Linda Addison is Immediate Past U.S. Managing Partner of Norton Rose Fulbright and Immediate Past Chair of the U.S. Management Committee.  Crain’s New York Business named Linda to its three most recent lists of the “50 Most Powerful Women in New York.”  Linda also has been named one of the “50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America” and one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America (National Law Journal).” A trusted advisor to CEOs and corporate boards, she has been described “as one of the nation’s smartest, most respected litigators,” “equally skilled at keeping CEOs out of the courtroom as representing them once there” (Lawdragon).  The American Bar Association awarded her its prestigious Margaret Brent Award Women Lawyers of Achievement Award, which recognizes the accomplishments of women lawyers who have excelled in their field and paved the way to success for other women lawyers.  Linda is Founding President of the Center for Women in Law. She is on the boards of Catalyst and the MD Anderson Cancer Center Foundation, is a Trustee of the University of Texas Law School Foundation, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.  Linda is a Distinguished Alumna of The University of Texas at Austin.

Senior United States District Judge Nancy Atlas, was appointed to the bench by President Bill Clinton in 1995 and sits in Houston, Texas. She served on and chaired the Committee on Judicial Security of the Judicial Conference of the United States from 2005 to 2015, among other judicial committee responsibilities.

Judge Atlas has been active in the American Bar Association and its Section of Litigation as a member of the Section's governing council and as chair of various committees. She co-founded the Houston Intellectual Property Inn of Court, which now bears her name, and is a member of the American Law Institute.

Before her judgeship, Judge Atlas was a council member of the State Bar of Texas Alternative Dispute Resolution Section, co-chaired the committee that created the Texas Ethical Guidelines for Mediators, and served as a Director and Treasurer of the Houston Bar Foundation. She Chaired the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, a gubernatorial appointment, from 1992 to 1995.

Judge Atlas graduated from Tufts University magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, earned a Juris Doctor from NYU School of Law, received that school's Vanderbilt Award for outstanding service, clerked for a U.S. District Judge, served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York, and practiced as a commercial litigator in Manhattan, NY, and Houston, Texas.

Kim K. Azzarelli is a business, philanthropic, and legal advisor focused on advancing women and girls. Together with Ambassador Melanne Verveer, she is a co-founder of Seneca Women and co-author of the new  book Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose.

Ms. Azzarelli is the Chair and Co-founder of the Cornell Center for Women and Justice, and a Partner at Seneca Point Global. Prior to her work with Seneca, she served as Senior Vice President of the Newsweek Daily Beast Company, where she led strategy, partnerships, and philanthropy for Women in the World.

In her prior roles, Ms. Azzarelli held senior philanthropic and legal roles at Goldman Sachs and Avon, respectively. At Goldman Sachs, she led the billion-dollar donor advised fund, Goldman Sachs Gives. At Avon, she served as Vice President, Legal and Public Affairs and Corporate Secretary. Prior to joining Avon, Ms. Azzarelli practiced corporate and securities law at Latham and Watkins.

Ms. Azzarelli is also an adjunct professor at Cornell Law School, where she teaches Women, Law, and the Economy and Technology. She is an author on matters relating to women and girls, including "Sustainable Development, Rule of Law and the Impact of Women Judges," co-authored with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Ms. Azzarelli is a graduate of Cornell Law School, Cornell University, and Friends Seminary High School in New York City, where she resides.

Michelle Banks is Chair of the Board of Directors of Minority Corporate Counsel Association, a nonprofit advancing diversity and inclusion in corporations and their law firms. She also Co-Chairs UCLA Law Women LEAD, an initiative she co-founded at her alma mater to empower and advance women students and alumnae. Until March 2016, Michelle was Executive Vice President, Global General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer of global apparel retailer Gap Inc. (Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Intermix).

Before joining Gap Inc. in 1999, Michelle worked as Legal Counsel for the Golden State Warriors NBA team, and in Tokyo, Japan, as American Counsel for Itochu Corporation. Her prior law firm practice with Sheppard Mullin and Morrison & Foerster in California and New York focused on corporate finance and international commercial transactions. Michelle has been recognized as a Most Influential Woman in Bay Area Business and Corporate Counsel Diversity Champion by the San Francisco Business Times, a Most Powerful and Influential Woman by California Diversity Council, a Woman of Achievement by Legal Momentum, a Legend in Law by the Burton Foundation, a Top General Counsel to Watch by Corporate Board Member, a Distinguished General Counsel by the Directors Roundtable, and a Corporate Counsel Innovator by the Financial Times.

Sharon is Vice President and General Counsel for Cummins Inc., where she is responsible for worldwide legal matters and oversees a team of lawyers, paralegals and other professionals.

With more than 30 years of experience in the legal profession, Sharon primarily specializes in intellectual property law. Prior to joining Cummins, she served as Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Deputy Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). During the two years she spent in that role, Sharon led 15 foreign missions to meet with government representatives, as well as leaders in academia and industry to raise awareness about the impact of intellectual property on business and innovation.

She has spent the majority of her career in private practice, most recently at the law firm of Foley & Lardner in Chicago, where she led the firm’s Intellectual Property Department, a team of more than 200 intellectual property lawyers.

Sharon received the 2013 American Inns of Court Professionalism award for the 7th Circuit and the 2011 Women of Vision award from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois. She was named one of the 50 Most Influential Minority Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal in 2008 and an Illinois “Super Lawyer” by Law & Politics Media Inc. (2005-2011) for her intellectual property litigation work.

She is a graduate of Syracuse University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and went on to receive a law degree from the University of Michigan Law School.

Judge Anna Blackburne-Rigsby was nominated by President George W. Bush to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals in August 2006. Judge Blackburne-Rigsby chairs the District of Columbia Courts’ Standing Committee on Fairness and Access, and serves on the District of Columbia’s Access to Justice Commission. Judge Blackburne-Rigsby the Chair and Moderator of the National Consortium on Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Courts. Judge Blackburne-Rigsby is a Past President of the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) for the 2013-2014 term.

Prior to her appointment to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals, Judge Blackburne-Rigsby was nominated by President William Jefferson Clinton to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and served from 2000-2006. Judge Blackburne-Rigsby previously served as a Magistrate Judge on the Superior Court of the District of Columbia from 1995-2000.

Judge Blackburne-Rigsby graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, and received the Duke University Presidential Leadership Award. Following graduation from Duke University, she was selected to be one of twelve Public Affairs Fellows of the Coro Foundation in San Francisco, California. She earned her law degree from Howard University School of Law, graduating in the top five percent of her class. While in law school, she served as the Lead Articles Editor of the Howard Law Journal and served as the Co-Captain for the Charles Hamilton Houston Moot Court Team.

Ms. Broocks maintains an active practice in trials and appeals of complex commercial, real estate, securities, personal injury, and employment cases. In addition to being Board Certified in Civil Trial Law and Civil Appellate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Ms. Broocks is also a certified mediator, with experience mediating a variety of civil suits, and an arbitrator for the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.

Ms. Broocks's recent experience includes: successful defense of a national investment banking firm in suit alleging securities fraud in connection with a public stock offering; successful defense of claims of product liability and gross negligence in suits involving gas explosions and toxic exposure; and ongoing representation of a variety of firms and individuals in connection with investigations conducted, and suits brought, by the SEC, FINRA, the CFTC, the NFA, and various state regulatory authorities.

Ms. Broocks has earned the distinction of Super Lawyer by Law & Politics Magazine in civil litigation defense in every year of voting and was selected as a 2000 Woman on the Move by the Houston Chronicle, Channel 11, and Texas Executive Women. She is a Founder of the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas, and serves on its executive committee. She is a board member and past president of the Texas Association of Civil Trial and Appellate Specialists, a member of the Houston Bar Association Litigation Section, a Council member and Treasurer of the HBA Appellate Section, Past Chair of the HBA Securities Litigation & Arbitration Section, a board member of the Propane Gas Defense Association, and a member of the Compliance and Legal Society of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association.

Tina Brown is an award‐winning journalist, editor, author and founder and CEO of Tina Brown Live Media, a company dedicated to summits, salons, flash forums and debates. Between 1979 and 2001, she was editor­‐in­‐chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker and she also authored the 2007 best­‐selling biography of the Princess of Wales, The Diana Chronicles. In 2000, she was awarded the honor of Commander of the Order of the British Empire by the Queen for her services to journalism. In October 2008 Brown launched and edited the digital news site The Daily Beast, which won the news website of the year award in 2012 and 2013. In 2010 she launched the annual Women in the World Summit that convenes extraordinary leaders such as Meryl Streep, Hillary Clinton, Oprah Winfrey, Angelina Jolie and Christine Lagarde as well as inspirational activists and political change­‐makers from all over the world to join the three‐day event at Lincoln center, share their stories, and offer solutions to building a better life for women and girls. In 2014 she launched Tina Brown Live Media to expand Women in the World nationally and launched summits in London and Delhi. The first London Women in the World Summit in 2015 featured participants such as Theresa May, Nicole Kidman, Nobel Laureate Leymah Gbowee, Nicola Sturgeon, Queen Raina of Jordan, Cara Delevingne, and German Minister of Defence, Ursula von der Leyen. It generated 515 million Twitter impressions, and an estimated 1.5 billion print, online, and broadcast press impressions. Tina Brown is married to editor, publisher and historian Sir Harold Evans and lives in New York City.

