CLE Committees & Programs

We put on more than 80 CLEs each year. While most of our programs are presented “live and in-person” to provide networking opportunities, many are also available simultaneously by a distance-learning option to allow members to access a program by teleconference or Web seminar.

We know that last-minute schedule changes are in the nature of the beast, and we are here to serve you. Here is a quick guide to signing up for ACC National Capital Region programs at the last minute:

On-Site Attendance: If you want to attend a program in person, please e-mail the chapter contact for that program (and you can find that information on the event listing on the chapter's Web page calendar). We can (almost) always add you to the list.

Web Seminars: If you want to access a program that is being presented by Web seminar, you can get into the Web seminar tool by following these directions:
- Go to our listing of events at National Capital Region Chapter Events
- Select the title of the program you want to view. This action will take you to the full event listing for this program.
- Under the "Notes" section, you will find the URL for the web seminar tool and the meeting number you will need to access the webcast.

ACC National Capital Region is certified as an MCLE sponsor by the Virginia State Bar. Several other Bars (including New York and California) recognize courses accredited by the Virginia Bar. Others will grant credit for our programs after you go through a brief application process for the course. Please check the rules for the Bar for which you need credit. If you need us to provide supporting documentation, please e-mail Beth McConnell, Program Assistant, at beth.mcconnell-NCR@accglobal.com.

For a list of programs we have presented thus far this MCLE year, as well as links from which you can download the program materials, please visit the subpage titled "Archived Webcasts and Program Materials"

We archive our Web seminars for one year after presentation so that you can receive the content at a time that works for you.

These groups are designed to provide a higher level of programming to specialists in these practice areas and industries, as well as to provide members with enhanced opportunities to develop a professional network with their colleagues. Each of these groups is described on its own subpage, and contact information is provided for the chairs of the Forum.

COMMITTEE eGROUPS: ACC National Capital Region has eGroups for the practice-area Committees. To subscribe to one of these eGroups, go to the ACC Member-to-Member section of the web site, and customize your eGroup participation at https://community.acc.com/communities/my-committees--chapters.

Corporate Law Committee
The Corporate Law Committee offers programs evolving around cutting edge legal and regulatory developments affecting both public and private companies. Topics include: issues facing audit committees and other board committees with oversight responsibilities; securities and disclosure developments; and general corporate practice and compliance strategies. It is the intent of the Corporate Law Committee to better enable in-house counsel to successfully address issues facing their respective companies and broaden their knowledge base to provide accurate, ethical and prudent legal counsel.

The members of the Corporate Law Committee are:

Brent Cotton (Chair), Senior Counsel, Salesforce

Matthew Brown, Senior Director-Corporate Counsel, Echostar

Henrique Canarim, Assistant General Counsel - Securities, Governance & Transactions, Leidos

Eun Ah Choi, Associate General Counsel, M&A, Willis Towers Watson

Joanne Kelly, Vice President and Chief Counsel, Verizon Media

Ray Sczudlo, General Counsel, b.well Connected Health Inc.
Employment & Labor Committee
The Employment and Labor Committee provides programming that addresses the hot topics and particularly thorny issues that arise in dealing with employees and the rules, regulations and practices that come into play in the workplace. The Committee has been particularly successful bringing in speakers from the regulatory agencies that oversee employment and labor matters, including EEOC, OFCCP, the Department of Labor, and the NLRB.

The members of the Employment and Labor Committee are:

Lesley Marlin, (Co-Chair) Senior Counsel, Labor and Employment, Northrop Grumman

Andrew Sakallaris (Co-Chair), Senior Corporate Counsel, Logistics Management Institute

Kathy Cheung, Vice President and Senior Counsel, Marriott International

Rebecca Clar, Senior Director and Senior Counsel, Employment, Hilton Worldwide

Tammy Daub, Associate General Counsel, Labor and Employment, Perspecta Inc.

Alex Gordon, Senior Legal Counsel, Washington Gas Light Company

Joel Gulick, In Transition

Kirsten Keating, Employee Relations Associate General Counsel, Freddie Mac

Amit Patel, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, Principal Compliance Officer, Senior Counsel, The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Ellen Rice, Associate General Counsel, Emergent BioSolutions Inc.

Susan Tahernia, In Transition
Ethics & Compliance Committee

Each year, ACC NCR hosts multiple programs focused on ethical issues that both satisfy the Virginia MCLE requirement and provide important guidance to members. In addition, as compliance is an increasing focus for many members, the chapter has begun hosting micro-networking lunches on the topic for shared learning.

The members of the Ethics and Compliance Committee are:

Natalie Walker (Chair), Compliance Counsel, Verizon
Mara Senn, Director, Global Compliance Investigations Sr Counsel, Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc.
Karina Vollmer, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer, PAE
Global Issues Committee
The Global Issues Committee is designed to explore the legal issues faced by companies that operate in the global economy, either through international operations or by having customers or clients outside the United States. These issues may include intellectual property, compliance, employment, etc.

The members of the Global Issues Committee are:

Bruce Henoch (Chair), General Counsel, Hiber

Charlotte Bernard, Counsel, Commercial Services, Hilton Worldwide

Rebecca Rohr, Vice President, Anti-Corruption and Global Trade, Ethics & Compliance Office, Hewlett Packard Enterprises

Eric Sidle, General Counsel, Infinite Computer Solutions
Government Contractors Committee
The Government Contractors Committee serves attorneys that practice in the area of government contracting by presenting programs that provide helpful information on the ins and outs of government contracting, from general principles to subtle nuances that are unique to that area of law. Many of the Committee's programs feature prominent government officials from agencies such as DoD and GSA.

The members of the Government Contractors Committee are:

Matthew Dost (Chair), General Counsel and Director of Contracts, Allied Associates International Inc.

