch Enterprise Software, SaaS and Cloud and Data products and services, Katherine approaches problems with a goal of maintaining a balance between the organization’s core mission and legal risks. She has learned that the best way to drive solutions is by engaging with her peers and other stakeholders to both identify needs and develop problem resolutions.Having built best in class teams, she encourages her team not only to focus on being risk mitigators but business champions who use creativity to find solutions that complement the client’s goals.

Katherine believes success requires listening, inviting diverse thoughts and experiences and embracing change.

She graduated from Boston University with a B.A. in History and has a J.D. from the University of Denver.  Katherine lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two children.

LaChandra Pye is Corporate Senior Counsel and Government Contracts for the US Electrification Business Area at ABB Inc. where she guides and counsel stakeholders to ensure comprehension and implementation of the necessary legal measures and advises and represents the various Electrification Divisions’ interests regarding legal matters in their respective markets.  Prior to her work at ABB Inc., she was general counsel at Caduceus, a private federal contractor, and worked as a Senior Attorney at the City of Atlanta.  She has focused most of her career on government contracts, general corporate matters, and regulatory compliance with experience in-house, in private practice, and in the public sector. 

LaChandra obtained her B.A. from Dillard University in New Orleans, LA and a J.D. from University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law in Lincoln, Nebraska.  In her spare time, she enjoys inspiring others to be their best selves.

Yara focuses her practice on complex business litigation in the areas of biometric privacy, insurance, and employment. Based in Chicago, Yara represents a variety of clients, including Fortune 500 companies and up-and-coming startups. Her motion practice and oral advocacy experiences range from initial discovery matters to pretrial workup. This includes effectively drafting interrogatories, requests for production, requests for admissions, complaints, answers, opposition motions, motions for summary judgment and preparing witnesses for deposition and trial. Whether achieving desired litigation outcomes or strategically positioning her clients for next-best appellate avenues, Yara provides results and solutions for her clients. During her first two years of practice, Yara has taken lead on over 25 case hearings and has been lead drafter on summary judgment motions, class certification motions and appellate briefs. Yara has served as a key speaker at various professional engagements, including continuous legal education programs on national employment matters, podcasts on cybersecurity and privacy, and a presentation before the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Beyond litigation, Yara regularly counsels clients on compliance with applicable data privacy laws and state and federal employment laws and regulations.

Yara’s successful litigation reputation began at Notre Dame Law School, where she was selected to first-chair a direct appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. Her appellate brief was followed by oral argument, during which Yara persuaded the court to remand the District Court’s original holding and rule in favor of her client.

Tunisia Poole is an executive adviser with 18 years of experience in multinational business and elite law firms. Today, she is Deputy General Counsel and Assistant Corporate Secretary for Southwire Company, LLC, one of the leading manufacturers of wire and cable used in the transmission and distribution of electricity. As Deputy General Counsel, Poole leads a team of legal professionals responsible for mergers & acquisitions, labor & employment, intellectual property, contracts, and legal operations. Prior to her current role, Poole served as labor and employment counsel as well as managed all commercial litigation for Southwire. Over the course of her career, Poole has served as primary counsel on corporate transactions, corporate restructuring, corporate governance and entity management, facility closures, commercial litigation as well as labor and employment matters. She has conducted internal investigations related to whistleblower claims and employee malfeasance. Poole also has worked on incentive plans, employment agreements, employment policies, and diversity initiatives.

Toni Peck is a partner in Womble Bond Dickinson’s Research Triangle Park office and a member of the firm’s Healthcare Team. Her practice focuses on assisting healthcare providers in a variety of regulatory and corporate matters, including Stark law and federal and state Anti-Kickback Statute compliance, medical staff issues, and antitrust concerns. She also counsels hospitals, dental services organizations, management services organizations, large physician practices and other providers on M&A, joint ventures, strategic alignments and other business matters. A Chambers-ranked attorney, Toni is recognized in Best Lawyers in America© in Healthcare and by Business North Carolina as a Legal Elite “Young Gun.” She is active within the community and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Camber Foundation.

Tara Cho is a partner and chair of Womble Bond Dickinson (US) LLP’s Privacy and Cybersecurity Team. Her practice is dedicated to counseling clients on privacy, data governance and innovation, and cybersecurity issues across all industries, including technology, retail, e-commerce, healthcare / healthtech and life sciences. She is certified as a legal specialist in Privacy and Information Security Law by the North Carolina State Bar and is recognized by the IAPP as a certified information privacy professional for both the U.S. (CIPP/US) and Europe (CIPP/E). Tara is also an active member of the firm’s Diversity Steering Committee and co-chairs the firm’s LGBTQIA+ Pride and Asian Pacific American affinity groups.

Melisa Zwilling is a shareholder with Carr Allison and is a resident in its Birmingham (AL) office. Her practice focuses on labor and employment, insurance defense and Medicare compliance.

Melisa has published countless articles and spoken at numerous conferences and seminars across the United States. For her outstanding legal work, she earned an AV peer-review rating from the national lawyer ranking service Martindale Hubbell and has been selected as one of The Best Lawyers in America for 2023.  In addition, she was selected as one of Fortune magazine’s Women Leaders in the Law and named a Top-Rated Lawyer in Insurance Law. She has also been recognized by Alabama Super Lawyers as one of Birmingham’s Top-Rated Lawyers and ranked one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in Birmingham. In addition,  Melisa was invited to Time magazine’s list of the Most Influential Women in America and Fortune’s List of Premier Lawyers.

Having graduated from Athens State University (AL), magna cum laude, Melisa earned Bachelor degrees in both Business Administration and Management of Technology. She received her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Alabama School of Law where she served as editor-in-chief of the Law and Psychology Review and Senior Editor of The Journal of the Legal Profession.