Linda Chanow is the Executive Director of the Center for Women in Law (CWIL) at The University of Texas School of Law. Linda convenes leaders and top academics for CWIL’s biennial Women’s Power Summit on Law and LeadershipTM, one of the most significant gatherings of women attorneys in the country. She facilitates the Consortium for Advancing Women Lawyers, a community of national thought-leaders that encourages members to work together to accelerate the advancement of women lawyers. Linda also designs and directs extensive educational programming for practitioners and students and teaches a course at Texas Law that explores the gap between the number of women law school graduates and the number of women who occupy leadership positions in the legal profession.

Linda has authored or co-authored numerous reports on women in the legal profession, including Power for Change; Power in Law; Reduced Hours, Full Success: Part-Time Partners in U.S. Law Firms, 21 Hastings Women’s L.J. 223 (2010); Actions for Advancing Women Into Law Firm Leadership: Report of the National Association of Women Lawyers National Leadership Summit (2008); and Creating Pathways to Success: Advancing and Retaining Women in Today’s Law Firms (2006) (chaired Reporters’ Committee). She recently co-chaired the American Bar Association (ABA) Toolkit for Gender Equity in Partner Compensation, an initiative of the ABA Presidential Task Force on Gender Equity, and is a liaison to the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. While under her leadership, CWIL has been quoted or featured in USA Today, The Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report, Dallas Morning News, The American Lawyer, The Texas Lawyer, ABA Journal, The Texas Lawbook, Bloomberg, HBR Blog Network, Forbes, ForbesWoman, Postcards (Fortune).

Prior to joining CWIL, Linda was the Assistant Director of the Project for Attorney Retention, an initiative of the Center for WorkLife Law of the University of California Hastings College of the Law. While at PAR, Linda conducted research regarding flexible work schedules, assessed law firm and law department policies on flexible work schedules, and provided implementation guidance to legal institutions. Linda has also designed and conducted training workshops for law firm leaders, supervisors, and lawyers on a variety of topics, including identifying and correcting gender bias, sustaining work-life integration, working a flexible work schedule, and managing attorneys on flexible work schedules.

Stephanie Clouston leads Alston & Bird’s Dallas litigation practice. She is an experienced and effective litigator who focuses her practice on business disputes in the telecommunications, manufacturing, energy and construction industries. Stephanie represents clients in state and federal courts across the U.S. in major commercial disputes concerning breach of contract, negligence, products liability and fraud. She has also successfully represented clients in regulatory and investigative matters before governmental agencies, including states attorneys general, the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, Department of Energy, and Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Outside the courtroom, Stephanie is an active leader in the Center for Women in Law, an organization dedicated to promoting the legal careers of women throughout Texas and the U.S.

Stephanie earned her J.D., cum laude, from Southern Methodist University, where she was a regional finalist and “top ten oral advocate” for the ABA national moot court team, a member of the Inns of Court and chief counsel for the SMU Civil Clinic. She received her B.A., also cum laude, from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Stephanie is a member of the State Bar of Texas and is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts of Texas.

For four decades, Nina Cortell has represented corporations, public entities and individuals in cases that have put her at the forefront of Texas litigation practice. Chambers USA, Chambers & Partners (2016) ranks her as the top appellate lawyer in Texas, with a "star" rating, and Texas Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2010-2016, ranks her as one of the top 10 lawyers in Texas.

Nina’s record includes significant victories in both state and federal appellate courts, as well as in trial courts. Recent examples include the voiding of a $29 million liquidated damage provision in the Texas Supreme Court, affirmance of $3.6 billion plan of reorganization in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, reversal of a highly contested venue order in the Dallas Court of Appeals, and dismissal of shareholder derivative suits in the trial court.

Nina also places a high priority on community service. She is proud of her role as a co-founder of the Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas School of Law, which is devoted to enhancing the success of women in law and serves as a national resource to convene leaders, generate ideas, and lead change. Nina also works actively with the judiciary to improve the judicial process. Her current work includes her service on the prestigious Texas Supreme Court Advisory Committee, which is comprised of judges and attorneys from across the state and advises the Court in connection with its rule-making authority.

Nina is honored to have received the 2016 Greg Coleman Outstanding Appellate Lawyer Award from the Texas Bar Foundation, the 2013 Jack Pope Professionalism Award from the Texas Center for Legal Ethics (given annually to one lawyer who personifies the highest standards of professionalism and integrity in the field of law), the 2012 University of Texas School of Law Distinguished Alumnus Award for Community Service, and the 1999 Louise B. Raggio Award for significant contributions toward the advancement of women in the legal profession.

Samantha Hale Crispin has over 15 years of experience representing publicly traded and privately held corporate clients and private equity funds in complex capital markets, M&A and other strategic business transactions. Ms. Crispin has experience in a wide variety of industries, including technology, media, consulting and outsourcing, healthcare, energy, manufacturing, construction and construction products, homebuilding and consumer products.

Ms. Crispin represents both strategic and private equity buyers and sellers in a variety of M&A transactions, including corporate reorganizations, spin-offs and split-offs, joint ventures, strategic alliances, controlled auctions and acquisitions and dispositions in connection with insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings. She often handles accompanying strategic business transactions involving technology licensing, distribution, development and integration arrangements.

She counsels issuers, underwriters, investors and private equity funds in capital raising transactions, such as IPOs, secondary public offerings, private placements of debt and equity securities and new fund formation.

She also regularly advises clients as to corporate governance matters and SEC and Investment Advisers Act compliance.

FLORA DARPINO serves as the 39th Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army and is the first woman to hold that position since the first Judge Advocate General was appointed by George Washington in 1775. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and a Master of Laws degree in Military Law from The Judge Advocate General’s School. Her military education includes the Senior Service College Fellowship (Department of Justice), the Army Command and General Staff College, the Judge Advocate Officer Graduate Course, Combined Arms and Services Staff School, and the Judge Advocate Officer Basic Course.

On 3 September 2013, she was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and began serving as the U.S. Army’s senior military attorney. In that capacity, she leads over 10,000 legal professionals in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps at over 100 active and reserve Army legal offices across the U.S. and overseas. Lieutenant General Darpino has served with distinction in a variety of operational and staff assignments to include two tours to the combat theater of Iraq. She has also commanded the Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School, which is the only ABA accredited military law school with an LLM program.

Throughout her career, Lieutenant General Darpino has focused on mentorship and professional development. She now leads a Corps that takes pride in the character, competence, and commitment of its members.

Lieutenant General Darpino has been recognized for her professional leadership by numerous organizations, to include the Women’s Bar Association for the District of Columbia with the Woman Lawyer of the Year Award, 2016; the New Jersey State Bar Association’s Presidential Achievement Award, 2015; the American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Lawyers of Achievement Award, 2015; and the Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship ‘First’ Award, 2015.

Lieutenant General Darpino is married with two daughters.

Fernande R.V. Duffly, was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court until her retirement in July 2016. A graduate of Harvard Law School, and former partner of Boston’s Warner & Stackpole (now K&L Gates) , she previously served as Associate Justice on the Massachusetts Appeals Court and Probate and Family Court.

As an attorney, she provided pro bono legal services to indigent clients and was a member of the Board of Greater Boston Legal Services and the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.

Justice Duffly has served on committees that address access to justice and diversity in the legal profession, and speaks frequently on these subjects. She is a member and past President of the National Association of Women Judges; was NAWJ's delegate to the American Bar Association House of Delegates, and served for three years as a Commissioner on the ABA's Commission on the Status of Women in the Profession. She currently serves on the ABA's Council of the section on Civil Rights and Individual Justice, and Harvard University’s Board of Overseers. She has served on the Advisory Board of the Women’s Power Summit since its inception.

Before his appointment as Dean of The University of Texas School of Law, Ward Farnsworth taught for fifteen years at the Boston University law school, where he also served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Dean Farnsworth is Reporter for the American Law Institute's Restatement (Third) Torts: Liability for Economic Harm. He is author of Restitution: Civil Liability for Unjust Enrichment, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2014; The Legal Analyst, published by the University of Chicago Press in 2007; and Farnsworth's Classical English Rhetoric, published by David R. Godine in 2010. He has published scholarly articles on a range of topics in the Columbia Law Review, the University of Chicago Law Review, the Michigan Law Review, and various other journals. He teaches courses on torts, contracts, civil procedure, admiralty, and rhetoric. Dean Farnsworth graduated with high honors from the University of Chicago Law School in 1994, and afterwards served as a law clerk to Anthony M. Kennedy, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, and to Richard A. Posner, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. He has also served as Legal Adviser to the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal in the Hague.

