The Driving Diversity in Law & Leadership [Virtual Summit]: Atlanta
Awareness into Action: Inspiring Change [Virtual Summit]
In keeping with best COVID-19 practice, CenterForce is operating virtually! On our new, interactive platform, we offer you the same compelling content and interactive format as at our live conferences, with numerous opportunities to network with both our other attendees and our speakers.
Now more than ever, it is imperative that we adhere to our core values around diversity and inclusion, and remain anchored to our community. Please join us as we continue to explore the obstacles, risks and rewards on the path to a fulfilling and productive career for women and minority leaders.
What are the best strategies for recruiting and retaining diverse talent even in the face of a pandemic? How can we maintain standards of excellence while working remotely? Are companies doing enough to create a culture of inclusion that goes beyond metrics?
Speakers
Sandra Blair is an accomplished fintech executive with a broad range of payments industry experience serving in leadership roles including CIO, COO, CPO and EVP. Additionally, she has served as Senior Director at Alvarez & Marsal, a leading Management Consulting firm specializing in business performance improvement and turnaround management services. Her success is rooted in her record of building and developing teams that consistently perform at the highest level. Ms. Blair’s decision-making is meticulously informed by her comprehensive knowledge of strategy and execution. She actively serves on the boards of FinTech Atlanta and American Transaction Processors Coalition (ATPC). She is also a member of Technology Association of Georgia and Women in Payments (Wnet), and is a frequent speaker and panelist on topics including emerging trends in fintech and diversity in the workplace.
Lisa A. Wade is a Swift Currie partner, who focuses her practice on workers’ compensation defense and has extensive experience confronting a range of complex challenges that arise in a claim. Wade represents a diverse roster of clients, including insurers, school systems, manufacturers, municipalities and more.
A leader in workers’ compensation, she has held several positions, including chairperson for the State Bar of Georgia’s Workers’ Compensation Section. At Swift Currie, she co-chairs the Community Relations Committee.
Lynn Olmert’s practice focuses on workers’ compensation defense in the firm’s Atlanta office. She has extensive trial experience in general liability cases on behalf of insurance companies and their commercial insureds in both Georgia and Maryland. Lynn has significant first-chair jury trial experience and has tried numerous workers’ compensation cases. She frequently presents on workers’ compensation issues to employers, insurers and colleagues at the State Bar of Georgia. Lynn was selected to the Governor’s short list of nominees for the position of Administrative Law Judge for the Georgia State Board of Workers’ Compensation. Prior to joining MGC, Lynn practiced law in both Atlanta and the Baltimore-Washington area. She currently serves on the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion committee.
Outside of the office, Lynn can be found crossing the finish line at a marathon or triathlon, as well as raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through Team-in-Training. She is also an active member of Mount Paran Church.
Dana is a Member in Stoll Keenon Ogden’s Lexington and Louisville offices and has been with the firm since 2007. As a Registered Patent Attorney, she concentrates her litigation practice on complex commercial litigation, including IP litigation, class actions, and ERISA litigation. Dana also assists clients in protecting their intellectual property and has successfully prosecuted patent applications in the biotechnology and imaging fields. Dana has achieved CIPP/US certification as a privacy professional by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and regularly counsels and represents clients in privacy law matters, including data breach response.
Because she understands the critical role that intellectual property rights have in businesses, Dana works closely with her clients to determine the best course of action. If litigation is warranted, she stands ready to move forward in an assertive yet efficient manner.
Always working to stay on top of the latest developments in her field of expertise, Dana is an active member of several professional groups, including the American Intellectual Property Law Association. She serves as an occasional guest lecturer in sports law classes at the University of Kentucky.
For her many legal accomplishments, Dana has been named a Rising Star by Kentucky Super Lawyers®.
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.
Natasha L. Wilson is Co-Chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment Practice’s Complex Employment Litigation & Trials group and Co-Chair of the Atlanta Labor & Employment Practice. She focuses her practice on labor and employment law, and devotes her legal practice to representing management in all aspects of employment law, from prevention and compliance issues to arbitration and litigation. She has litigated a wide variety of employment issues on the federal, state and local levels before courts and administrative agencies. Natasha works closely with her clients to provide counseling and consultation on employee matters, policy revisions, litigation prevention and the implementation of sound employment practices.
