Washington ’90 Leads New HR Post at University of Southern California
Felicia Washington ’90 took over as the first senior vice president of human resources at the University of Southern California in June. The Cabinet-level position is part of the university’s senior leadership team.
Her responsibilities include overseeing the long-term strategic management and support of the university’s 28,000 faculty, staff and student workers.
“Ms. Washington has a strong reputation for implementing rigorous compliance standards while at the same time caring deeply about students, faculty and colleagues,” then-interim President Wanda M. Austin said in a statement. “She is known for her collaborative, practical and people-focused approach to decision-making.”
Washington’s tasks include centralizing the university’s human resources enterprise, strengthening the university’s reference-checking and background review process for new hires and those promoted to leadership roles, digitizing personnel files and coordinating the onboarding process for all new managers, and guiding human resources activities like workforce analytics, employee relations, retirement planning and talent acquisition.
Washington joined USC after serving for five years as the first vice chancellor for workplace strategy, equity and engagement at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she helped restructure and modernize the university’s human resources operations, among other achievements.
Prior to joining UNC-Chapel Hill, Washington practiced employment law in Charlotte, N.C., as a partner with K&L Gates, an international law firm. She litigated federal and state cases and advised clients regarding issues like employee investigations, hiring and regulatory compliance.
She earned a B.A. in economics from UNC-Chapel Hill.
—Mike Fox
On the occasion of the UVA men’s basketball team winning its first-ever national championship, Adam Chodorow was swept up in the Wahoo spirit. As interim dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University, he seized the opportunity to project congratulatory wishes to the Hoos on the school’s walls — wahoowa!
Michael N. Herring, who served as Richmond’s top prosecutor for the past 13 years, joined McGuireWoods’ litigation practice as a partner. He represents clients in government investigations, white-collar criminal defense and commercial litigation.
Herring was first elected Richmond commonwealth’s attorney in 2005 and won reelection three times without opposition. Managing an office of 40 lawyers, he led high-profile criminal prosecutions and was appointed to head politically sensitive investigations involving alleged misconduct of top statewide elected officials. He helped Richmond police develop strategies to reduce homicides and violent crimes, and implemented groundbreaking criminal justice reforms adopted by other Virginia localities.
1991
Jeremiah DeBerry, Mayer Brown partner and director of diversity and inclusion in New York, was named to Lawyers of Color’s inaugural list of “Nation’s Best” in the Eastern regional category. The list recognizes attorneys with a commitment to diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
DeBerry oversees all aspects of his firm’s efforts to recruit, hire, develop, and promote diverse and female lawyers. He is also responsible for the development and implementation of diversity and inclusion policies.
Daniel K. Felsen joined Carlton Fields as a shareholder in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. He is a member of the firm’s construction practice group. Felsen’s experience spans a wide variety of public and private projects, including commercial, federal, airports, roads, residential, hotels and resorts, hospitals and research facilities, and power and utility projects. He has litigated before state and federal courts, and national and international arbitration panels.
Terrence R. Graves was listed in 2019 Super Lawyers for transportation and maritime law. Graves practices with Sands Anderson in Richmond, Va.
Vernon F. Inge Jr. was recognized in Chambers USA 2019 for litigation in general commercial law. Inge was also recognized in Super Lawyers Virginia for business litigation. He practices with Whiteford, Taylor & Preston in Richmond.
1992
Sheppard Mullin partner Dwight Francis was named to Lawyers of Color’s inaugural “Nation’s Best” list. The list recognizes law firm partners and seniorlevel corporate counsel for noteworthy accomplishments in their fields and commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.
Francis has been committed to efforts to diversify the legal profession throughout his career. He continues to serve as a mentor to young attorneys and, in particular, attorneys of color. He also served as the chair of his prior firm’s diversity committee for over a decade, served as the co-chair of the Texas Minority Counsel Program, and served as an officer of the J.L. Turner Legal Association. A founding member of Sheppard Mullin’s Dallas office, Francis now serves as the lateral hiring partner for that office.
Maurice A. Jones will serve as the National Philanthropy Day keynote speaker at the Center for Nonprofit Excellence in Charlottesville in November. Jones is the president and CEO of Local Initiatives Support Corp., which works to support healthy, thriving communities and catalyze economic opportunities for all. Jones was raised by his grandparents on a tobacco and corn farm in rural Southern Virginia, which led to his deep commitment to work at the local level, he said.
Brandon Peters is the first-ever director of statewide voter protection for the Florida Democratic Party. Peters will travel throughout each of Florida’s 67 counties through the 2020 presidential election, coordinating resources to ensure that every Florida Democrat is allowed to cast a ballot and every ballot is counted. Peters’ office is located in Fort Lauderdale.
The West Volusia Branch of the NAACP honored Theodore W. Small Jr. with its Difference Maker of the Year Award in June. Small delivered an address on race relations, “The Stakes are Too High,” upon receiving the award. He writes, “The extra effort to say more than ‘thank you’ was repaid by the number of young African American men who came up to me afterwards to express their appreciation for my making these substantive points.”