Ms. Foran is Chief Governance Officer, Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary of Prudential Financial, Inc.  She has been a corporate governance leader throughout her career at Sara Lee Corporation, Pfizer, Inc. and J.P. Morgan & Co., Inc. She is admitted to the New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey (In-house) Bars.  Ms. Foran is a director on the board of Occidental Petroleum Corporation and Chairperson of its Executive Compensation Committee.  She is also a member of its Corporate Governance, Nominating and Social Responsibility Committee.  She previously served on the Board of Directors of The MONY Group Inc. and MONY Life Insurance Company.  Her many contributions to the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals is evidenced by her leadership roles as former Chairman, former director, former Chair of the Securities Law Committee, and former Treasurer.

Her proactive shareholder outreach and thought leadership on key governance issues has earned her global recognition as a leader in corporate governance.  She has been recognized as one of the Most Influential People in Corporate Governance by Directorship Magazine for five consecutive years.  In 2011, she was identified by Treasury and Risk Magazine as one of the Most Influential People in Finance.  In 2013, Corporate Secretary Magazine named Ms. Foran “Governance Professional of the Year”. In 2015, Ms. Foran received the Linda Quinn Lifetime Achievement Award from TheCorporateCounsel.net.

Ms. Foran received her B.A., magna cum laude, and J. D. degrees from the University of Notre Dame.

Claudia Wilson Frost is a partner in the Houston office of Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe LLP.   She has handled dozens of jury trials in state and federal courts in her 30-plus-year career as a trial lawyer, appellate advocate and strategist. Her experience has been wide-ranging and includes intellectual property and complex commercial litigation, in areas such as oil and gas and energy, telecommunications, technology and financial services.

Claudia has been extensively recognized for her practice. Chambers USA notes, “Clients admired [this] ‘highly responsive and fabulous strategist’ for her powers of ‘brilliant analysis.’ She has a trial background and a depth of appellate experience, with a particular niche in patent infringement.” The Legal 500 has called her “One of Best Known Names in the Field.” Claudia was named one of Law360’s “20 Most Influential Woman in IP Law” and was featured in 2016 as a “Trial Pro” by Law360.  She has been included as an IPStar, listed in IAM Patent 1000 and has been recognized in Euromoney’s Guide to Leading US Litigators, Guide to Leading World Litigators and Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law. She has been named a Texas Super Lawyer for over a decade and is in the Top 50 Women Lawyers in Texas and Top 100 Lawyers in Houston.

Ms. Frost began her career at Baker Botts in Houston, where she practiced for almost 20 years prior to establishing her own firm.  She has occupied leadership positions in her firms throughout her career, most recently as Co-Chair of DLA Piper US patent litigation practice and Global Co-Chair of the DLA Piper patent practice.  Claudia has also formed and led a number of organizations designed to improve the profession, including The Center for Women in Law at the University of Texas Law School, of which she is a Founder and member of its Executive Committee.  She is also a founding member and Master of the Bench in the Atlas IP Inn of Court in Houston.

Based on her trial and appellate experience, she has been elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates and in the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers. She is board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in both Civil Trial and Civil Appellate Law.

For more than 20 years, Hilda Galvan, a nationally recognized trial lawyer who focuses on complex intellectual property litigation, has represented plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts across the country and in the International Trade Commission. She has served as lead counsel for IBM, Texas Instruments, and Essilor in the enforcement of their patent portfolios and in defending against allegations of infringement.

In 2016, Hilda was named a global IP leader by World IP Review. She has led cross-border litigation matters involving courts in Europe, Asia, Texas, and the ITC. IAM magazine identified Hilda as a "powerhouse litigator" and lauded her "extensive experience in big-ticket patent litigation." She has litigated more than 100 patent cases, with 50+ in the Eastern District of Texas.

Recent victories include a summary judgment of invalidity in favor of SAS in the Eastern District of Texas and invalidity decisions against several Intellectual Ventures patents. Chambers noted, in 2016, that Hilda is prized by clients for her ability to "bring experience and strategy" to IP disputes arising in the electronics and software sectors.

Hilda also places a high priority on community service. She is chair of the board of the Dallas Regional Chamber, serves on the board of trustees of the University of Texas School of Law, and on the boards of Parkland Hospital Foundation, Dallas Women's Foundation, and the Dallas Hispanic Law Foundation. Hilda was named one of "The Most Powerful Business Leaders" in Dallas-Fort Worth" by D CEO and is Partner-in-Charge of the Dallas Office.

Deborah R. Gilg was appointed by President Obama to serve as the first woman United States Attorney for Nebraska (2009-2017). She was appointed by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to serve on the Attorney General’s Advisory Commission, a select committee of U.S. attorneys that advised AG Lynch on policy and management issues affecting U.S. Attorney offices throughout the country. She also chaired a Federal Task Force on Domestic Violence Against Native American Women. Previously, she had been in private practice in both rural and urban Nebraska as well as serving as an elected County Attorney and a Special Prosecutor spanning 21 counties throughout Nebraska. She also was Chair of the Nebraska Equal Opportunity Commission.

Presently, she is taking a sabbatical to relax and recharge before starting her next professional chapter. Deborah has been married for 41 years to her law school classmate; has 3 children and 3 ¾ grandchildren.

Pat Gillette is one of the country’s leading experts and most sought after speakers on gender diversity and equality. Ms. Gillette was a top rated employment lawyer and litigator for 40 years as well as a major rainmaker in her firms. In 2015 she resigned as a partner in her firm to pursue her passion for changing the legal profession as an author and keynote speaker. Ms. Gillette was also invited to join JAMS and now spends some of her time mediating employment related cases.

In her writings and presentations, Ms. Gillette focuses on how to succeed in the high powered, fast paced business environment of today. Relying on research studies she commissioned as well as her own experiences and charismatic style, Ms. Gillette is able to inspire audiences to think positively and practically about how they can realize their personal and business goals. She also brings thought provoking ideas on how to bring meaningful change to law firm and corporate structures to increase diversity and inclusion.

Ms. Gillette is the co-founder of the 2006 Opt-In Project, the first nationwide initiative to refocus the discussion from work life balance to the structural issues that impact the retention and advancement of women in the workplace. Ms. Gillette has been a Commissioner on the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, the ABA’s Gender Equity Task Force, Co-Chair of the BASF No Glass Ceiling Initiative, and she serves on non-profit boards, including Direct Women, which is dedicated to preparing women attorneys to serve on boards of public companies.

Leslie Goldman, a Managing Director with Major, Lindsey & Africa’s In-House Practice Group, is retained by companies to recruit chief legal officers, chief compliance officers, deputy GCs and other senior in-house attorneys. In addition, she collaborates with her colleagues in the global executive search firm Allegis Partners, an affiliate of Major Lindsey within the Allegis Group family of talent management companies, to guide organizations in their structuring and hiring decisions within the C-Suite.

Prior to joining Major, Lindsey & Africa, Leslie spent almost 10 years as vice president and general counsel for (i) Fisher HealthCare, the largest provider of diagnostic products to the U.S. clinical market; (ii) Athena Diagnostics, a provider of proprietary genetic testing; and (iii) Fisher Chemicals, a global chemical manufacturer and packager. In these roles, Leslie served as part of the senior leadership teams and managed the legal function of each of these Thermo Fisher Scientific businesses. Prior to her tenure with Thermo Fisher, Leslie spent six years as a senior in-house attorney for Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas. Leslie began her career in large law firms, starting in New York City with Proskauer Rose as a corporate/securities associate and then moving to Houston to join Vinson & Elkins' transactional healthcare group. She later practiced at Mayor, Day, Caldwell & Keeton prior to its merger with Andrews Kurth.

Leslie holds a B.A. from Yale University, an M.A. from the University of New South Wales in Sydney Australia (in Women’s Studies) and a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law.

Marcy Hogan Greer is recognized for her work in federal and state trial and appellate courts throughout the country. She has handled class actions of all types and served as the National Editor for the American Bar’s best-selling book, A Practitioner’s Guide to Class Actions (2010), including its 2012 supplement. Marcy has also been a key legal strategist for a variety of mass torts including fungal meningitis, childhood vaccines, denture adhesives, dopamine agonists, and diet drugs. She has obtained preemption and significant Daubert rulings in a number of pharmaceutical, medical device, and environmental exposure cases. She has also handled litigation strategy and appellate proceedings in matters involving patents, trademarks, and copyrights, administrative agency challenges, health care (provision and payment), employment disputes, insurance, oil and gas, real estate, and utilities.

