2024 UChicago General Counsel Roundtable Panelists

Speakers

Alicia Perrault

Pratt & Whitney, Vice President and General Counsel

Alicia Perrault is the vice president and general counsel of  Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business.  She has overall responsibility for Pratt & Whitney’s legal matters, contracts, corporate ethics and global compliance. Alicia began her RTX career in 2007 and has served in roles of increasing responsibility, including as vice president and counsel, Commercial Engines Contracts, where she led the Contracts Management Organization and provided support for engine sales campaigns and other commercial engines business initiatives.  She also served as the chief of staff to the President of Pratt & Whitney.  Before joining RTX, Alicia practiced with the law firm of Robinson & Cole.

Alicia holds a bachelor's degree from Providence College and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law. She is a volunteer and board member of the Pro Bono Partnership, and is an executive sponsor for ADAPT, Pratt & Whitney’s employee resource group supporting individuals with diverse abilities, their caregivers and allies.

Angela Steele

McDonald’s U.S.A., General Counsel

As U.S. General Counsel, Angela serves as a strategic legal advisor and partner to McDonald’s U.S. Senior Leadership team. Angela is responsible for championing McDonald’s brand and values while overseeing a broad range of legal matters impacting the U.S. business including franchising, real estate, labor and employment, technology and data privacy, intellectual property, marketing, antitrust and competition, and litigation.Prior to joining McDonald’s, Angela gained extensive litigation and trial experience at the law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP. Angela began her career at the law firm Pattishall, McAuliffe, Newbury, Hilliard & Geraldson LLP, where she counseled clients on copyright, advertising, and trademark issues.

Angela is an alumnus of both the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Chicago Law School. Angela is involved in McDonald’s Global Women’s Leadership Network and serves as an in-house mentor in the ‘Move the Needle’ program run by Diversity Lab, an incubator for innovative ideas and solutions that boost diversity and inclusion in law.

Anne Robinson

Vanguard, Managing Director, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Anne Robinson is general counsel of Vanguard, and secretary of the Vanguard funds. She is managing director of the Office of the General Counsel, where she leads Global Public Policy, Legal, Compliance, and Investment Stewardship. She joined Vanguard in 2016. Ms. Robinson has extensive experience counseling companies on a wide range of legal, regulatory and governance matters. She started her career in private law practice before moving to Deloitte Consulting and later Citigroup to serve as managing director and general counsel. Ms. Robinson also served as managing counsel to American Express.  

She earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Hampton University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. Ms. Robinson serves as an independent, non-executive director of National Grid plc and is a member of their Remuneration and Safety and Sustainability Committees.

Brett Gerry

The Boeing Company, Chief Legal Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Compliance

Brett Gerry is the chief legal officer and executive vice president of Global Compliance for The Boeing Company.  He has served as the company’s senior legal adviser and a member of the company’s Executive Council since 2020.  After joining Boeing in 2008, Gerry was named to senior legal positions supporting the commercial and defense businesses, and as president of Boeing Japan for three years, based in Tokyo. Gerry came to Boeing following several senior positions in the U.S. Department of Justice and the White House. His service at the Department of Justice included roles as chief of staff to the U.S. attorney general; acting assistant attorney general supervising the department’s Office of Legal Policy; and member of the leadership team that launched the department’s National Security Division, where he served as deputy assistant attorney general.

Before that, Gerry was an associate counsel to the president of the United States, in which capacity he worked on national security and intelligence matters. He also worked in private practice at Boston-based Goodwin Procter LLP and was a law clerk at both the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Carey Bartell

Conagra Brands, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

Carey Bartell is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Conagra Brands, Inc., one of North America’s leading branded food companies. In this role, Carey oversees all legal and governmental affairs activity for the company. Previously, Carey served as vice president and chief counsel leading the company’s litigation and compliance programs. She joined Conagra Brands in 2016. Prior to Conagra Brands, Carey was Vice President and Chief Litigation Counsel at Hospira, Inc., a global pharmaceutical and medical device company, where she oversaw the company’s litigation, labor, employment, and immigration law. Carey began her career in private practice at a Chicago law firm, practicing primarily in the areas of litigation and labor & employment law. 

She received her law degree from the University of Chicago Law School and her bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University.

Damon Hart

Liberty Mutual Insurance, Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

Damon Hart is Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer & Secretary of Liberty Mutual Insurance, the fifth-largest global property and casualty insurer. In this role, Damon leads the company’s Corporate Legal team, which operates in 19 countries, and is responsible for the governance of the company’s board of directors. Since joining Liberty Mutual in 2014, he has had several leadership positions that have been crucial to the company upholding the highest standards of compliance, ethics and the law.

Damon is a passionate advocate of advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout Liberty Mutual, the legal community and society. He is currently on the boards of the Federal Advisory Committee on Insurance; U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform; RAND Kenneth R. Feinberg Center for Catastrophic Risk Management and Compensation; The Home for Little Wanderers and is a founding member of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund. He is also actively involved in his community as a youth sports coach and mentor. Damon received his Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School and a bachelor's degree in Political Science from the College of the Holy Cross.