Prior to joining the firm, Natasha was an associate with one of the largest law firms in the Southeast. Her prior litigation experience includes representation of clients in environmental and toxic tort defense and general business litigation. She also has experience in white collar criminal defense and corporate investigations, electronic discovery and digital information. Before entering law school, Natasha worked as a television journalist for seven years.
Robyne N. Gordon is a Contracts Manager for Pandora Media in its Atlanta office. Her primary duties include reviewing advertising content and contracts related to ad sales, marketing, social media, product, editorial/creative content, content licensing and artist and events initiatives.
Prior to joining Pandora, Robyne was a Sr. Paralegal at Turner Broadcasting, where she worked with their TBS, TCM, TNT and truTV networks handling marketing and advertising law matters. Before starting her in-house journey, Robyne worked as a Sr. IP Litigation Paralegal at the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP.
An Atlanta native and graduate of Florida A&M University, Robyne is passionate about education and tangible exposure opportunities for youth and young adults in the Atlanta area and currently Chair’s the KIPP WAYS Academy Advisory Board. Robyne is a lover of all entrepreneurial adventures, cooking and traveling in her “Zen” time.
Tashwanda Pinchback Dixon is a trial lawyer with over 11 years of experience of successfully resolving a wide variety of labor and employment disputes as well as providing employment counseling. Tashwanda represents management in both union and nonunion settings in the litigation of federal and state employment and labor law claims, with a particular focus on workplace safety and health (OSHA).
Anissa Floyd is Senior Counsel for employment litigation at WestRock, with responsibility for litigation in states along the eastern seaboard (specifically Maine to South Carolina). Anissa is a graduate of Spelman College in Atlanta where she graduated with top honors. She then attended Tulane Law School in New Orleans and clerked for a federal judge in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Anissa has focused most of her career on labor and employment litigation, with experience both at big law firms as well as in-house. Anissa is originally from Columbia, SC. In her spare time, she enjoys high-impact exercise and strength training.
Alonzo Barber is an Assistant General Counsel supporting Microsoft’s US Enterprise Commercial Sales Organization where he leads a team that is responsible for negotiating complex licensing and services transaction. Prior to this role, Alonzo worked in the Windows and Devices Group within Microsoft supporting the Internet of Things and Wearable Computer divisions advising on various legal issues including privacy, intellectual property and product liability matters. Before joining Microsoft in 2013, Alonzo held the position of Senior Counsel at Viacom/BET Networks in Washington, DC.
Upon receiving his commission in the Navy from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1997, Alonzo served seven years as an officer certified in all aspects of nuclear-powered submarines including five strategic patrols aboard the USS Florida (SSBN 728). He also worked as an Admissions Officer at the Naval Academy until his separation from the military in 2004. Alonzo earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center and holds a Masters in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University.
Tiffany N Sams is General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of IHI E&C International Corporation. She began her career as a law clerk in a contract position for JP Morgan Chase. This position was a contract assignment that has absolutely nothing to do with her current practice! That position did however become the starting point of a career in some of the most dynamic legal and business environments in the world. The variety in her career has allowed her to have experience from various operational angles. Her greatest strength is her belief that every problem has a solution. Her passion for problem solving is what lead her to the practice of law. Tiffany is a native of Jackson, Mississippi, has resided in Houston since 2005, and is the wife of Lloyd Joshua Sams.
Her focus areas include major capital project execution in the energy sector with an emphasis on stakeholder management, risk mitigation, contract negotiation, corporate governance, and compliance training development/deployment.
Bonnie Puckett’s practice focuses on Diversity & Inclusion and respectful-workplace initiatives from a global perspective. Utilizing her background and credentials in linguistics, diversity & inclusion management, and workplace investigations, Bonnie designs and executes upon multinational clients’ strategies for improving diversity and inclusion, training employees, and investigating policy violations, identifying and remedying latent office-culture problems between headquarters and subsidiaries abroad, or within particular subsidiaries. As lead of Ogletree’s Asia-Pacific regional team, Bonnie has extensive experience conducting trainings for, and investigations into conduct occurring in, locations such as Japan, Hong Kong, China, and Korea.