Marcy is listed in Best Lawyers in America in appellate, bet-the-company litigation, and commercial litigation and was selected as the 2014-15 Austin Bet-the Company Litigation “Lawyer of the Year” by that organization. She has been included in Texas Super Lawyers for her appellate work every year since its inaugural list and has been listed in the Top 100 for the past several years.

Laurie Nicole Robinson Haden—an award winning lawyer and agent of change—truly personifies the 21st century businesswoman whose skills, passion and commitments are multi-faceted and the beneficiaries of her associations and accomplishments are many. She serves as the Senior Vice President and Assistant General Counsel of CBS Corporation in the Litigation Department. Prior to joining CBS in 2002, Mrs. Robinson Haden worked at two New York City law firms, Seyfarth Shaw LLP and Epstein, Becker and Green, P.C., where she represented management in labor and employment matters.

In addition to her role at CBS Corporation, Mrs. Robinson Haden is the founder and CEO of Corporate Counsel Women of Color, a non-profit professional organization, which she created in 2004 to advance women of color attorneys and to foster diversity in the legal profession. Mrs. Robinson Haden’s leadership and ability to galvanize has resulted in the growth of the organization’s membership from 30 members to over 3,300 members within an eleven-year period.

Mrs. Robinson Haden serves on the board of directors of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.

Lee Hanson is a Vice Chairman and Partner in the New York and San Francisco offices of Heidrick & Struggles. She is a senior member of the Chief Legal Officer practice, having conducted many General Counsel searches for clients ranging in size from Fortune 100 to private equity-backed portfolio companies across a broad range of industries. Her clients have included Accenture, Bank of New York, Colgate-Palmolive, CVS Caremark, Fidelity Investments, General Motors, Harrah’s Entertainment, MetLife, Morgan Stanley and United Airlines, among others. She also devotes a significant amount of her practice to Board of Director recruitment for public companies in a wide variety of industries as well as for mutual fund boards.

In addition to her executive search practice, Ms. Hanson was the Chair of the firm’s elected Global Partnership Council and currently co-Chairs the firm’s Global Promotions Committee. In 2012 she received the John E. Struggles Award, a partner-nominated and selected award, given to the partner who most demonstrates the partnership commitment, client focus and personal integrity hallmarks of our firm.

Prior to joining Heidrick & Struggles, Ms. Hanson spent fifteen years as an investment banker, most recently at Merrill Lynch & Co. and previously at Morgan Stanley & Co. Prior to this, she served as a law clerk to a federal district judge in New York.

Ms. Hanson graduated with a B.A. in economics, summa cum laude, from Yale University and holds a J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School. She was a Trustee at the Head-Royce School in Oakland, California for nine years, the last two years as Chair of its Board. She also served as Co-Chair of the school’s capital campaign. Ms. Hanson is a member of the Board of Directors of Analysis Group, Inc., an economics and financial consulting firm. She is also on the board of Students Rising Above, a non-profit focused on assisting high-potential, low-income high school students to achieve a successful college career. She was previously Vice President of the Board of the Financial Women’s Association of San Francisco.

Ms. Harris provides legal advice to the NBCUniversal senior management team and supervises the Law Department, which handles legal matters for all of NBCUniversal’s business units. She also coordinates NBCUniversal’s global regulatory and legislative agenda.

Ms. Harris joined NBCUniversal from Davis Polk & Wardwell, where she served as a partner in the litigation department.

From 2010 to 2012 Ms. Harris served in the White House Counsel’s Office, as Deputy Counsel and Deputy Assistant to the President. At the White House, Ms. Harris advised senior Executive Branch officials on congressional investigations and executive privilege issues, and managed litigation matters relating to the President.

From 2009 to 2010 she was Senior Counsel to the Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division.

She first joined Davis Polk & Wardwell as an associate in 1997 and was named a litigation partner in 2007. From 1996 to 1997 she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Charles S. Haight, Jr., U.S. District Court, S.D. New York.

Ms. Harris serves on the board of directors for Advocates for Children of New York, an organization that provides legal and advocacy services to at-risk students in the New York City school system and for The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School. She also serves on the Board of Advisors for the Yale Law School Center for the Study of Corporate Law, and was recently appointed by Chief Judge of the State of New York Janet DiFiore to the Permanent Commission on Access to Justice.

Ms. Harris graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University, and holds a law degree from Yale Law School. She lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband and three sons.

Cisselon Nichols Hurd currently serves as Senior Litigation Counsel for Shell Oil Company in Houston, Texas, where she handles environmental litigation. Prior to joining Shell, she served as Senior Counsel at ConocoPhillips, formerly Conoco Inc., where she managed mass toxic tort litigation matters. Ms. Hurd also previously served in a variety of governmental positions in the U.S. Virgin Islands including Counsel to the Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General for Environmental Enforcement. Prior to her work in the Virgin Islands, Ms. Hurd clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Harry W. McKee in the Eastern District of Texas. She also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice in the Attorney General’s Honors Program as a Trial Attorney in the Environment and Natural Resources Division and as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas where she prosecuted environmental crimes. Ms. Hurd obtained her B.A. and B.S. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. She also received her law degree from the University of Texas.

Valerie B. Jarrett was the longest serving Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama. She oversaw the Offices of Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and Chaired the White House Council on Women and Girls.

Ms. Jarrett has worked throughout her tenure at the White House to mobilize elected officials, business and community leaders, and diverse groups of advocates. She led the Obama Administration’s efforts to expand and strengthen access to the middle class, and boost American businesses and our economy. She championed the creation of equality and opportunity for all Americans, and economically and politically empowering women in the United States and around the world. She oversaw the Administration’s advocacy for workplace policies that empower working families, including equal pay, raising the minimum wage, paid leave, paid sick days, workplace flexibility, and affordable childcare, and led the campaigns to reform our criminal justice system, end sexual assault, and reduce gun violence.

Ms. Jarrett has a background in both the public and private sectors. She served as the Chief Executive Officer of The Habitat Company in Chicago, Chairman of the Chicago Transit Board, Commissioner of Planning and Development, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley. She also served as the director of numerous corporate and not-for-profit boards including Chairman of the Board of the Chicago Stock Exchange, Chairman of the University of Chicago Medical Center Board of Trustees, and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Ms. Jarrett has also received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including TIME’s “100 Most Influential People.”

Jarrett received her B.A. from Stanford University in 1978 and her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 1981.

Quarles & Brady Chair Kimberly Leach Johnson is one of southern Florida’s most successful attorneys. She is a five-time FIVE STAR: Best in Client Satisfaction Wealth ManagerSM, a Top 50 Women Florida Super Lawyer®, and one of Florida Trend magazine’s Florida Legal Elite, to mention but a few recognitions. From post-mortem tax-mitigation techniques, interpretation of trust documents, and corporate fiduciary advice to IRS audits, lifetime gift planning, and comprehensive document preparation, Kim guides her clients through the processes of defining final wishes and seeing them through with confidence, confidentiality, and competence. A consummate financial manager and longtime elected member of Quarles & Brady's executive committee, Kim now serves as chairperson of the more than 500-lawyer, AmLaw 200 firm that serves clients across the country. In addition to those leadership duties, she continues her active trusts & estates practice and is still there, every single day, for every last client. As firm chair, Kim is actively involved in Quarles & Brady’s corporate social responsibility efforts nationally. She is passionate about and personally supports several local causes as well, through her leadership and dedication.

Kim earned her law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law, L.L.M. degree from the University of Miami, and bachelor’s degree from Anderson College. Married for more than 30 years to Ken—another attorney, whom she met in law school—Kim’s three sons are now grown and enjoying successful careers of their own.

Gregory B. Jordan is executive vice president, general counsel and chief administrative officer of The PNC Financial Services Group.

Jordan is responsible for overseeing all of the legal functions for the corporation and leads PNC’s relationship with the government, including its regulatory affairs, regulatory policy and government affairs operations. In February 2016, he was named to the additional role of chief administrative officer where he oversees PNC’s Corporate Ethics Office, The PNC Foundation, Community Affairs, the Office of the Regional Presidents and Corporate Communications.

Jordan has been listed in The Best Lawyers In America since 1995. In 2003, he was named by The American Lawyer as one of the country’s top 45 lawyers under 45. In 2005, The Lawyer named him to the Global 100, a list of the 100 most influential lawyers. In 2006, a survey by The American Lawyer ranked Reed Smith as among the five best-managed law firms. In 2012, Greg was named by Law360 as one of the Ten Most Innovative Managing Partners. In 2014, Jordan was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Legal Intelligencer.

Anastasia D. Kelly, Co-Managing Partner (Americas) at DLA Piper, is the former Vice Chairman of American International Group (AIG), a role she held until the end of 2009.  In this role, she was responsible for the global legal, compliance and regulatory functions, government relations, communications, corporate affairs and human resources.  Ms. Kelly joined AIG in September, 2006 as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Regulatory and Compliance Officer.  She assumed her additional responsibilities in January, 2009.  Prior to AIG, Ms. Kelly was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of MCI/WorldCom, where she served as the Chief Legal Officer in the restructuring of the company from 2003 until its acquisition by Verizon in 2006.