Mitchell Bashur, Public Sector Counsel, Verizon Media

Kevin Joyce, Head of Global Public Sector Compliance, ServiceNow Inc.

Hollie Kapos, Corporate Counsel, immixGroup Inc.

Joelle Laszlo, Corporate Counsel, Accenture LLP

Won Lee, Associate General Counsel, General Dynamics Mission Systems

Sarah Maguire, Senior Counsel, BAE Systems

Annejanette Pickens, Associate General Counsel, General Dynamics Mission Systems

Jim Winner, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel & Secretary, Peraton
Greater Virginia Advisory Committee
ACC NCR's service area includes all of the Commonwealth of Virginia. We organize continuing education programs and other community and social activities for members outside of the D.C. metro area through our Greater Virginia Advisory Committee.

The members of the Greater Virginia Committee are:

Frost Telegadas (Chair), Director of Greater Virginia, ACC NCR

Sean Beard, Assistant General Counsel, Altria Group Inc.

Stephanie Gillard, Vice President, Legal Affairs/General Counsel - Virginia, Colonial Downs Group LLP

Sakina Paige, Sr. Manager, Sr. Counsel, Capital One

Christian Ortego, Senior Counsel, Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

John Oakey, General Counsel, Essex Bank

Erin P. K. Kelly, Counsel, Aetna

Kindra Kirkeby, Assistant Counsel, NewMarket Services Corporation

Lusanna Ro, Vice President and Senior Assistant General Counsel, AECOM

Javier Rodriguez, SVP, Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary, BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.
Litigation Committee

The Litigation Committee provides useful programs for in-house litigators, as well as non-litigators who manage litigation. It also helps develop a working group of in-house litigators who can share ideas about and approaches to various litigation topics.

The members of the Litigation Committee are:

Virginia Robinson (Co-Chair), Deputy General Counsel, DynCorp International

Scott Walker (Co-Chair), Associate General Counsel, Freddie Mac

Patrick Chaing, Associate General Counsel, Sallie Mae Bank

Rich Coel, Senior Counsel, WMATA

Kelly Fisher, Assistant General Counsel, DC Water and Sewer Authority
Nonprofits & Associations Committee
The Nonprofits and Associations Committee presents programs for counsel who work in all of the various kinds of nonprofit entities. Topics include: corporate governance, antitrust, employment law, contracting issues (i.e., hotel contracts, convention contracts), etc.

The members of the Nonprofits and Associations Committee are:

Jesse Raben (Chair), Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel, The Insurance Trust

Thomas Cluderay, Associate General Counsel, The Aspen Institute

Laura Farley, General Counsel, Virginia REALTORS®

Denise Gold, Associate General Counsel, Associated General Contractors of America

Katherine Karl, General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer, The Humane Society of the United States

Rhonda Lees, Vice President and Senior Counsel, American Bankers Association

Erum Mirza, General Counsel, DC Bar

Monica Page, Vice President, Associate General Counsel, National Retail Federation
Privacy & Data Security Committee
Recognizing that many aspects of an organization's privacy and data security practices are often managed by in-house legal, the Privacy and Data Security Committee provides continuing education for members who are responsible for these matters. The group holds roundtable discussions on current issues and organizes high-level CLE programs.

The members of the Privacy and Data Security Committee are:

Jessica Geller (Co-Chair), Assistant General Counsel, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

Audrey Jean (Co-Chair), SVP, Privacy Officer and Senior Associate General Counsel, AARP

Mary Blatch, Regulatory Counsel and Data Privacy Officer, CFA Institute

Laura Jones, Senior Director and Associate General Counsel, Avaya

Michael Kallens, Senior Associate General Counsel - Ethics and Compliance, Nasdaq

Ilona Levine, General Counsel, Internet Society

Tracy Locklin, Associate General Counsel, National Student Clearinghouse

Jennifer Mailander, Deputy General Counsel, Fannie Mae

Gang Xu, Legal Director, Verisign
Small Law Department Committee
The chapter's Small Law Department Committee addresses the issues of resource allocation and operational management faced by members who (a) practice in, or are concerned with issues relating to, small corporate law departments or (b) practice in larger departments either as a legal "generalist" or at a remote location with few lawyers. While there is no specific limit, "small department" generally is defined to refer to those with 1-5 attorneys. This group is not restricted to CLOs.

The members of the Small Law Department Committee are:

Troy Cahill, (Co-Chair), General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Lasership Inc.

Patrick Samsel (Co-Chair), Corporate Counsel, Director of Contracts and Legal, Fors Marsh Group LLC

Chris Barker, Vice President, General Counsel, CRAssociates Inc.

Amanda Dupree, Associate General Counsel, ePlus

Chi Lam, General Counsel, Guardiar

Lauren Mooney, Senior Counsel, National Restaurant Association
Technology & IP Committee
The Technology and IP Committee hosts formal presentations on current technology and intellectual property issues, as well as informal roundtable discussions among members. The Committee's programming touches on all the different technology sectors -- including computer hardware and software issues, telecom, biotechnology, nanotechnology, etc.

The members of the Technology and IP Committee are:

David Beck (Chair), Senior Director of Intellectual Property, Viavi Solutions Inc.

Beverly Chang, Senior Counsel, BSA / The Software Alliance

Joseph McNamara, Associate Vice President - Principal Associate General Counsel (Intellectual Property), Nasdaq Inc.

Bob Paskow, Associate General Counsel, Databricks

Vineetha Pillai Shah, Commercial Counsel, Bloomberg Industry Group

Zoe Sharp, Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, Optoro Inc.

Anjanette Stinson, Associate General Counsel, National Student Clearinghouse

Edwin Szeto, Vice President & Deputy General Counsel, Cvent