More broadly, Bonnie assists employers with business-practical cross-border guidance on all aspects of managing a global and internationally-mobile workforce, reconciling complex issues of multiple and conflicting laws and managing risk among multiple countries while enabling employers to prioritize country-specific analysis efficiently. She provides counseling on data privacy, employee mobility and expatriate strategy, restrictive covenants, international expansion, and alternative staffing structures. Recently, Bonnie served as an initial member of the firm’s COVID-19 response providing client guidance, leading the team for international inquiries and managing the firm’s “Global Solutions” content series. Bonnie’s pandemic-response work includes monitoring and applying evolving COVID-19 legal restrictions, preparing telecommuting and return-to-office policies, guiding employers through complex situations involving employees working remotely from a different country than their payroll. Particular jurisdictions in which Bonnie frequently helps employers address situations include China, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, India, Australia, Israel, and the UAE; she handles matters involving Europe and the Americas regularly as well.
An experienced workplace investigator and trainer, Bonnie helps companies with diversity and inclusion initiatives, and to respond to concerns such as sexual harassment, bullying, financial misconduct, and other whistleblower- and compliance-related reports. She specializes in multijurisdictional implications involved in navigating communication barriers, complex multicultural power dynamics, and cross-border matrix reporting structures. Bonnie also conducts customized executive, management, and general employee trainings on compliance, global codes of conduct, and facilitating a respectful workplace globally. She advises on related global and local policy strategy, and develops and administers individualized one-on-one trainings to address specific situations. Bonnie holds a Cornell University Diversity & Inclusion certificate and a certificate from the Association for Workplace Investigators.
In addition to guiding employers through day-to-day employment issues from a multinational perspective, Bonnie handles all forms of complex international employment disputes including litigation in the U.S. and abroad.
Curt Bender is a student, entrepreneur, and public servant – a student of life that creates adventures to pay forward the talents he was gifted. Curt earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, a minor in American Sign Language, and the prestigious Taylor Leadership Institute’s Leadership Certificate at The University of North Florida. Curt then started and failed a couple of companies before attending the Florida State University College of Law. At FSU Law, Curt started a hauling company and grew its revenue to six figures before graduating with a business law certificate.
Curt is an Assistant General Counsel at the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, where he helps regulate prescription drug, medical device, and cosmetic manufactures and distributors. Outside of lawyering, Curt enjoys entrepreneurial adventures. He moonlights as a florist at Bouquets by Benders and operates an outdoor movie company, Bender’s Big Screen Adventures, to drive revenue to establishments hurting from the pandemic.
Adwoa M. Awotwi is General Counsel of LocumTenens.com, LLC, an Atlanta-based company focused on innovative medical staffing solutions. Prior to joining LocumTenens.com, Adj served as Assistant General Counsel of Jackson Healthcare, the parent company of LocumTenens.com. Prior to her work with the Jackson family of companies, Adj was a senior associate with the law firm of Kilpatrick Stockton, LLP (now Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton, LLP), in its Atlanta office, where her practice focused on securities regulation, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, investment management and general corporate advice.
Adj currently serves as the Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors of Truancy Intervention Project Georgia, Inc. and is a member of the Board of Directors of both North Fulton Community Charities (NFCC) and Premier Academy. She is also an Advisory Board member of KIPP Soul Primary School. Adj also makes time to serve on the Yale Alumni Schools Committee and relishes the opportunity to interview high school students seeking to attend her alma mater. Adj enjoys community service and pro bono work and, in 2005, was named the Kilpatrick Stockton Pro Bono Associate of the Year and was also nominated for the Truancy Intervention Project’s “Volunteer of the Year” honor that same year. In June 2008, Adj was profiled as an “Up & Comer” by Atlanta Woman Magazine. In May of 2018, Adj was honored as the “Volunteer of the Year” by the Truancy Intervention Project.
Raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, Adj received her undergraduate degree from Yale University and her J.D. from Duke University School of Law. She currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia and is seeking out a fun new hobby after recently retiring from playing semi-contact flag football. In her spare time, Adj likes to watch sports and cheer on the New Orleans Saints, the LSU Tigers’ football team and the Duke Blue Devils’ basketball team. She also enjoys traveling, reading and listening to music.
Gelvina Rodriguez Stevenson is a seasoned health care attorney advising on medical discoveries and innovations, complex provider relationships, regulatory compliance, business strategy and patient and safety matters across the health care continuum. Gelvina currently serves as Senior Director and Associate General Counsel at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). In her role at CHOP, Gelvina advises the hospital on the legal aspects of medical research and scientific innovation, including cutting-edge emerging technologies such as gene therapy, cell therapy, ultra-orphan drugs, digital health, artificial intelligence and 3D printing. Gelvina is also an Adjunct Professor at the Drexel University School of Medicine in Philadelphia where she teaches courses on pharmaceutical law.
Prior to working at CHOP, Gelvina was an Associate University Counsel at Weill Cornell Medical College, a Legislative Attorney for the New York City Council, an associate at Chadbourne & Parke LLP (now Norton Rose Fulbright) and a law clerk to The Honorable Audrey B. Collins, US District Court, Central District of California.
Gelvina holds a JD from New York University School of Law and an MA from Princeton University School of Public Policy and a BA from NYU College of Arts and Sciences. Gelvina serves as a Board member of the American Health Lawyers Association and the Child Center of New York. Gelvina is the founder and co-chair of the Hispanic National Bar Association’s (HNBA) Health and Life Sciences Section and previously served as NY Regional President of the HNBA and First Vice President of the Law Alumni of Color Association of NYU School of Law.
Gelvina publishes and speaks regularly on matters related to health law and diversity, equity and inclusion within the legal profession generally and the health law bar in particular.
Michelle is Manager & Counsel serving the Global Merchant Services (“GMS”) Group at American Express Company supporting the Accertify, Inc. and InAuth, Inc. Business Units. Prior to joining the American Express General Counsel’s Organization (“GCO”), Michelle served as Director of Legal Affairs for the Famous Dave’s restaurant chain. She was the sole legal counsel for the company, addressing a broad range of legal matters including contract negotiations and IT and IP matters. Previously, Michelle handled complex contract negotiations for National Express Corp. in the transportation industry, Heartland Food Corp. a Burger King Franchisee where she also served as the sole legal internal counsel and McDonald’s Corp. both in the in QSR/fast food industry, The Rewards Network in the financial and marketing services industry and Gallagher Bassett Services, Inc. in the financial services & risk industry. Michelle has earned international law certificates from the University of Toronto and Oxford University.
Anna Spencer focuses on the privacy, security and exchange of health information. She brings nearly twenty years of experience to bear when helping companies in the health care sector craft practical solutions to complex regulatory, public policy and enforcement matters that involve the processing of personal information. She counsels a diverse group of companies, including health plans, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers, healthcare providers, health information technology companies, digital health companies, pharmacies, electronic health record vendors, private equity companies, financial institutions and employers that sponsor group health plans.
She helps companies leverage data assets, respond to data breaches and advocate for simplified, common sense rules for the electronic exchange of health information. Anna regularly advises companies with respect to HIPAA, HITECH, Part 2 protections for substance abuse treatment records, GINA, the privacy and security rules promulgated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Food and Drug Administration’s cybersecurity guidance for medical device companies and privacy requirements under the Common Rule. She also defends covered entities and business associates in investigations by the Office for Civil Rights, US Department of Health and Human Services (OCR). She lobbies Congress and federal agencies for changes to federal and state laws that govern the processing of health information.
Anna regularly assists clients on privacy and security compliance issues related to cloud computing, big data, health information technology, mobile applications, digital health, clinical trials, processing of bio-specimens and de-identification of data sets. She works closely with consultants that perform security risk assessments and compromise assessments. She also has extensive knowledge of state information privacy and security laws, including CMIA and CCPA. Anna co-authored a treatise on health information privacy and security for Bloomberg Law. She is a frequent speaker on a broad range of health care data privacy and security topics.