Ms. Kelly received her law degree magna cum laude from George Washington University, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif and the George Washington Law Review. She received her undergraduate degree cum laude from Trinity University in Washington, DC. She serves as a director of Owens-Illinois, the world’s largest manufacturer of glass packaging, and Huntington Ingalls Industries, builder of more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder.

Ms. Kelly is a director and past Co-Chair of the Washington Lawyers' Committee (WLC), past Chair of Equal Justice Works, and a director of the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity. She is on the Board of the Center for Law, Economics and Finance at George Washington University Law School.

Sylvia J. Kerrigan is a seasoned energy sector veteran recently named a Top Ten Exploration and Production (E&P) Executive by the Houston Business Journal. She serves on the board of Team, Inc., an S&P 600 industrial services company, where she sits on the Audit & Finance and the Corporate Governance & Nominating Committees. She also serves on the board of Nine Point Energy, where she Chairs the Audit Committee and sits on the Compensation Committee.

Ms. Kerrigan is currently Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Marathon Oil Corporation (Marathon), a Fortune 200 global E&P company. With more than two decades of international business experience, she has substantial expertise in navigating complex and challenging regulatory and compliance matters, as well as identifying opportunities for growth and innovation. Ms. Kerrigan also manages the company’s engagement and relationships with national, state and local government officials, media, investors, and key partners. A trusted advisor to Marathon’s board of directors, she is involved in corporate strategy, governance, and risk alignment on both a committee and board-wide basis.

Ms. Kerrigan joined Marathon in 1995 and has served in a number of positions at increasing levels of responsibility. She was named Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary in 2009, assumed responsibility for compliance and business integrity in 2011, was promoted to Executive Vice President in 2012, and began leading all corporate communications, government affairs and public policy matters in 2014. She is the 2017 recipient of the Ernest E. Smith Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her contributions to the energy industry.

Ms. Kerrigan serves as a director of Marathon Oil Company, the chief operating subsidiary for Marathon Oil Corporation, as well as several other Marathon subsidiaries. She has also served on the board of directors for public policy organizations such as the American Leadership Forum, the American Petroleum Institute General Committee, and the United Way Law Initiative (Co-Chair). Ms. Kerrigan graduated from Southwestern University and the University of Texas School of Law. She currently serves on boards at both institutions, and is Vice Chair of Southwestern’s Academic Affairs Committee.

Linda Klein is the senior managing shareholder at Baker Donelson Bearman Caldwell & Berkowitz and president of the American Bar Association.

Klein’s practice, based in Atlanta, includes most types of business dispute resolution, including contract law, employment law and professional liability, working extensively with clients in the construction, higher education and pharmaceutical industries.

In June 1997, Klein became the first woman to serve as president of the State Bar of Georgia. During Klein's term, she devised a proposal and advocated for the state to allocate funding for Georgia Legal Services and Atlanta Legal Aid to hire lawyers to help indigent victims of domestic violence. She organized a statewide group of community organizations and local and minority bar associations that together convinced the General Assembly to appropriate $2 million. Since then, the annual appropriations have helped thousands in Georgia with legal issues related to domestic violence.

Klein was one of the first women to lead a prominent Georgia law firm. She served as managing partner of Gambrell & Stolz beginning in 2001 and led the firm's 2007 merger with Baker Donelson, becoming a Baker Donelson board member and Georgia managing shareholder.

Klein earned her J.D. at Washington & Lee Law School in Virginia and her B.A. at Union College in New York.

Andrea S. Kramer is a partner in the international law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP, where she heads its Financial Products, Trading and Derivatives Group.  Andie is a founding member of the firm’s Diversity Committee and co-chair of its Gender Diversity Subcommittee.  She previously served on its Management and Compensation Committees.  Andie is co-author with her husband, Alton B. Harris, of the book Breaking Through Bias:  Communication Techniques for Women to Succeed at Work, which was named one of the best business books of 2016 by Women@Work and “a well-organized, well-thought-out call to action” by Publishers Weekly.  She is co-author of What You Need to Know About Negotiating Compensation, a 2013 guide published by the American Bar Association’s Task Force on Gender Equality, as well as over 50 articles and blog posts on promoting diversity and overcoming gender stereotypes and biases.

Among her many honors and awards, Andie was named by the National Law Journal as one of the 50 Most Influential Women Lawyers in America for her “demonstrated power to change the legal landscape, shape public affairs, launch industries, and do big things,” and ChambersUSA named her the “2014 Gender Diversity Private Practice Lawyer of the Year” for her outstanding contributions to furthering the advancement of women in law. She received the “Leadership Recognition Award” from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI); the “Inspiration Award” from the Coalition of Women in Law Initiatives; the “Top Women Lawyers in Leadership Award” from the WBAI; the “Founder’s Award” from the Chicago Bar Association’s Alliance for Women; and the “Women With Vision Award” from the WBAI.

Ms. Longoria is an honors graduate of the University of Texas and received her J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law in 1979.

She has served as the Chairman of the Port of Houston Authority, the leading economic engine for the greater Houston region, since she was unanimously appointed by the City of Houston and County of Harris on January 8, 2013.

Ms. Longoria chairs the Port Commission’s Audit Committee, Community Relations Committee and serves on the Governance Committee and Pension & Benefits Committee. She also created the Citizens Advisory Council to foster open communication between communities in and around the Port of Houston and the Port Commission.

She is on the board of two public companies, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. and Superior Energy Services, Inc., both based in Houston.

She is active in many non-profit organizations. She currently serves on the board of directors of the University of Texas Law School Foundation, the Greater Houston Partnership and the Texas Medical Center, and of the Board of Visitors of the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Ms. Longoria has received numerous honors and recognitions for her community and board service, including the Distinguished Alumnus Award for the University of Texas, the Sandra Day O’Connor Award for Board Excellence, the Female Executive of the Year Award from the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (2010), and has been recognized as a “breakthrough woman” and inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Greater Houston Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

Kim Lubel serves as the Chairman, President & CEO of CST Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CST), one of the largest independent retailers of motor fuels and convenience merchandise in North America. Based in San Antonio, Texas, CST employs close to 14,000 Team Members at nearly 2,200 locations throughout the United States and Eastern Canada. CST Brands was spun-off from Valero Energy Corporation on May 1, 2013.  Prior to her role at CST Brands, Kim had over 15 years of service with Valero Energy Corporation, having served as Valero’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel from 2007 until joining CST in 2013.  Kim also serves as Chairman of the Board of the general partner of CrossAmerica Partners, L.P. (NYSE: CAPL), an Allentown, Pennsylvania based, branded motor fuels distributor in the United States. CrossAmerica distributes fuel to more than 1,200 locations and owns or leases more than 800 sites in 25 states. Kim also serves on the Board of Directors of Tulsa-based WPX Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WPX).

Michele Coleman Mayes is Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary for the New York Public Library (NYPL). Ms. Mayes joined NYPL in August 2012 after serving as Executive Vice President and General Counsel for Allstate Insurance Company since 2007. She served as a Senior Vice President and the General Counsel of Pitney Bowes Inc. from 2003 to 2007 and in several legal capacities at Colgate-Palmolive from 1992 to 2003. In 1982, Ms. Mayes entered the corporate sector as managing attorney of Burroughs Corporation. After Burroughs and Sperry Corporation merged, creating Unisys Corporation, she was appointed Staff Vice President and Associate General Counsel for Worldwide Litigation. From 1976 through 1982, she served in the U.S. Department of Justice as an Assistant United States Attorney in Detroit and Brooklyn, eventually assuming the role of Chief of the Civil Division in Detroit. Ms. Mayes received a B.A. from the University of Michigan and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

Ms. Mayes served on the Presidential Commission on Election Administration in 2013-2014. She became Chair of the Commission on Women in the Profession of the American Bar Association in August 2014. Effective in 2015, she was appointed as an Advisor to the ABA Business Law Section, and in that same year, became a Fellow of the American College of Governance Counsel. In August 2016, she was elected to the Board of Directors of Gogo Inc. (NASDAQ: GOGO).

Madeleine began a five-year term as Chair of Shook, Hardy & Bacon on January 1, 2017. A former clinical pharmacist, she represents multinational companies in a range of industries: pharmaceutical, animal health, medical device, food, cosmetics and beverage.

Shook’s pharmaceutical company clients have described Madeleine as “a true visionary and trusted counsel” and “one of the finest lawyers I have ever worked with—brilliant, innovative, with enormous integrity."

During her tenure as Chair of Shook’s Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Practice, the firm represented dozens of major pharmaceutical clients, including each of the top-10 pharmaceutical companies worldwide.