Deborah H. Telman

Gilead Sciences, Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and General Counsel

Ms. Telman serves as Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and General Counsel, with responsibility for Gilead’s Government Affairs and Policy, Public Affairs, Legal and Compliance functions at Gilead Sciences. Inc. Ms. Telman joined Gilead in 2022 and prior to her current role, she served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Organon, a women’s healthcare company, building out the Legal, Ethics and Compliance, and Environmental Health and Safety organizations following the company’s separation from Merck. Prior to joining Organon, Ms. Telman was the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Sorrento Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company.

She received her Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law and a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Pennsylvania. Ms. Telman currently serves on the board of directors of AtriCure, Inc., a medical tech company focused on the treatment of atrial fibrillation and related conditions, as well as on the board of directors of Chicago Humanities Festival.

Don Liu

Target Corporation, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal & Compliance Officer

Don Liu is executive vice president and chief legal and compliance officer for Target and a member of its leadership team. He oversees all legal, compliance and corporate governance matters for the company. Don also serves as Target’s corporate secretary. Prior to joining Target in 2016, Don was executive vice president, general counsel and secretary for Xerox Corporation. He also held in-house legal leadership roles at Toll Brothers, IKON Office Solutions and Aetna U.S. Healthcare. He began his career in private practice, specializing in securities and mergers and acquisitions.

Don currently serves on the boards of Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc. and Haverford College. He is a co-founder and board member of the Alliance for Asian American Justice, a nonprofit organization offering pro bono legal services to victims of anti-Asian hate. He also serves as an executive mentor for the ExCo Group and is a member of the American Law Institute and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Don graduated from Haverford College with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and religion and received his Juris Doctor from the Columbia University School of Law.

Jonathan Kanter

United States Assistant Attorney General

Jonathan Kanter was confirmed on November 16, 2021, as Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division. Throughout his career, Mr. Kanter has been a leading advocate for strong and meaningful antitrust enforcement and competition policy. Mr. Kanter has been a partner in the Washington, D.C. offices of two national law firms and was the founder of a boutique antitrust law firm dedicated to promoting antitrust enforcement. Mr. Kanter began his career as an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Competition. He earned his Juris Doctor from Washington University in St. Louis and his bachelor's degree from State University of New York at Albany.

 

Hon. Lori W. Will

Delaware Court of Chancery, Vice Chancellor

The Honorable Lori W. Will was sworn in as a Vice Chancellor of the Court of Chancery on May 26, 2021. Prior to joining the Court, Vice Chancellor Will was a partner at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, P.C., where she focused on the representation of business entities and their directors and officers in corporate, complex commercial, and federal securities litigation. Before joining Wilson Sonsini, Vice Chancellor Will was a senior associate in the litigation department of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. She served as a law clerk to then-Vice Chancellor Leo E. Strine, Jr. after graduating from law school.

Vice Chancellor Will received her bachelor's degree summa cum laude in both History and Government & Law from Lafayette College. She received her Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a graduate Certificate in Business and Public Policy from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Delaware State Bar Association, and the Richard S. Rodney Inn of Court.

Paul Grewal

Coinbase, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary

Paul Grewal is the Chief Legal Officer of Coinbase Global, Inc., where he is responsible for Coinbase’s legal, compliance, global intelligence and government relations groups. Before joining Coinbase, Paul was Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Facebook and served as United States Magistrate Judge for the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. Paul was previously a partner at Howrey LLP. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School and his bachelor's degree from MIT.

Priya Aiyar

American Airlines, Executive Vice President Corporate Affairs and Chief Legal Officer

Priya Aiyar is Chief Legal Officer and leads American’s Legal Affairs team and its legal strategies. This includes the company’s corporate governance, securities and corporate finance, commercial, litigation, competition and antitrust, compliance, privacy, environmental, labor and employment, and intellectual property legal issues and work.  Priya joined American in 2019 and played a crucial role in the company’s navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to joining American, Priya served as a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, as Acting General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and as Deputy General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy. Earlier she held other senior legal roles within the federal government and was a partner at Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans & Figel PLLC. She began her legal career as a clerk to Judge Merrick Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and to Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Priya holds a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School, a master’s degree from the University of Oxford, and a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University.

 

Regina Bynote Jones

ADM, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Regina Bynote Jones is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary at ADM, playing a key role on the company's Executive Council. She manages ADM's global legal, regulatory affairs, compliance, security operations, and government relations. Before ADM, Jones was Chief Legal Officer at Baker Hughes and held significant legal positions globally with companies like Schlumberger, Dynegy, Shell, and El Paso Energy.

She has served on executive boards for Delek U.S. Holdings and Delek Logistics Partners LP. Additionally, Jones is a board member at South Texas College of Law and the National Association of Manufacturers, contributing previously to several nonprofit boards. She holds a BBA from Sam Houston State University and a Juris Doctor from South Texas College of Law, specializing in computer and technology law.

Scott Ewing

Trinity Industries, Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer

Scott Ewing joined Trinity in 2015 as Associate General Counsel and was named Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer in 2023. Prior to joining Trinity, he was a lawyer at Haynes and Boone, LLP, an Am Law 100 firm based in Dallas, where he specialized in complex litigation matters, antitrust, and government investigations. 

Mr. Ewing received his BBA from the University of Texas – Austin and his Juris Doctor from the Texas Wesleyan School of Law.