Founded in 1930, Harry Norman, REALTORS® is Atlanta’s original and largest luxury residential real estate brokerage firm. It is owned by HomeServices of America, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway company, the nation’s largest full-service residential real estate company.
As the company’s Vice President and General Counsel, Ashoo Sharma oversees all risk management, compliance, and litigation or regulatory matters. She serves on Harry Norman, REALTORS® senior leadership team and contributes to the HomeServices enterprise’s diversity and inclusion committee.
Considered an industry expert, Ashoo regularly leads panels on topics of real estate and corporate counsel best practices. As leader for Georgia’s in-house legal community, she serves on the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Board for the Georgia chapter.
Ashoo is a past Barrister in Bleckley Inn of Court and recipient of several professional excellence articles and awards, including 2006 and 2007 “Georgia Rising Stars” by Super Lawyers publication, 2017 “GC Impact Award” by Fulton County Daily Report publication, and 2019 Top 100 Corporate Counsel by OnConferences.
Most recently in November 2020, Ashoo was appointed by Governor Kemp to the Georgia Equal Opportunity Commission’s Advisory Board to help safeguard Georgians from housing and employment discrimination.
Ashoo was born in India, has lived in Atlanta for 40 years, is proud mom to 3 children, and married to her childhood sweetheart.
Megan Poonolly is a seasoned attorney, thought leader, and digital marketplace safety executive who partners with senior executives to help enhance the safety of digital marketplaces that connect users in real life. Currently, she serves as Head of Safety at Care.com, which she joined in October 2020. In her capacity as Head of Safety, Megan oversees the Care.com user safety program and leads a cross-functional team responsible for safety strategy and experience for all members of the platform.
Before joining Care.com, Megan served as Senior Safety Counsel at Uber, where she advised the company on global safety policies, procedures, and tools affecting millions of drivers, delivery people, riders, and other customers around the world. While at Uber, Megan served as the legal point of contact and SME for the global driver and courier screening program, and she advised on countless policies, procedures, and products relating to onboarding, screening, deactivations, fraud, and other safety issues. Before Uber, Megan practiced law at Seyfarth Shaw and Paul Hastings, in the employment and litigation groups, respectively. At Seyfarth Shaw, Megan focused her practice on background screening compliance and litigation and gained subject matter expertise in the FCRA and other laws relating to background screening. Megan has previously presented at the Professional Background Screeners Association conference and is the author of numerous articles and blog posts regarding safety and employment law issues. Prior to beginning her legal career, Megan worked as a systems engineer supporting projects for the Department of Defense.
Christina Yates is currently the associate general counsel at Gemological Institute of America, Inc. (GIA) where she focuses on intellectual property, technology, litigation, working with GIA’s laboratory staff and law enforcement to return lost and stolen diamonds to their rightful owners.
Prior to joining GIA, Ms. Yates spent five years with DLA Piper in its Intellectual Property and Technology group counseling clients on trademark and copyright issues, and strategizing with clients and advising them on domestic and global trademark portfolios. She also represented clients in state and federal court, as well as in USPTO actions.
Christina Yates is currently the associate general counsel at Gemological Institute of America, Inc. (GIA) where she focuses on intellectual property, technology, litigation, working with GIA’s laboratory staff and law enforcement to return lost and stolen diamonds to their rightful owners.
Prior to joining GIA, Ms. Yates spent five years with DLA Piper in its Intellectual Property and Technology group counseling clients on trademark and copyright issues, and strategizing with clients and advising them on domestic and global trademark portfolios. She also represented clients in state and federal court, as well as in USPTO actions.