Madeleine has also served as Co-Chair of the Agribusiness and Food Safety Practice, and Co-Chair of the Life Sciences and Biotechnology Practice. She was elected to serve four three-year terms on the firm’s Executive Committee.

Madeleine advises organizations on preventative litigation approaches, policy and governance issues, emerging international legal developments, creative resolution strategies, risk management, corporate social responsibility and crisis management.

The National Law Journal named Madeleine one of the nation's top-50 Litigation Trailblazers & Pioneers in its inaugural 2014 class. She has been named a leading product liability attorney by Who’s Who Legal: The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers and a Life Science Star by LMG Life Sciences. Madeleine has also been listed in The Legal 500 United States. In 2013, Missouri Lawyers Weekly honored her as a Mentor of the Year for her long-standing dedication to advising younger colleagues, law students and high school students with an interest in the law. She is also an American Bar Foundation fellow.

Chair of Morgan Lewis, Jami McKeon directs the firm’s strategic growth and its steadfast commitment to client service and is one of the few women leading global law firms. As the leader of one of the biggest law firms in the United States, and one of the Global 25, Jami oversees the work of 2,000 lawyers across 29 offices. She is an accomplished trial lawyer and counsels clients in high-stakes crisis litigation and regulatory investigations, focusing on the financial services and technology industries.

Jami is active in organizations dedicated to supporting the success of women in business and the legal profession, and serves as a mentor as part of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Partnership with the State Department. She is also committed to pro bono and community service. She sits on the Board of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, is the recipient of The American Red Cross “Lifetime Achievement Award” (2015), and the winner of the United Way “Women’s Leadership Initiative Award” (2015). Jami lives with her husband and four children in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area.

Elizabeth D. Moore is Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc., providing electric, gas and steam service to New York City and Westchester County.

Prior to joining Con Edison in May 2009 as General Counsel, Ms. Moore was a partner of Nixon Peabody LLP and also served in the administration of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo for 12 years, culminating as Counsel to the Governor from 1991-94.

She earned a law degree from St. John's University, and holds a Bachelor of Science from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. Ms. Moore served on Cornell's Board of Trustees for 14 years and in 2013 was elected Trustee Emeritus. She received the Board's highest recognition when she was elected Presidential Councillor and most recently accepted the Frank H. T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award. Ms. Moore serves on the Board of Directors of the National Action Council of Minorities in Engineering. Early in her career, Ms. Moore worked as an attorney in Con Edison's Law Department.

In 2015, Ms. Moore was named to Savoy magazine's list of 2015 Top Black Lawyers and to the Lawyers of Color' s Fourth Annual Power List. She was honored by the Police Athletic League at the 27th Annual Women of the Year ceremony. In February 2013, Ms. Moore received the 11th Annual Ida B. Wells-Barnett Justice Award from the New York County Lawyers' Association and the Metropolitan Black Bar Association. Ms. Moore was also honored by The Network Journal as one of the "25 Influential Black Women in Business" and was recognized as a "Leader for a New Century" by the Association of Black Women Attorneys. A native of St. Albans, Queens, Ms. Moore resides in Sleepy Hollow, in Westchester County.

Maureen Mulligan is a Partner at Peabody & Arnold. She is an experienced trial lawyer who represents clients in complex business disputes including shareholder conflicts, internet and digital media disputes, general commercial disputes and professional liability claims.  Mulligan also represents insurance companies in insurance coverage disputes around the country and is a strategic advisor to  companies on risk management, corporate investigations and fiduciary and ethical duties.  Mulligan has extensive first chair trial experience and has also been trained as a mediator through the Harvard Law School Program of Instruction for Lawyers Mediation Workshop. She is a member of the Bar in Massachusetts and California.

Mulligan is a Commissioner with the American Bar Association Commission on Women in the Profession, sits on the Advisory Committee for the Business Litigation Session of the Massachusetts Superior Court, is a founding member and current chair of the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section’s Women Trial Lawyers Task Force and is a member of the section’s National Trial Academy Board.  Mulligan previously  served on the Corporate Board Committee of the Boston Club, which promotes board diversity and provides companies with qualified women candidates for board placement. She has served on the Board of Trustees for the Step One School and Concord Academy. Mulligan previously served as co-chair of the Board of The Legal Advocacy and Resource Center, and was a member of Brown University’s Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women Associates Council.

Mulligan received the Kirsten Christophe Memorial Award for Excellence in Trial and Insurance Law (2015); was named a Top Woman in the Law by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (2012) and a Top Ten Women Lawyer in the Women’s Business Journal in 2009.

Catherine Nathan, based in Washington and formerly in New York, is a lawyer and former leader of Spencer Stuart’s Legal, Compliance & Regulatory Search Practice (LCR). Since entering search, Catherine has built a national reputation by leading general counsel searches in diverse industries for many of the nation’s most important corporations including AIG, Amgen, Bechtel, Boeing, Hewlett-Packard, Mars, Medtronic, Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Raytheon, Sprint and UnitedHealth. She has also led major nonprofit general counsel searches for the University of Chicago, Ford Foundation, Georgetown University, New York Public Library and Yale University among others. For six years after law school, Catherine practiced law with two Wall Street law firms, Chadbourne & Parke and Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler. She earned her law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley, and her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

Julie Anne Preng is Office Managing Partner of Korn Ferry’s Stamford office and Managing Partner of the Firm’s Legal Center of Expertise.

After a successful career as an attorney practicing in New York specializing in litigation and corporate/commercial work, Ms. Preng embarked upon executive search, employing her wealth of legal knowledge and experience. She focuses on the recruitment of senior-level executives in the legal and compliance professions.

Before joining Korn/Ferry, Ms. Preng was a partner at another global executive search firm, where she worked primarily in the legal and compliance sectors and was also a member of the firm’s 401k Committee. Prior to that, Ms. Preng was a principal and owner of a firm focusing on the recruitment of attorneys for major law firms.

Ms. Preng has been widely quoted in the New York Times, Inside Counsel magazine, The Oprah Magazine, Compliance Reporter and other publications. She has had several articles published, including articles in the March, 2013 issues of the International In-House Law Journal, and two articles in Inside Counsel Magazine. Ms. Preng was also featured on the cover of Minority Corporate Counsel Association’s “Diversity and the Bar” magazine.

Ms. Preng received her juris doctorate degree from Hofstra University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from New York University, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa.

Shemin is the Managing Partner of the Washington, DC office of Andrews Kurth and she divides her time between the Washington and Houston offices. She represents major energy companies, including natural gas and oil pipelines, energy marketing and trading companies, and midstream service providers, in proceedings before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and has represented natural gas pipelines before the federal courts. Shemin has represented and counseled clients in numerous rate, tariff, certificate, complaint and compliance matters before the FERC. Shemin also works with clients seeking to construct natural gas storage and liquefied natural gas facilities. In addition, she has counseled energy companies on natural gas matters arising from bankruptcy and has experience in the antitrust area.

US Head of Life Sciences and Healthcare, Yvonne Puig has a substantial commercial litigation practice in both state and federal courts. She represents large health systems, medical schools, institutional health care providers, for profit educational companies, and managed care organizations across the US.

A partner in Norton Rose Fulbright's Austin office, Yvonne's practice involves commercial and health care litigation, antitrust, regulatory and compliance advice, crisis and risk management, administrative law, and products liability.

She advises governing boards on a variety of compliance topics and has extensive experience in a variety of health industry regulatory and compliance matters, including Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), credentialing, peer review, due process hearings, government regulatory investigations, The Joint Commission accreditation and compliance. Yvonne has represented defendants in Qui Tam/False Claims Act actions and related investigations. Yvonne has extensive experience in the representation of Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), including IRB liability regarding provider arrangements and clinical trials.
Yvonne is a frequent author and speaker on legal issues regarding social media, board governance, health care and life sciences.

Chris Reynolds is a Managing Officer of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC). As a Managing Officer of the global automaker, Reynolds functions as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, responsible for all legal matters of the company in its design, manufacturing and sales operations worldwide including litigation, regulatory, transactional and legal compliance matters. Reynolds also serves as TMC's Deputy Chief Officer of the General Administrative & Human Resources Group. In that function, he is responsible for Human Resources matters related to "high potential" executives outside of Japan. As Chief Officer for the Governance Management Group, Reynolds is responsible for co-managing the governance practices of TMC.

Previously, Reynolds was General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer of Toyota Motor North America, the holding company of Toyota's North America operations, and before that Group Vice President, general counsel, chief environmental officer and corporate secretary of Toyota Motor Sales, USA (TMS), Inc., Toyota's sales and distribution arm in the United States.

Reynolds is a member of the American Bar Association and the National Bar Association. He serves as a trustee of Kalamazoo College and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Married with three children, he currently lives in the Los Angeles area.