1993
Devaney ’93 Appointed to South Dakota Supreme Court
Patricia Devaney ’93 took the oath of office in May as an associate justice on the South Dakota Supreme Court, just steps from her first law office.
She was appointed to the court in April by Gov. Kristi Noem to fill a seat last held by the late Justice Steven Zinter. DeVaney had been a judge on the South Dakota 6th Judicial Circuit since 2012.
“Patricia has 25 years of diverse experience in the courtroom handling all types of cases from both sides of the bench, first as a trial and appellate lawyer, and most recently as a circuit court judge,” Noem said in a statement. “She has a deep understanding of the law and its impact on people. Her work ethic and passion for public service was clear in her interview. I’m confident she will be a strong addition to our state’s highest court.”
The governor said DeVaney presided over family and juvenile cases with humility, and that her thoroughness made lawyers better advocates and “gave justice to victims and compassion to addicts, all in the name of fairness and justice,” according to the Rapid City Journal.
DeVaney began working for the Attorney General’s Office in 1993 as an appellate and trial lawyer, and became assistant attorney general. In that role, Noem noted, she prosecuted one of South Dakota’s few known serial killers and defended the constitutionality of the state’s “informed consent” abortion law.
“It is a great honor and privilege to spend the rest of my legal career serving South Dakota as a justice of the Supreme Court,” DeVaney said in a statement. “I started my legal career as a young lawyer many years ago in the State Capitol building, and I am honored to return to the Capitol to serve in this new capacity as a justice.”
The Polo, S.D., native graduated summa cum laude from the University of South Dakota.
—Mike Fox
Guy Flynn was named to the Business Journal’s 2019 list of 100 notable attorneys from across the country. Flynn is head of the Baltimore Real Estate Practice, chair of the Maryland Real Estate Practice, and partner-in-charge of the Downtown Baltimore office of DLA Piper. From investment to taxation to foreclosures, Flynn has represented all areas of commercial real estate. 1994 ZEBULON D. ANDERSON was recognized in Chambers USA 2019 for labor and employment law. Anderson practices with Smith Anderson in Raleigh, N.C.
David Olstein, an ERISA lawyer with an extensive background advising financial institutions, plan sponsors and investment committees on matters relating to the investment of pension plan assets, has joined Stroock’s employee benefits, executive compensation and ERISA group in New York City as a partner.
Faye Ricci joined Zipwhip as senior vice president and general counsel. The Seattlebased Zipwhip is a leading provider of texting for business. Ricci brings more than two decades of transactional, operational and risk experience at major national law firms, as in-house counsel and in other business roles. In addition to her legal acumen, Ricci has significant management experience as a vice president at both Bank of America Merrill Lynch and JPMorgan Chase Bank.
1995
Martin (Marty) E. Burke relocated to Burr & Forman’s Tampa, Fla., office from Birmingham, Ala. As a member of the firm’s litigation practice, Burke brings substantial experience in the business litigation and class-action space to further support the economic growth in the Tampa Bay area. Burke serves clients in high-risk litigation matters throughout the country, both at the trial and appellate levels, and focuses his practice on general business litigation, consumer class actions, and serious product liability and personal injury litigation.
John Donaldson joined Hilton as senior vice president of business development and strategy. Donaldson leads the company’s business development strategy, which includes developing and managing new, customer-focused enterprise partner relationships. Before joining Hilton, Donaldson served as senior vice president of strategy and corporate development at Pandora Media. In this role, he championed the company’s evolution from a U.S.-focused internet radio service to a global music platform, and was responsible for standardizing and improving the effectiveness of business development efforts.
Judge Karla N. Smith was recognized as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by the Daily Record. Smith has spent her career working for the protection of women and children. Having served for two years on the District Court of Maryland, Smith was appointed to the Circuit Court for Montgomery County in December 2014. Before that, she was a prosecutor for more than 15 years. She also served for five years as chief of the Family Violence Division of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office. Among her professional accomplishments, Smith gathered a group of prosecutors and child advocates from across the state to lobby for a criminal child neglect law, which passed in 2011.
1996
Eric Graben was recognized in Chambers USA 2019 for corporate and mergers and acquisitions law. Graben practices with Wyche in Greenville, S.C.
Jay Novatney joined Vedder Price as an investment services shareholder in Chicago. Novatney previously managed the legal, compliance and operations functions at two investment advisory firms, most recently as chief operating officer at PT Asset Management and previously as general counsel and chief compliance officer at Chicago Fundamental Investment Partners.
Christopher D. Reiss joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in the firm’s Denver office. As a corporate and transactional attorney, Reiss brings experience in mergers and acquisitions, private equity, portfolio company investments, strategic planning, buyouts, complex restructurings, joint ventures and general corporate governance matters to the firm’s business division.
Anthony F. Vittoria was appointed and began serving as an administrative law judge for the state of Maryland on Dec. 5, 2018.