EDUCATION:University of San Diego, JD (Law)
BAR ADMISSIONS:California (CA-201748)
MEMBERSHIPS:
•State Bar of California
•International Association of Privacy Professionals
•American Corporate Counsel
VOLUNTEER WORK:
•Nativity Prep Academy, Mentor
•Homeless Court (2010-2020)
•Medical Missionaries of Mary
As a Partner in the Georgia Litigation Group, Lisa handles foreclosure, transactions, evictions, title issues, appeals, litigation, collection, and lien placement. In addition to this, Lisa participates in removal for all commercial matters as well as general litigation involving consumer borrowers and transaction. As part of the consumer practice, Lisa engages in title curative actions, general litigation, TILA and RESPA issues, injunctions, and equitable matters for secured creditors. Lisa also handles commercial transactions for both large and small businesses, including but not limited to, contractors, sub-contractors, private equity funds and other private lenders. Lisa is admitted to practice law in all State and Federal Courts in the state of Georgia.
When a client hires Kelly, her number one goal is to add value to their business. She understands retaining an attorney should be an investment in a relationship, and she spends considerable non-billable time learning about clients’ businesses, operational challenges, labor and employment issues, and goals. Her job is to partner with clients to navigate current challenges and encourage future growth.
Throughout her fifteen-plus years of defending corporate clients in complex labor and employment litigation, Kelly has handled class and multi-plaintiff employment discrimination cases, harassment and retaliation lawsuits, wage and hour class and collective actions, and trade secret and restrictive covenant matters. She also first-chaired a number of discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and breach-of-contract claims to successful verdicts for clients. Kelly also enjoys proactively advising clients on compliance with the patchwork of federal, state, and local employment laws, conducts investigations and internal audits, develops employment policies and best practices, and negotiates employment issues that arise during transactions.
Kelly understands the cases she handles for clients involve systemic practices that can have significant impacts on a company’s bottom line, and spends much of her time learning about companies’ needs and obtaining results that advance their strategic business goals.
Tommi Paris is the Senior Vice President of DEI Strategy for IPG DXTRA, a global collective of 28 marketing specialty brands that bring together uniquely configured solutions inspired by truly diverse teams to help our clients meet challenges as they come. IPG DXTRA works across experiential, public relations, sponsorships, innovation, brand, influencer, digital, social and analytics categories as diverse as sports, healthcare, entertainment, CPG, luxury, tech, and financial services.
She previously served as Director of DEI for Southern Company Gas, a subsidiary of Southern Company, a $3B premier energy company, delivering energy services to 9 million customers through its subsidiaries across North America of 30,000+ employees. Southern Company Gas is the natural gas services subsidiary of Southern Company with more than 4,300 employees serving more than 4.2 million customers across North America.
In her role with Southern Company Gas, Tommi was responsible for the direction, development and execution of the company’s DEI strategy and supported the overall goals of Southern Company, which is consistently recognized as one of the top companies in the nation for DEI. Southern Company was recently named as one of the Top 50 Companies for Diversity by both DiversityInc and Black Enterprise magazine. For the 10th consecutive year, the company was ranked as a Best for Vets Employer by Military Times EDGE magazine. Additionally, the Disability Equality Index recognized Southern Company as one of the Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion. Once again, the company earned a perfect score of 100 from the Human Rights Campaign on their 2020 Workplace Equality Index.
Southern Company Gas was awarded the Roosevelt Thomas Champion of Diversity Award by the American Association for Access, Equity and Diversity for fostering equal opportunity and exhibiting outstanding commitment to diversity.
Tommi joined Southern Company in 2013 as an employee communications specialist supporting the strategic communications efforts of Field Operations, Talent Development and the Office of DEI in its inaugural year in 2014. After being promoted to Manager of D&I in the inaugural year, Tommi partnered with leaders and employees across the company to expand the employee resource group (ERG) program to nine groups with active chapters in four states. In 2018, as Director of DEI, she began leading the continued evolution of the employee resource group program, which was recently ranked #5 out of #10 by Talent Dimensions for program expansion and evolution. Additionally, she oversaw the development and execution of employee engagement and education strategies to build leadership capabilities and foster an inclusive work environment.
Tommi earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and women and gender studies from Furman University. She also is a Certified Diversity Professional through the Society for Diversity and is a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Additionally, she is currently pursuing a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion through Cornell University.
