As a Foundation, our mission is to use the power of technology and cutting-edge curricula to upskill individuals from underserved communities. We empower youth, women and Persons with Disabilities to take the Next Step toward sustainable livelihoods and economic independence. Our work is the "next step" of the philanthropic efforts of Sally and Scott Harrison, the founders of Cure International.  Launched in 1998, Cure operates eight pediatric hospitals around the world which have performed more than 300,000 surgical procedures. One of the Foundation’s biggest learnings from our Cure experience is while we can improve the lives of our patients, most struggled to take that Next Step toward employment and independent living. Next Step Foundation achieves this by deploying its proprietary R.A.A.T.T. Method:Recruit, Assess, Accommodate, Train, and Transition.  Using the R.A.A.T.T. Method we: (1) identify and recruit individuals from our most vulnerable communities  (2) assess their unique challenges and strengths  (3) provide the necessary accommodations to ensure each individual is capable of successfully completing our training (4) match individuals with appropriate training curriculum (5) utilize mentors to facilitate transition into employment. To ensure job success, we also provide support to employers to help them understand the challenges and rewards that arise from hiring our graduates.

• Strategy Development / Execution - develop and execute go-to-market and growth strategies.• Licensing Negotiation / Administration - 15+ years experience licensing globally digital content across myriad delivery platforms and formats; experience managing thousands of licenses, including metadata ingestion and management, royalty calculation and reporting, and renegotiation.• Business Development / Partnership Management - develop and execute business development strategies to grow revenue, customers, engagement, and support other business objectives; experience managing partnership management teams.• Public Policy Strategy Development and Execution - develop public policy strategies to achieve strategic goals; advise on the potential effect of draft legislation on business activities; develop and execute communications strategies to support public policy objectives; effectively lobby Members and staff and Executive agencies in support of public policy objectives.• Litigation - lead in-house lawyer developing and executing winning litigation strategy; manage outside counsel and experts; manage multi-million dollar litigation budgets.

The IIV Fund invests in social impact businesses that enable people to earn a living wage, build a career and participate fully in civil society.Current Investment: Gridless Compute (www.gridlesscompute.com): Gridless helps energy developers in Africa be more sustainable and develop more power further out to the edges, and increases the decentralization of the bitcoin network, creating hash power in other parts of the world.Current Investment: Ubuntu Life (www.ubuntu.life): Ubuntu Life is a global lifestyle brand making high-quality, handmade products that provide sustainable and meaningful employment. Our headquarters are in Maai Mahiu, Kenya & Austin, Texas. Our purpose is to connect & empower the lives of our makers & our customers inspiring our world to live a more loving and interconnected life.

Over 300 clients on 5 continents trust StepWise to deliver high quality products and services that allow their businesses to focus on core priorities. We help guide your business on its AI / ML / NLP journey by providing high quality labelled and enriched training data, content moderation, sentiment analysis, audio and video transcription, along with other data processing outsourced services. Our company is dedicated to providing job and career opportunities for people from disadvantaged communities, predominately women, the chronically unemployed, and people with physical disabilities.

The Austin Music Foundation strengthens and connects the local music community with innovative programs that empower musicians and fuel Austin's creative economy.www.AustinMusicFoundation.org

The Digital Media Association (“DiMA”) is the trade association representing the legal and policy interests of the nation’s leading online distributors of digital music, movies and books. Member companies include Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Pandora, Napster and Spotify. DiMA members are constantly developing new and innovative ways to provide consumers with increased access to legitimate online content, and DiMA helps its members accomplish this objective by representing the industry in a wide variety of legal, political and regulatory matters. Responsible for developing and executing public policy strategies promoting innovation in digital content distribution for member‐companies, which include Amazon, Apple, Google / YouTube, Microsoft, Napster, Pandora and Spotify.Lead negotiator for digital music providers for the Music Modernization Act, the first music copyright reform in twenty years. On behalf of digital music providers, managed negotiations among the National Music Publishers Association (NMPA), the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), the Songwriters of North America (SONA), ASCAP, BMI, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), and members of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees. The Act creates a blanket license for the reproduction and distribution of musical works for interactive music streaming services, was passed unanimously both the House of Representatives and Senate, and signed by the President on October 11, 2018.

Responsible for securing rights from music publishers and performing rights organizations for the public performance of musical works across the platform.Responsible for developing and executing ratemaking strategy regarding In re Determination of Royalty Rates and Terms for Transmission of Sound Recordings by Satellite Radio and “Preexisting” Subscription Services (SDARS III) Docket No. 16‐ CRB‐0001 SR/PSSR, United States Copyright Royalty Board, Library of Congress.Worked closely with Broadcast Operations to develop in‐house royalty reporting and processing capabilities to replace Music Reports, Inc.

Music Law Seminar This seminar will introduce students to the law as it applies to the music industry. Topics will include legal issues surrounding writing music, recording music, performing music, distributing music (physically and digitally), licensing music, and miscellaneous but related topics such as trademarks and rights of publicity.