1997
Simon Bloom was appointed to the board of directors of the Council for Quality Growth. The council, a nonprofit organization, works to ensure that the metro Atlanta region’s regulatory environment supports quality growth and development. The organization brings together and advocates for those who work at the intersection of public policy and private investment, including developers, contractors, engineers, architects, planners, law firms and banks. It advocates, informs and educates its members on important issues related to the development of the community and the region. It works with hundreds of elected officials across the area to advise on regulation that protects communities while continuing to encourage economic development. Bloom was recognized in Georgia Super Lawyers in the business litigation category. He is the founder of Bloom Parham and focuses his practice on high-stakes civil litigation with an emphasis on the real estate industry.
Jennifer M. DelMonico, managing partner of Murtha Cullina in New Haven, Conn., has been elected to the board of directors of Lex Mundi. Lex Mundi is the world’s leading network of independent law firms, with in-depth experience in more than 100 countries worldwide. The board works to enhance the visibility of Lex Mundi and its member firms. DelMonico has been a trial lawyer for over 20 years, primarily representing manufacturers in product liability, commercial litigation and intellectual property lawsuits. DelMonico just completed a two-year term as board chair of the Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce.
In October 2018, Mike Gill “was honored to be asked to serve” as the criminal chief for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Virginia. He splits his time between the Richmond and Alexandria offices. Gill was previously a federal prosecutor for 15 years, first in the Northern District of Texas, followed by the Virginia post. He then spent several years serving as the chief of staff of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Washington, D.C., and in private practice. Gill said he is thrilled to be back at the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He resides in Richmond with his wife, Patty ’98 (who has her own employment law firm, Patty Gill PLC), their three kids and their golden retriever, Sunny.
Gerald Blake Lee, CEO of Modern Logistics, was interviewed on Bloomberg in December about the intricacies of investing and creating a network within Brazil. In January, The Wall Street Journal featured an article on Modern Logistics’ efforts to raise $200 million in new investments. Modern provides “storage-management, distribution and air-and-land transportation services to Brazilian business operating in sectors such as agribusiness, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and smartphone manufacturing,” according to the article.
1998
Valerie H. Bonham joined Ropes & Gray in its Washington, D.C., office as counsel in the firm’s health care and life sciences practice. With nearly 20 years of experience as a leader in health care, life sciences and public policy at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Bonham is a skilled health care attorney and nationally recognized expert in research compliance, investigations and bioethics. She joins the firm from the National Institutes of Health, where she served as a senior adviser in the Office of the NIH Director and a senior attorney in the Office of the General Counsel.
Jacqueline Wright Bonilla was appointed deputy chief administrative patent judge of the Patent Trial Appeal Board at the U.S. Patent Trade Office. PTAB conducts trials, including inter partes, post-grant, and covered business method patent reviews and derivation proceedings, hears appeals from adverse examiner decisions in patent applications and re-examination proceedings, and renders decisions in interferences.
Peter Bowden, global head of energy with Jefferies in Houston, was labeled the “go-to banker for U.S. oil and gas infrastructure deals, particularly in the booming Permian Basin,” in a March Bloomberg article. Bowden and his team have advised on multiple billion-dollar deals in the basin in the past two years. Jefferies hired Bowden in 2012 from Morgan Stanley to build a pipelines practice, the article states.
Clark Hill Strasburger’s Dallas member Earsa Jackson was named the 2019 Ronald E. Harrison Diversity Award recipient by the International Franchise Association. The award recognizes businesses and individuals who have made significant contributions to diversity in franchising. As board member and current chair of the IFA’s Diversity Institute, Jackson has been integral in ensuring that franchising remains an inclusive and diverse community. Through her efforts, minority franchised businesses have greatly increased in percentage in recent years, providing inclusive opportunities for overall minorities, franchisees, employees, suppliers and consumers.
Benjamin Reed was recognized in Who’s Who Legal on their international list for 2019. Reed practices with Plave Hoch in Reston, Va. He has been working with franchisors for more than 20 years on a variety of litigation, counseling, transactional and regulatory matters. Reed represents franchisors in trial and appellate courts across the country, as well as in mediation, arbitration and other alternative dispute resolution proceedings.
1999
Janell Ahnert joined Littler as a shareholder in Birmingham, Ala. Ahnert’s practice encompasses all facets of employment law, specifically in representation of management in both employment counseling and employment litigation. She has extensive experience in appellate matters — including before the Alabama Supreme Court, the Eleventh U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court—and is an experienced mediator. Ahnert recently joined a new group of mediators and arbitrators known as The Neutral Solution, in downtown Birmingham. The group seeks to bring together a community of professional mediators and arbitrators from a variety of backgrounds and experience in order to give them increased opportunities from more places than they might be able to achieve on their own.
Marc D. Glenn was recognized in Chambers USA 2019 for his work in real estate. Glenn practices with Taylor English Duma in Atlanta.
Amy Todd-Gher, a shareholder in Littler’s San Diego office, was honored with the 2019 International Law Office’s Client Choice Award as an exclusive winner in the employment and benefits category for the state of California. Todd-Gher’s practice focuses on the defense of employers, from startup ventures to Fortune 500 companies.
