Directory Features

Trudy Bourgeois
Chief Executive Officer
The Center for Workforce Excellence

Trudy Bourgeois is the chief executive officer of the Center for Workforce Excellence—a highly-respected and in-demand organizational cultural change, training, consulting and coaching company. Bourgeois is one of America's leading experts on transformational leadership and is a highly-regarded leader in the field of workforce performance and improvement. An expert at teaching managers and leaders how to unleash the greatest potential of every employee, Bourgeois is a highly sought-out resource. Dollars and Sense magazine honored Bourgeois as one of the "Best and Brightest Women Leaders." For over 16 years, Bourgeois held sales and marketing positions at a tobacco company. She has appeared on CCWC® Live Blog Talk to discuss her book, Her Corner Office: The Guide to Help Women Find a Place and a Voice in Corporate America (2nd Edition). Bourgeois has also written numerous articles and white papers, and she contributes regularly to educational materials for corporations, associations and trade groups. Bourgeois has served on several boards including the Network of Executive Women. She received her bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola University.

Alfreda Bradley-Coar
Senior Executive and General Counsel
GE Healthcare, Americas

Alfreda Bradley-Coar, in her 20-year legal career, has built a track record of leading in regulated environments, building high-performance teams, and providing thought leadership. During her 17-year tenure in-house at GE, she has assumed leadership positions in the health care, transportation, insurance and financial services businesses, where she has provided expertise in business strategy, complex transactions, compliance, and corporate governance. Bradley-Coar is currently general counsel of GE Healthcare, Americas, an $8 billion global healthcare division of GE, and is responsible for leading a large legal department and advising the CEO and other senior executives on enterprise risks and growth. Bradley-Coar is also a member of GE's Legal Corporate Executive Council. Prior to GE, Bradley-Coar specialized in bankruptcy and corporate reorganizations with Bell, Boyd & Lloyd and Seyfarth, Shaw & Geraldson. She is a frequent speaker on topics such as the role of corporate counsel, risk management and compliance, and diversity in the legal profession. Bradley-Coar is married to retired Federal District Court Judge David H. Coar and resides in Chicago. She earned her B.A., cum laude, and J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, and an M.B.A. from Northwestern University, Kellogg Graduate School of Management.

J. Weili Cheng
Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company L.L.C.

J. Weili Cheng is deputy general counsel and corporate secretary of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. She also serves on the company's Crisis Committee and chairs the Casino Oversight Committee for the parent company, Marriott International, Inc. Prior to joining The Ritz-Carlton, Cheng was vice president and assistant general counsel for Marriott International, Inc. Previously, she worked for the United States Department of Justice in the Office of Legal Policy and served as a trial attorney in the Department's Civil Division - Commercial Litigation Branch. Her previous legal practice included work at law firms in Honolulu and Washington, D.C. as well as Capitol Hill work for a member of the Hawaii congressional delegation. Cheng is a graduate of Yale University and Georgetown University Law Center where she was Associate Editor of The Tax Lawyer. Cheng is the youngest recipient of the Yale Medal, the university's highest award for outstanding service.

Lucy Lopez
Deputy General Counsel
McKinsey & Company

Lucy Lopez is the deputy general counsel at McKinsey & Company. In this role, she specializes in corporate and commercial matters. Prior to her deputy general counsel role, she served as associate general counsel at McKinsey & Company where she specialized in corporate, commercial and employment law. Before joining McKinsey & Company, Lopez was an associate at the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP in New York City. While at Debevoise, she worked on international mergers and acquisitions transactions, financings, and public offerings. She is a mentor and volunteer with Big Brother Big Sister of New York. She is a member of the New York State Bar Association, American Bar Association, American Corporate Counsel Association, and Penn Law Alumni. Lopez graduated from Fordham with a B.S. in psychology, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, National Hispanic Scholar. She received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Melanie Montenegro
Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc.

Melanie Montenegro is executive vice president and general counsel of Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS), which is the largest publicly traded Hispanic-controlled media and entertainment company in the United States and is headquartered in Miami, Florida. SBS has media stations located in the top U.S. Hispanic markets of New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco and Puerto Rico. Montenegro is responsible for a wide range of corporate and legal functions, including legal, governance, securities, mergers and acquisitions, litigation, business development, and compliance. Previously, Montenegro served as corporate counsel for SBS managing the day-to-day activities and operations of the legal department. Prior, Montenegro worked at Kaye Scholer LLP. She is on the board of directors of the Radio Music License Committee and is a charter member of Women Executive Leaders. She received her B.A. in political science, Spanish Language and Literature from Binghamton University and J.D. from Hofstra University School of Law.

