Elizabeth Duong
Vice President & General Counsel, Business & Staffing Solutions
ActOne Group
Dear ACC Southern California Members, Sponsors and Friends,
I am honored to be President of ACC Southern California (“ACC SoCal”).
First, I thank Victoria Harvey for her visionary leadership this past year. Under her stewardship, the Board of Directors (“Board”) worked as a team to ensure that our ACC SoCal committees continued the tradition of producing high quality and fun events. Some highlights of the recent past included our 26th Annual Gala and Silent Auction. Thank you to Gala Chair, Rhea Ricard and the entire Gala Committee for making it a night to remember. Our engaging keynote speaker, Stacey Abrams, spoke about the importance of working with others whose viewpoints may not be the same as one’s own, to get the business of the people done. The 2023 Diversity Counsel of the Year Awardee was Shawn Ray White, Family Office and Foundation Executive, Former Obama Foundation Executive, Seasoned Board Member and Executive Coach and the Finalist was Jennifer Fisher, Executive and Senior Counsel - Boeing Intellectual Property: Military & Space. The 2023 Pro Bono Counsel of the Year Awardee was The Mattel Law Department and the Finalist was Deloitte’s Office of the General Counsel. The gala also raised $40,510 for Public Counsel.
We also held an INside Diversity Event, which was moderated by Anthony Martin of Ogletree Deakins and honored Njeri Mutura, Assistant General Counsel of Microsoft. The Pro Bono Committee found amazing ways to give back such as through National Adoption Day and the Angel Tree Holiday Gift Drive. And our Wellness Committee delivered creative ways to help in-house counsel stay healthy – spinning classes anyone? And finally, our sponsors put on fantastic programs on a range of topics from insurance claims coverage to the metaverse and AI to ESG. I look forward to continuing the ACC SoCal tradition of bringing people together for professional networking, friendship, and fun!
Second, I would like to thank Christina Zabat-Fran, Kush Desai, Lynette Jones, and Nicole Nakagawa, who recently completed their service on the Board, for their important contributions to ACC SoCal.
Third, please join me in welcoming our 2024 ACC SoCal leadership:
Betty St. Marie (Executive Director), Shannon Keany (ACC SoCal Administrator), Ellen Yang (President Elect/Vice President, Programs), Conchita Valenzuela (Vice President, Services), Rhea Ricard (Secretary), Albert Nicholson (Treasurer), Victoria Harvey (Immediate Past President), Justin Fong (Communications Chair), Danielle Blanchard (Membership Chair), Ako Shimada, Asha Muldro, Christine Lee, Crystal Ventura, David Cohen, James Dierking, Jennifer Bryant, Jessica Gillette, Joni Gaudes (President Emeritus), Melissa Sandoval, Monica Gentzschein, Njeri Mutura, Peter Macdonald, Ross Greenman, Sanjesh Sharma, Serra Aladag, Shedrick Davis, and Wade Pyun.
Fourth, I would like to thank our sponsors for their enthusiastic support of ACC SoCal. Their programming ideas and partnership are key to what makes ACC SoCal incomparable.
I am excited to serve you as ACC SoCal President. As I look at the year ahead, my top priority is for ACC SoCal to provide as many avenues as possible for you to reach your goals, such as obtaining legal education, growing personal and professional relationships, engaging in wellness activities, augmenting your work experience, and contributing to your communities.
To that end, we need your ideas and would love for you to serve on one of our many committees https://www.acc.com/chapters-networks/chapters/southern-california/grou…. If you’re interested in joining a committee, please email Betty St. Marie at socal@accglobal.com.
Wishing you good luck and success this year, and I look forward to connecting with you.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Duong
2023 - 2024 ACC Southern California President