Veta T. Richardson is president & CEO of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC), the largest global legal association serving in-house counsel. Veta’s priorities as CEO are to expand ACC’s global footprint and solidify ACC’s position as the preeminent voice for in-house counsel worldwide. Recently, Veta led ACC's expansion into Australia through a membership combination with the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association (ACLA), now ACC Australia. The transaction resulted in ACC’s first staff office outside of North America and a 10 percent increase in ACC’s membership, which now stands at more than 40,000 in-house lawyers in 85 countries. ACC’s members, who work at more than 10,000 organizations, including 98 percent of the Fortune 100 and 51 percent of the Global 1000, look to ACC for advocacy, legal and business education, practice resources and peer-to-peer networking. Prior to her current role, Veta held executive-level positions in the nonprofit association realm. She started her legal career as in-house counsel at Sunoco, Inc., where she was responsible for corporate governance, securities disclosure, financings and M&A transactions. She holds a B.S. in Business Management and a J.D. from the University of Maryland.

Lauren Rivera is a leading expert on workplace evaluations. She has written extensively on hiring and promotion practices in elite professional service firms. Her award-winning book Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs (Princeton University Press, 2015) investigates class, gender, and racial biases in hiring decisions for top-tier investment banks, consulting firms, and law firms. Rivera’s research has been featured in the Atlantic, Economist, Financial Times, Fortune, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and NPR. She was named one of the top 40 business school professors under 40 in the world by Poets & Quants and a rising management star by Thinkers50. She received her B.A. in sociology and psychology from Yale University and her Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University.

Sarah Saldaña has a long history of government service. From 2014 to 2017, Sarah served as the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Sarah was the first Latina to lead ICE. In her time as director, ICE saw an 11% increase in global employee satisfaction.

Before working at ICE, Sarah served as a federal prosecutor. She served as an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from 2004 to 2011, before being promoted to U.S. Attorney. She served as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas from 2011 to 2014. In 2011, the Hispanic National Bar Association named her Latina Attorney of the Year.

Prior to her governmental service, Sarah was in private practice with Haynes and Boone, LLP and Baker Botts in Dallas. She earned her undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, from Texas A&I University, and her J.D. from Southern Methodist University. Before going to law school, Sarah worked for several federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor, Housing, and Urban Development, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

Over the span of her career, Sarah has received numerous awards. Some of her more recent ones include being named SMU’s Distinguished Hispanic Alumna in 2015 and “Trailblazer of the Year” by the Hispanic Women’s Network of Texas in 2014.

Gina N. Shishima is the U.S. Head of Intellectual Property for Norton Rose Fulbright. She is a member of the U.S. firm’s executive management committee and its compensation/promotion committee. She previously was the U.S. Chief Diversity Officer and had been elected to her firm’s board (Partnership Committee). She works in the Austin and New York offices.

Among other awards, she has been named in Chamber’s USA for intellectual property and Best Lawyer’s as “Lawyer of the Year” in Austin as a patent lawyer in biotechnology. In 2017, the Asian Pacific Interest Section of the State Bar of Texas recognized her commitment to the Asian American legal community. Gina writes and speaks in the areas of patent law, as well as diversity and inclusion issues.

She is currently on the board for Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC | D.C.). Gina previously served on the board for the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) and was one of the founding members of the Austin Asian American Bar Association. Until this past year, Gina had been the co-chair of NAPABA’s Women’s Leadership Network.

After earning an A.B. in Biochemistry from Columbia University and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from Princeton University, Gina received her law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where she was on the California Law Review.

Olympia Snowe’s dedicated work in the U.S. Senate garnered her nationwide recognition as a leading policymaker in Washington. In 2005, she was named the 54th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine. In 2006, Time magazine named her one of the top ten U.S. Senators. Calling her “The Caretaker,” it wrote of Snowe: “Because of her centrist views and eagerness to get beyond partisan point scoring, Maine Republican Olympia Snowe is in the center of every policy debate in Washington, but while Snowe is a major player on national issues, she is also known as one of the most effective advocates for her constituents.”

With her election in 1994, Olympia J. Snowe became only the second woman Senator in history to represent Maine, following the late Sen. Margaret Chase Smith, who served from 1949-1973. In November 2006, she was re-elected to a third six-year term in the United States Senate with 74 percent of the vote.

Before her election to the Senate, Olympia Snowe represented Maine’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for sixteen years. Senator Snowe is only the fourth woman in history to be elected to both houses of Congress and the first woman in American history to serve in both houses of state legislature and both houses of Congress. Elected in 1978 at the age of 31, Olympia Snowe is the second youngest Republican woman, and the first Greek-American woman ever, to be elected to Congress. She has won more federal elections in Maine than any other person since World War II.

Amy J. St. Eve was appointed as a United States District Court Judge for the Northern District of Illinois in 2002. At 36, St. Eve was one of the youngest judges ever appointed in the Northern District of Illinois. Since her appointment, St. Eve has presided over a significant number of civil and criminal trials, including high profile trials in United States v. Tony Rezko, United States v. Conrad Black, et al., and United States v. Mohammed Salah, et al. Judge St. Eve has also sat with the Seventh Circuit, Ninth Circuit and Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals as a visiting judge. In 2002, St. Eve received Crain’s Chicago Business’ Top Forty Under Forty Award. Judge St. Eve received the Mary Heftel Hooton award from the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois in 2015.

Judge St. Eve serves as an Adjunct Professor at Northwestern Law School where she teaches trial advocacy. St. Eve is the co-author of “More From the #Jury Box: The Latest on Juries and Social Media,” 12 Duke L. & Tech. Rev. 64 (2014); “The Forgotten Pleading,” 7 Fed. Cts. L. Rev. 152 (2012); “Ensuring A Fair Trial in the Age of Social Media,” 11 Duke L. & Tech. Rev. 1 (2012); and “The Fault Allocation Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 – A Roadmap for Litigants and Courts,” 3 NYU. J. L. & Bus. 187 (Fall 2006). She is also a co-author of Federal Employment Litigation (The Rutter Group Practice Guide).

Judge St. Eve graduated from Cornell University in May 1987 with a B.A. in history. During the summer of 1986, Judge St. Eve attended Oriel College at Oxford University in England. In 1990, Judge St. Eve graduated magna cum laude and Order of the Coif from Cornell Law School. She was a member of the Cornell Law Review and served as an Articles’ Editor.

Caren has more than 20 years of experience in lawyer recruitment, development, and diversity with top law firms such as Arnold & Porter, Cooley, and Weil Gotshal. After co-founding and serving as President of Lawyer Metrics – which was acquired by the Access Group – to uncover the biographical and behavioral traits of high-performers through “Moneyball” analyses, Caren created the Diversity Lab. As CEO of Diversity Lab, Caren works with a team of talent experts, data scientists, and psychologists to create and experiment with innovative talent initiatives that cultivate diversity in leadership. The Lab’s work has been featured in Fast Company, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Bloomberg, The American Lawyer and on Fox News.

Caren was awarded the NALP Mark of Distinction in 2009, the College of Law Practice Management InnovAction Award in 2014, the Ms. JD “Strength in Numbers” Award in 2015, and the ABA Golden Hammer Award for Diversity in 2016. She was also elected as a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management in 2010 – an honor awarded to fewer than 200 individuals in the country – and appointed to the Colorado Supreme Court Chief Justice’s Commission on Improving the Legal Profession in 2013. Most recently, Caren was selected from more than 500 women entrepreneurs as one of the inaugural Tory Burch Foundation Fellows.

Gloria Steinem is a writer, lecturer, political activist, and feminist organizer. She travels in this and other countries as an organizer and lecturer and is a frequent media spokeswoman on issues of equality. She is particularly interested in the shared origins of sex and race caste systems, gender roles and child abuse as roots of violence, non-violent conflict resolution, the cultures of indigenous peoples, and organizing across boundaries for peace and justice. She lives in New York City, and is the author of the newly released travelogue My Life on the Road.

Ms. Steinem graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Smith College in 1956, and then spent two years in India on a Chester Bowles Fellowship. She wrote for Indian publications, and was influenced by Gandhian activism. She also received the first Doctorate of Human Justice awarded by Simmons College, the Bill of Rights Award from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, the National Gay Rights Advocates Award, the Liberty award of the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Ceres Medal from the United Nations, and a number of honorary degrees. Parenting magazine selected her for its Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995 for her work in promoting girls' self-esteem, and Biography magazine listed her as one of the 25 most influential women in America. In 1993, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York. In 2014, she received The Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Medal Award and in 2013, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor. Rutgers University is now creating the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture and Feminist Studies.

Gloria has been the subject of three television documentaries, including HBO’s Gloria: In Her Own Words, and she is among the subjects of the 2013 PBS documentary MAKERS, a continuing project to record the women who made America. She was the subject ofThe Education of a Woman, a biography written by Carolyn Heilbrun.