An active DEI practitioner, Tommi serves as a board member for the Atlanta Diversity Management Advocacy Group and was an inaugural member of Disability: IN Greater Atlanta, a nonprofit business association committed to disability inclusion. She recently ended her tenure as Vice Chair of the DEI Council and Chair of the DEI Committee for Southern Gas Association and previously served on the programs and professional development committee for the American Association for Blacks in Energy (AABE).
A lifelong athlete, Tommi enjoys sports and physical activity. This year, she will sunset her almost decade-long career as a NCAA Division I women’s college basketball referee, a pastime that allowed her to practice conflict resolution and manage competitive tension, which she considers to be her super powers
Nicole Cameli is the Associate General Counsel for Emerson Automation Solutions. Prior to working in this role, she was the Senior counsel for Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions. Nicole acquired her Law Degree from Marquette University Law School.
J. Stewart Bohan currently works as an attorney for WarnerMedia in Atlanta, GA, where he sits on the Ad Sales legal team and supports the Digital Advertising Sales, Research, and National Addressable groups. Having held this role for the last six years, he has worked with a diverse array of clients and colleagues and helped them face an increasingly complex set of regulations and legal nuances. He has also been an active participant in the company’s LGBT-affinity group now known as PRISM, and is currently a leader in WarnerMedia Atlanta’s pro bono efforts.
LeeAnn Jones is a problem solver. As a trial lawyer with more than 30 years’ experience, she helps clients resolve complex litigation disputes in federal and state courts, multidistrict litigation (MDL), and arbitration proceedings throughout Georgia and nationwide. She gains an in-depth understanding of the client’s business and industry to develop and execute litigation strategies designed to achieve an optimal legal outcome consistent with the client’s business goals and objectives. She has used this approach to successfully represent companies of all sizes in commercial, personal injury, product liability, and pharmaceutical and medical device litigation and consumer class actions. Her cases frequently involve technical, scientific and medical issues, and she excels at mastering complex issues to communicate them simply and effectively to a judge or jury.
Ms. Jones has developed and implemented national and regional coordinating counsel programs to assist clients in efficiently managing and coordinating discovery and litigation arising in multiple similar cases around the country. She has led and served on coordinating counsel teams representing clients in the pest control, manufacturing, retail, automotive, pharmaceutical and health care industries.
Ms. Jones also has represented companies, community banks, and national/regional banks as both plaintiffs and defendants in a variety of complex commercial, financial institution, and business litigation matters, including claims for breach of contract, lender liability, business torts, fraud, RICO, wrongful foreclosure and other business disputes.
Ms. Jones draws upon her experience as a trial lawyer and her problem-solving skills to assist in pre-litigation claim investigations, risk assessments and early case evaluations to achieve cost-effective outcomes for her clients. She has successfully resolved numerous cases through mediation and is a trained civil mediator registered with the Georgia Office of Dispute Resolution.
Ms. Jones began practicing at a full-service law firm, where she was a partner from 1994-2008, and was counsel in the Atlanta office of an international law firm from 2009-2013.
She has been a frequent speaker and presenter on a variety of topics, including trial skills, expert witness issues, toxic tort developments, causation in personal injury litigation and workplace diversity issues.
Ms. Jones is an active community leader and volunteer, serving on the Boards of national and local non-profit organizations and is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2015. She is an avid sports fan and recreational runner who enjoys gardening, politics, music and outdoor activities.
Sandra Jean is a labor and employment attorney with significant experience in Human Resources, primary in the long term care setting. Sandra currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Diversicare Healthcare Services, a publically traded provider of long term care headquartered out of Brentwood Tennessee. Prior to Diversicare, Sandra was the Vice President and InHouse Counsel for CHSGa in Georgia.
Born in NY, raised in Haiti, Sandra returned to NY to finish HS. She attended Hunter College in NY where she majored in Accounting.
Subsequently, Sandra moved to Boston where she attended law school; she lived there for 14 years until she moved to GA in 2008.