Sandie Okoro
General Counsel
Baring Asset Management Limited

Sandie Okoro is general counsel at Baring Asset Management Limited, a global asset management company based in London which is part of the MassMutual Financial Group. In this role, she manages a team of lawyers based in London, Boston and Hong Kong, and she is responsible for the management of Barings legal risk across the globe. Prior to Barings, Okoro was head of Legal for Corporate Services at Schroders and managed Schroders' Global Legal Panel. She is an ambassador for the British Law Society's Diversity Access Scheme and is the joint winner of the British Law Society's Minority Lawyers Conference 2011 award for encouraging minority lawyers. Okoro has made the Powerlist 2012 as one of Britain's top ten most influential black people. She co-founded Barings' See the Possibilities Mentoring Program aimed at young students at further education colleges in and around the London area. She believes passionately in making the world a better place through encouraging the next generation. She is a graduate of Birmingham University and Inns of Court School of Law.

Juliette Pryor
Executive Vice President
General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer
U.S. Foods

Juliette Pryor is executive vice president, general counsel and chief compliance officer for US Foods. In this role, she is responsible for all legal, risk management and ethics and compliance functions. Prior to joining US Foods, Pryor worked at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP where she counseled domestic and international corporate clients in various aspects of sales, acquisitions, corporate restructurings and other insolvency matters and advised major Latin American companies. Before joining Skadden, she was general counsel and corporate secretary for e.spire Communications, Inc., a publicly traded telecommunications company. Pryor oversaw all legal, regulatory and corporate reporting and compliance matters and successfully defended the company against a class action shareholder litigation. Earlier in her career, Pryor served as legal advisor to the vice chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission, and as in-house counsel with IBM Corporation. She is a member of the Chicago Network and Governor Patrick J. Quinn's Women's Advisory Council. Pryor received her B.A. from Fisk University, M.S. from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

Dr. Arin N. Reeves
President
Nextions

Dr. Arin N. Reeves is the president of Nextions—a consulting company focused on leadership and inclusion. Previously, she served as the president of The Athens Group, where she developed and implemented strategic plans and programming on diversity, recruitment, retention, attrition, promotion, mentoring, marketing and client development issues. She has researched and written on these issues extensively. Prior to Athens, Reeves served as an adjunct professor at Northwestern University where she taught classes on law and society and also practiced law in Illinois. Reeves has been featured on NPR for her work on women of color in the legal profession and is cited often in online and traditional media as an expert in leadership and inclusion in workplaces. She is a recipient of the Anti-Defamation League's Rising Star Award and her column "Diversity in Practice," was recognized by the Herman Kogan Media Awards for excellence in journalism. Reeves studied business at DePaul University's College of Commerce, attended law school at the University of Southern California and received her Ph.D. in Sociology from Northwestern University.

Laurel J. Richie
President
WNBA

Veteran marketing executive Laurel J. Richie is the president of the WNBA where she is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the world's premier women's sports league. Previously, Richie served as senior vice president and chief marketing officer for Girl Scouts of the USA where she was responsible for the organization's brand, marketing and web-based initiatives. Prior to the Girl Scouts, she worked for two advertising agencies—Leo Burnett Worldwide and Ogilvy and Mather. She has worked with blue chip clients including Procter and Gamble and led the team at Ogilvy that helped Huggies become a multi-billion dollar brand. Richie is a recipient of the YMCA Black Achiever's Award, Ebony magazine's Outstanding Women in Marketing and Communications, and the Network Journal's 25 Influential Black Women in Business. She continues to work with Ogilvy as a founding member of its Diversity Advisory Board. She is a graduate of Dartmouth College with a B.A. in policy studies.

Pamela Samuels Young
Managing Counsel
Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc.

Pamela Samuels Young has achieved a successful writing career while working as managing counsel for labor and employment law of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. Previously, she served as employment law counsel for Raytheon Company and associate at O'Melveny & Myers LLP. A former journalist, Samuels Young began her broadcasting career as a production assistant at WXYZ-TV in Detroit, where she was quickly promoted to news writer. Samuels Young also worked at KCBS-TV as a news writer and associate producer. She has written five legal thrillers, including her debut novel, Every Reasonable Doubt and the newly released Attorney-Client Privilege. She has won numerous awards including the 2010 Fiction Award. Samuels Young served as an adjunct professor at the University of Redlands' School of Business. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Southern California Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and is the Fiction Expert for BizyMoms.com. Samuels Young received her B.A. in journalism from USC, master's degree in broadcasting from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and J.D. from UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law.

April Savoy
Vice President and Associate General Counsel
Nationwide Insurance (An Affiliate of Nationwide Insurance)

April Savoy is the vice president and associate general counsel of Titan Insurance, an affiliate of Nationwide Insurance, which distributes nonstandard and mid-market auto and commercial vehicle insurance to a diverse customer base in 45 states and through more than 80 retail locations, and direct, exclusive and independent agents. Previously, Savoy was the associate vice president and regional counsel for Nationwide's Southern States Region. Prior to Nationwide, she worked for six years as a senior corporate attorney at the headquarters of Safeco Insurance in Seattle, Washington. Before working for Safeco, Savoy worked as associate chief counsel of the American Cancer Society; at Kilpatrick Stockton LLP as a corporate health care and securities attorney; and as a legal staffer to the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy during the passage of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Savoy is a graduate of Spelman College and Harvard Law School. She loves the arts, previously holding board positions at the Seattle Art Museum, Pratt Fine Arts Center and Intiman Theater in Seattle, Washington.