Lizanne Thomas heads the Firm's corporate governance team. She is also Partner-in-Charge of the Firm's Southern U.S. Region. While her roots are as an M&A lawyer, Lizanne practices, teaches, and lives corporate governance. She participates in about 100 board meetings per year as counsel to a number of public companies. She represents special committees in control and conflict transactions, as well as in internal investigations. Lizanne is experienced in shareholder activism, public and private mergers and acquisitions, takeover preparedness, and executive compensation. She lectures on governance to leading business organizations, companies, and universities.

Lizanne is on the Board of Directors of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc., serving as chair of the Governance Committee and member of the Audit Committee, and previously served as co-chair of a special committee charged with investigating a variety of allegations against the company. KKD has twice won national corporate governance awards for its shareholder engagement and disclosure. Lizanne also serves on the Board of Directors of Atlantic Capital Bancshares, Inc., as Chair of the Governance Committee and member of the Compensation Committee. She is on the Board of Directors of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc.

Lizanne is a Trustee of the Georgia Research Alliance, serving as Chair of the Audit Committee. She is on the Board of Directors of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. She is a Trustee of Washington & Lee University and The Woodruff Arts Center. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta and is a former Trustee of Furman University.

Ann M. Veneman has a distinguished career in public service, serving as the Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) from 2005 to 2010 and as the United States Secretary of Agriculture from 2001 to 2005. Veneman’s leadership and vision has been recognized both nationally and internationally. In 2009 she was named to the Forbes World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list, and she has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors.

At UNICEF Veneman directed a staff of over 11,000 in more than 150 countries around the world. She worked to support child health and nutrition, quality basic education for all, access to clean water and sanitation and the protection of children and women from violence, exploitation and HIV/AIDS.

As Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Veneman directed one of most diverse federal agencies with a budget of $113 billion and 110,000 employees. She also served as Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture from 1995 to 1999, overseeing the state agency responsible for nation’s largest agricultural producing region. From 1986 to 1993, she served in various positions in the USDA, including Deputy Secretary, Deputy Undersecretary for International Affairs, and Associate Administrator of the Foreign Agricultural Service. At USDA, Veneman advanced an expanded trade agenda, food protection, progressive farm policy, responsible forest policy, and stronger nutrition programs. Veneman currently serves on the boards of directors for Alexion, and Nestlé S.A.

A lawyer by training, Veneman has practiced law in both California and in Washington DC. Early in her career, she was a deputy public defender. Veneman holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of California, Davis; a master’s degree in public policy from the University of California, Berkeley; and a juris doctor degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. She has been awarded honorary doctorate degrees from several universities and colleges.

Melanne Verveer serves as the Co-Founder of Seneca Women and Executive Director of Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace and Security. She is co-author with Kim Azzarelli of the new book Fast Forward: How Women Can Achieve Power and Purpose and a Founding Partner of Seneca Point Global. In 2009 President Obama appointed Melanne Verveer to be the first ever Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the US State Department.

In such capacity, Ambassador Verveer worked on behalf of Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to coordinate foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women and girls. Prior to her role at the U.S. State Department, Ambassador Verveer served as Chair and Co-CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, an international nonprofit she co-founded. Vital Voices invests in emerging women leaders and works to expand women’s roles in generating economic opportunity, promoting political participation, and safeguarding human rights. Prior to her work with Vital Voices, Ambassador Verveer served as Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady in the Clinton Administration.

Ambassador Verveer has a B.A. and M.A. from Georgetown University. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has served as the 2013 Humanitas Visiting Professor at Cambridge University. She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the U.S. Secretary of State's Award for Distinguished Service.

Christopher Voss is the author of the national best-seller "Never Split The Difference - Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It" and the CEO of The Black Swan Group.

The Black Swan Group is a business negotiation coaching/advisory firm that teaches individuals and businesses how to gain competitive advantages in business negotiations using hostage negotiation strategies. Chris was the FBI’s lead international kidnapping negotiator. He retired from the FBI in 2007 after a 24-year career.

Chris also teaches in the M.B.A. programs at The University of Southern California and Georgetown University. Chris is the 2014 recipient of the McDonough School of Business’ Peter J. Gonzalez Jr. Award of Excellence in Adjunct Faculty Teaching.

His students and clients have used these techniques successfully in everything from a negotiation between a husband and a wife over a Christmas tree, to a billion-dollar Wall Street transaction.

At both the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business and Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business (MSB), Chris’s class is one of the most sought after (and interesting) courses. Prior to teaching at the USC and MSB, Chris taught International Business Negotiation at Harvard University and was on the teaching staff at Harvard Law School.

“Never Split The Difference” has been listed by Inc.com as one of “The 7 Best How-to Negotiate Books of All Time”.

Amy Weaver leads the global legal and corporate security teams at salesforce.com and advises the company’s board of directors and management on legal issues. She is a member of the company’s executive committee.

Prior to joining Salesforce, Weaver was executive vice president and general counsel of Univar Inc., where she was responsible globally for all legal and corporate affairs, governance, corporate transactions, compliance, litigation and employment law matters. Previously Weaver was senior vice president and deputy general counsel at Expedia, Inc. Weaver practiced law at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and at Perkins Coie LLP. Prior to entering private practice, she served as a legislative aide to a member of the Hong Kong Legislative Council and as a clerk on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Weaver has a J.D. from Harvard Law School and a B.A. from Wellesley College.

Debra Wong Yang is a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher's Los Angeles office. Reflective of her broad practice and comprehensive abilities, Ms. Yang is Chair of the Crisis Management Practice Group, former Chair of the White Collar Defense and Investigations Practice Group, which includes the FCPA Practice Group and former Chair of the Information Technology and Data Privacy Practice Group

Drawing on her depth of experience and record of success, Ms. Yang focuses part of her practice on strategic counseling. She leads critical representations, both high-profile and highly confidential, involving a wide variety of industries, economic sectors, regulatory bodies, law enforcement agencies, global jurisdictions and all types of proceedings. Her clients are in the private and public sectors. She guides teams of attorneys and outside consultants in the development and implementation of strategies to achieve the most favorable outcomes, greatest protection of reputational interests and minimalizing of harm to the business assets.

Ms. Yang has a strong background in addressing and resolving problems across the white collar litigation spectrum, including through corporate and individual representations, internal investigations, crisis management and compliance. Chambers selected her as the top individual in the White Collar Category in 2016. The Los Angeles Business Journal named her as one of the Top 500 most influential people in Los Angeles (2016) and LawDragon 2016 named her as one of the Top 500 lawyers in the United States. She has been called out for her capabilities in overseeing investigations -- Global Investigations Review has named her to its inaugural Women in Investigations list (2015), where they highlight 100 high-powered women in the profession from around the world. She has been consistently ranked as a leading lawyer by Chambers USA in California for Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations. Ms. Yang has also been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Criminal Defense: White Collar. In 2015, she was recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal as one of the 27 "stellar attorneys" on the Most Influential Lawyers: White Collar and Cyber Crime list. The National Law Journal named her to its Outstanding Women Lawyers list (May 4, 2015). The Daily Journal again named her to its list of California's Top 100 lawyers over the years highlighting her role in defending a leading internet company in ongoing investigations into fantasy sports. Also, the Daily Journal has repeatedly named her to its annual list of 100 Leading Women Lawyers in California.

Cali Williams Yost is a pioneering workplace strategist, author, speaker and founder of the Flex Strategy Group / Work Life Fit Inc. For more than two decades, Yost has helped organizations create high performance flexible work cultures that attract and retain top talent, increase productivity and improve work+life fit.

Leaders from diverse entities, such as Quest Diagnostics, BDO USA, The United Nations, Novo Nordisk, Stanford University and the Singapore Government, regularly seek out her high-impact, often contrarian, yet always practical, insights into what it takes to unlock the potential of flexible workplaces for business and for people.

An honors graduate of Columbia Business School, Yost’s groundbreaking work+life “fit” how-to advice for individuals can be found in her most recent book, Tweak It: Make What Matters to You Happen Every Day, (Center Street/Hachette, 2013), and in the critically-acclaimed, Work+Life: Finding the Fit That’s Right for You (Riverhead/Penguin Group, 2004).

Called “one of the most sophisticated thinkers,” on work and life issues by The New York Times, Yost is frequently asked to comment in the media. Her work has been featured in The New York Times Magazine’s special “Future of Work” issue, and on Maria Shriver’s “Doing It All” TODAY Show series, as well as on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, NPR, and in Fast Company, USAToday, and the Wall Street Journal.

In addition to being named one of Mashable’s Top 14 Career Experts on Twitter, and one of Columbia Business School’s Alumni Changing the World, her websites have been awarded “Best of the Web” distinctions by Forbes.com and WorkingMother.com. Yost lives in New Jersey with her husband, two teenagers and one rescue “puggle”, and fits dancing, laughter, yoga, long walks, reading, and travel into her life as often as possible.