Throughout her career, Sandra has worked as Federal Prosecutor from 1999 to 2005 when she ventured into HR with Beverly Enterprises. She has worked as a Manager of HR, Director of HR, Area VP of Operations, VP of HR and now in the Senior VP role. Sandra has supported all areas of HR from recruitment through life cycle. Sandra brings well over 20 years of HR experience with 16+ years of HR experience in Long Term Care setting. Over the past few years, Sandra has presented and/or facilitated presentations on several topics, including:
•Principles of Coaching & Supervision,
•Reimagining the Employee Experience with Recognition,
•Coaching, Team Building & Conflict Resolution,
•Strategies on Positioning Oneself as the Employer of Choice in one’s Market,
•Recruitment & Retention strategies: Getting the Right People on the Bus.
Sandra is the mother of 2 daughters: one in nursing school, the other a HS senior. She is an avid fan of Tom Brady. She loves to travel and aspires to visit all continents in this lifetime.
Sponsors
DLA Piper
DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers located in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, positioning us to help clients with their legal needs around the world.
We strive to be the leading global business law firm by delivering quality and value to our clients.
We achieve this through practical and innovative legal solutions that help our clients succeed. We deliver consistent services across our platform of practices and sectors in all matters we undertake.
Our clients range from multinational, Global 1000, and Fortune 500 enterprises to emerging companies developing industry-leading technologies. They include more than half of the Fortune 250 and nearly half of the FTSE 350 or their subsidiaries. We also advise governments and public sector bodies.
Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
Dinsmore is a full service law firm where accomplishment is the center of everything we do. With 700 attorneys spanning 30 offices coast to coast, the firm continues to live up to the standards established by our founding partners over a century ago: efficient, cost-effective, and comprehensive solutions for clients.
McAngus Goudelock & Courie LLC
McAngus Goudelock & Courie is a metrics-driven law firm built specifically to meet the needs of insurance companies and their customers. From 16 regional offices, we serve clients across the Southeast.
Taylor English Duma LLP
Taylor English Duma LLP is built from the ground up to provide highest-quality legal services for optimal value. The firm combines the best aspects of a traditional law firm with seasoned attorneys managing their practices remotely throughout the United States. Together, our attorneys work each day to provide timely, creative, and cost-effective counsel to help clients solve problems and achieve goals. Taylor English represents all types of clients – from Fortune 500 companies to start ups.
Greenberg Traurig LLP
Greenberg Traurig is a global law firm with approximately 2,650 attorneys and governmental affairs professionals in 45 commercial and government centers across the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm’s multidisciplinary teams include senior lawyers who have served as chief legal officers at major multinational companies and have spent years solving real-world problems in the business, political, and legal arenas. GT’s corporate practice comprises more than 600 lawyers in the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America who regularly advise public and privately held companies, entrepreneurs and investment funds on global mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, private equity and venture capital, underwritten and syndicated offerings, commercial finance and syndicated lending, cross-border transactions, and general corporate matters. For additional information, please visit www.gtlaw.com.
Balch & Bingham LLP
Balch & Bingham LLP is a corporate law firm recognized nationally for its counsel and deep experience in regulated industries including energy, financial services and healthcare, and its highly regarded practices in business, environmental, government relations, labor and employment and litigation. With more than 200 attorneys and lobbyists across offices in Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama; Gulfport and Jackson, Mississippi; Jacksonville, Florida; and Washington, D.C., our firm is known for its collaborative, multidisciplinary approach. Balch & Bingham’s professional, collegial culture is inspired by nationally ranked attorneys who combine business intelligence and industry leadership with high-quality legal counsel to anticipate and respond to corporate challenges both creatively and proactively. We manage our client partnerships with efficient processes and transparencies that result in a predictable, value driven client experience. Balch & Bingham was founded in 1922. Balch & Bingham serves clients in practice areas that fall under seven firm sections.
Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC
In boardrooms and courtrooms, Stoll Keenon Ogden PLLC provides strategic legal counsel to clients in the Midwestern United States, across the country and around the world. Our attorneys are recognized among the best in their fields by Martindale-Hubbell, Best Lawyers in America® and Benchmark Litigation. We build client relationships for the long haul, because succeeding at business is a marathon, not a sprint.