Raised in the country, Melisa continues to spend much of her free time outdoors with her daughter and son. She can be found building furniture, riding horses or fishing.

After having a stroke at the age of 35, Melisa spent several years as a volunteer for the American Heart and Stroke Associations. She tries to live every day to the fullest and looks for opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Martha Bucaram is Principal Corporate Counsel at Microsoft where she is part of the Industry & Solutions Team within the Corporate External and Legal Affairs department. Prior to joining Microsoft, she worked for Cox Enterprises (Cox Automotive and Cox Communications), Manhattan Associates, a public software company leader in commerce solutions, and the law firm Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton. Martha has extensive pro bono experience working on U-Visa and VAWA applications as well as cases under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction. She has served on the board of multiple professional and non-profit organizations including SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers), and Caminar Latino, which focuses on creating a safe environment for families and victims of domestic violence. Martha is also the co-founder of Xanathos, an organization that educates the community on life extension and its scientific advancement. She is involved with the Hispanic National Bar Association as well as the Georgia Hispanic Bar Association. Martha is based in Atlanta, GA where she resides with her husband and two kids.

Janine A. McKinnon, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, earned her Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, and her Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. Upon graduating law school, Janine began her legal career at Maynard Cooper & Gale, P.C., a then Am Law 100 firm (now Maynard Nexson) based in Birmingham, Alabama, where she was a member of the firm’s Insurance and Financial Services Litigation Group, as well as the General Litigation Group. While at Maynard, Janine gained invaluable litigation and trial experience handling cases in both state and federal court in more than 12 states across the country. After six years, Janine left “Big Law” to start a solo practice, which allowed her the flexibility to grow her family and stay home with her son in his early years. Janine’s solo practice focused on start-ups and small businesses, estate planning, family law, civil litigation and real estate matters for out-of-state investors. Desiring to try something different, Janine went on to join Wettermark & Keith, a prominent personal injury firm based in Birmingham, Alabama, where she negotiated pre-suit settlements and litigated premises liability, automobile accident, product liability, nursing home, and medical malpractice cases. After practicing law for over 10 years in Alabama, Janine returned to Atlanta and rejoined the defense bar. Janine is currently a Senior Associate in the Atlanta office of McAngus, Goudelock & Courie, LLC. Her practice focuses on trucking litigation, commercial/personal auto accidents, negligent security, wrongful death, premises liability, and construction defect. Janine has previously chaired the Alabama State Bar Young Lawyers Minority Prelaw Conference and served on the Alabama State Bar Diversity and Inclusion in the Profession Committee as well as firm diversity committees. When she is not practicing law, Janine enjoys spending time with her son, distance running, and traveling. She has also been a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. for over 20 years.

Charlie Bingham is a seasoned attorney with more than 12 years of experience in the legal profession. He’s currently Senior Legal Counsel at Splunk leading their Global Partners & Strategic Alliances team. He is responsible for enabling the compliant expansion and acceleration of Splunk’s global partner business. Charlie’s practice focuses on strategically advising internal business clients on a myriad of complex issues associated with global partners as well as public sector customers. Charlie is also a champion of diversity and is very involved in the legal industry’s diversity efforts and is a member of the board of directors for the Georgia Justice Project. He is a regular presence on panels at events held by the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, National Bar Association, Black Entertainment Sports Law Association, Association of Corporate Counsel and Howard University School of Law speaking on topics including, A.I., data security and privacy, cloud computing, regulatory compliance, diversity and inclusion, and transitioning roles. He also actively mentors several lawyers, law students and individuals considering going to law school. Importantly, Charlie strives to utilize every available “pulpit” in his efforts to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Charlie is a 2008 Howard University School of Law graduate, received a Master of Arts in Teaching from Morgan State University in 2005 and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Jackson State University in 2002.

Caroline has a nationwide practice defending clients in a variety of matters, including product liability (including asbestos claims), business, class action and complex litigation and medical malpractice. Additionally, she has served as counsel to the receiver in receivership matters and counsels clients on bankruptcy-related issues. Her experience includes arguing dispositive and other motions and guiding clients through the discovery and trial preparation processes. She drafts motions in state and federal courts, researches complex legal issues, and takes and defends depositions. Caroline is also committed to pro bono service, providing representation to individuals in consumer bankruptcy, human trafficking, asylum and domestic violence matters. She earned her J.D. with honors from Emory University School of Law, where she was Order of the Coif, and served in corporate and litigation externships at Georgia-Pacific and AT&T. She also received the State Bar of Georgia Labor Section Award for Outstanding Achievement in Labor Law and the Emory Law Dean’s Award for the Legal Research, Writing and Advocacy Program.

Art Evans is the Vice President, Talent Management People Capital of the Atlanta Braves, leading talent management initiatives for the organization’s Major League and The Battery Atlanta operations. Prior to joining the Atlanta Braves, Art served as the Director, Culture & Talent Development for the Atlanta Hawks and held several leadership roles at Warner Bros Discovery (formerly Turner Broadcasting, Inc.) leading teams within Talent Acquisition, Workplace & Inclusion, Wellness and Employee Experience. During his tenure at Turner Broadcasting, Inc. Art was awarded the Diversity Leader of the Year award by Pathbuilders. Art was born in Chicago, Illinois and received his bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University. Art served as founding Board Member and Advisory Board Member of 21st Century Leaders, a youth leadership organization that has served more than 16,000 diverse high school students from over 250 Georgia high schools. Art is a certified and qualified facilitator and coach for the HOGAN Assessment and HOGAN 360. In his current role at the Atlanta Braves, Art is responsible for the framework and implementation of the Talent Management strategy initiatives which includes, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Performance Management, Organizational Development, Leadership Development, Talent Acquisition, Benefits, and Compensation.