Judy A. Smith
Founder and President, Crisis Management Expert
Smith and Co.

Judy A. Smith is the founder and president of Smith and Co., a leading strategic and crisis communications firm with offices in Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. Smith, who has earned the reputation of being America's #1 crisis management expert, has handled high-profile events including the President Clinton scandal involving Monica Lewinsky. Shonda Rhimes developed a television drama about the world of crisis management entitled Scandal, which was inspired by Smith's groundbreaking career and stars Kerry Washington in the role of Olivia Pope. Smith serves as co-executive producer. Prior to founding Smith and Co., she held numerous positions including working at public relations firms, NBC, and the White House. Before the White House, she served as Assistant United States
Attorney and was Special Counsel to the U.S. Attorney of the District of Columbia, and served as associate counsel and deputy director of public information in the Office of the Independent Counsel, Lawrence E. Walsh. She received her B.S. in public relations from Boston University and her J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law where she was the first African-American woman to serve as Executive Editor of the Law Review. Smith recently authored Good Self, Bad Self: Transforming Your Worst Qualities Into Your Biggest Assets.

Mei-lan Stark
Senior Vice President Intellectual Property
Fox Entertainment Group

Mei-lan Stark is senior vice president, Intellectual Property at Fox Entertainment Group. There, she is responsible for all trademark, copyright, domain name and patent work for all of the Fox Entertainment Group entities worldwide including several film banners including 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight, television businesses (FOX, FX, FOX NEWS and more), as well as several other businesses such as MySpace, AskMen, IGN and other web-based businesses. Previously, Stark worked at The Walt Disney Company where she was responsible for intellectual property matters for several Disney divisions including Feature Animation, Buena Vista Pictures Marketing and Distribution, and Disney Consumer Products. Stark began her career at Kilpatrick Stockton. She serves as an officer of the INTA board of directors and served as vice chair of the INTA Programs Committee from 2007-2009. Stark formerly served on the board of the Western Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition and the board of the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice. She graduated from Whittier College, completed the Denmark International Study Program and received her J.D. from Yale Law School.

Josie J. Thomas
Senior Vice President And Chief Diversity Officer
CBS Corporation

Josie J. Thomas is the senior vice president and chief diversity officer of CBS Corporation, where she works to enhance the company's record of diversity both inside and outside the organization. In 2003, she launched the CBS Diversity Institute, adding a Writers Mentoring Program and Directing Initiative to the previously launched diversity focused Actor Showcases and Workshops. Previously, Thomas served as vice president, Business Affairs, CBS News; director of Business Affairs, CBS News; director of Legal Affairs for Trans World International; and broadcast counsel for the law department of CBS Inc. She began her career at two law firms, Anderson, Russell, Kill & Olick and Weiss, Dawid, Fross, Zelnick & Lehrman. Thomas is the chair of the advisory board for the Institute for Advanced Journalism Studies. In 2011, she received the Trendsetter Diversity Achievement Award from the American Advertising Federation. Thomas received her B.A. from Harvard College, cum laude, in history and her J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California, Berkeley.

Tamika Tremaglio
Principal
Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP

Tamika Tremaglio is a principal at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services LLP. Tremaglio has experience in litigation, accounting, tax, finance, economics, and business consulting covering a broad spectrum of industries. She has significant experience in forensic accounting investigations and corporate governance matters in a broad spectrum of industries. In addition, Tremaglio has spent considerable time investigating executive conduct, vendor relationships and similar issues. Specifically, she has led internal and external investigations of suspected improper and fraudulent behavior by employees, vendors, contractors, executive directors and trustees of not-for-profit organizations, institutions, foundations and estates. She received her B.A. in business administration from Mount Saint Mary's College, J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and M.B.A. from the University of Baltimore, Merrick School of Business.

Andrea L. Zopp
President and CEO
Chicago Urban League

Andrea L. Zopp serves as president and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. Prior, she served as executive vice president and general counsel at the Exelon Corporation. Previously, Zopp was executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Exelon; senior vice president, general counsel and corporate secretary of Sears Holdings Corporation; vice president, deputy general counsel in the law department at Sara Lee Corporation; and a partner in the litigation department at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP. Zopp served as the first assistant state's attorney in the Cook County State's Attorney's office and notably was the first woman and African-American to serve in this role. Zopp is a member of numerous boards. She served as chairman of the board of directors of the Chicago Area Project, a community-based delinquency prevention program. She received a bachelor's degree in history and science from Harvard University and her J.D. from Harvard Law School.