Twice testified before Congress on copyright and antitrust-related issues.Led negotiations with record labels, which led to performance rights licenses with ~ 2,000 record labels.Led negotiations with performing rights organizations and music publishers, including Sony/ATV, UMPG, Warner/Chappell, and BMG, to secure the right to perform publicly musical works.Developed and executed successful litigation strategies around complex and cutting-edge music copyright issues, includingWeb IV (Copyright Royalty Board 2015) - achieved first-ever reduction in headline royalty rate from CRB.Pandora Media Inc. v. American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (2d Cir. 2015) - Second Circuit, per curium, affirmed district court victory for Pandora.In re Petition of Pandora Media, Inc. (S.D.N.Y. 2014) - District Court adopted Pandora’s rate proposal, rejecting ASCAP’s proposal to significantly increase performance royalty rates.• In addition to favorable rate outcome at trial, secured summary‐judgment ruling that the major music publishers’ attempted withdrawals of ASCAP’s right to license Pandora and other “new media” entities violated the ASCAP consent decree and thus were invalid.Broadcast Music, Inc. v. Pandora Media, Inc. (S.D.N.Y. 2015) - Secured partial summary judgment finding that the BMI consent decree does not permit partial withdrawals of rights that would allow BMI to licensemost entities on behalf of publisher affiliates while prohibiting BMI from licensing so‐called “new media” entities such as Pandora. Flo & Eddie v Pandora Media, Inc. (C.D. Cal. 2014) - successfully utilized California’s anti‐SLAAP statute to move the case from the Central District of California, which had ruled in favor of plaintiffs in similar action against SiriusXM Radio, Inc., to the 9th Circuit, where nine amici filed briefs in support of Pandora’s position.

Adjunct Professor teaching Music Law Seminar, which introduces law school students to the law as it applies to the music business. Topics include legal issues surrounding writing music, recording music, performing music, distributing music (both physically and digitally), licensing music, and miscellaneous but related topics such as trademarks and rights of publicity.

The Entertainment and Sports Law Section is a voluntary organization within the State Bar of Texas and consists of more than 500 licensed attorneys throughout the state who practice entertainment and sports law. Section members represent a wide variety of clients including employers, employees and entertainment and sports organizations, in both the private and public sectors.

Represented major record label and major music publisher in copyright enforcement actions against unlicensed commercial music service providers, securing from two targeted services new licenses as well as damages for prior unauthorized uses.

As Mood Media’s Global Director of Content and Licensing, I am responsible for the acquisition, licensing and administration of the content used across all of our audio and visual services. Content programming functions, such as music programming and advertising solutions (e.g., voice and messaging) will report to me. I work closely with our European leadership team to coordinate international licensing efforts. In addition, the legal and human resource functions of North America will report to me.

As Mood Media’s President of Emerging Services, I am responsible for growing partnerships and expanding service offerings with our residential partners including DIRECTV, DISH and the National Cable Television Cooperative, while identifying new growth opportunities for the sale and distribution of our content and services.

Reporting directly to the CEO, I have primary responsibility for DMX’s day-to-day operating activities, including revenue and sales growth; expense, cost and margin control; and monthly, quarterly and annual financial goal attainment. With seven direct reports managing nearly 300 employees, I have primary responsibility for Brand Strategy, Human Resources, Operations and Supply Chain Management, Marketing, Sales, Customer Service and Account Management, Business Affairs and Licensing, and DMX’s Latin American operations. Along with the CEO, I am responsible for the strategic planning, resource allocation and communication of key organizational goals, including best-in-class delivery of music services to 100,000 commercial businesses in the U.S. and Canada and 25 million homes in North and South America.

Implemented the first-ever direct licensing initiative to secure the public performance, reproduction and distribution rights to musical compositions directly from music publishers, resulting in 1,000+ licenses covering more than 7,000 catalogs.Led successful litigation efforts to obtain the first-ever adjustable fee blanket licenses from ASCAP and BMI to afford DMX credit against its blanket fees for the public performance of works licensed directly from music publishers, in which both courts adopted DMX’ position, resulting in more than $5.5mm in annual savings. • Broadcast Music, Inc. v. DMX, Inc., 08 Civ. 216 (LLS), 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 78417, (S.D.N.Y. July 26, 2010); on appeal at 10-3429-cv (Second Circuit). BMI sought payments of $41.81 per location per year. Judge Stanton adopted DMX’ lowest proposal of $18.91. • In Re Application of THP Capstar Acquisition Corp. (now known as DMX, Inc.), 09 Civ. 7069 (DLC), 2010 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 131424, (S.D.N.Y. December 7, 2010); on appeal at 11-127-cv (Second Circuit). ASCAP sought payments of $49.50 per location per year. Judge Cote adopted DMX’ lowest proposal of $13.74.Responsible for all necessary music licenses, including public performance, reproduction, distribution and synchronization associated with the musical compositions and sound recordings, as applicable, utilized as part of DMX’ music services to (a) commercial establishments, (b) private residences, (c) personal computers and mobile devices as a digital stream and/or digital download, and (e) personal portable media devices or other physical media. • 2,000+ catalog-wide licenses with record labels;• 1,000+ catalog-wide licenses with music publishers• Hundreds of individual synchronization licensesResponsible for royalty accounting for millions of performances of musical compositions and sound recordings performed every month as part of DMX’ many music services.

Drafted and negotiated hundreds of agreements, including service agreements, content license agreements, office lease agreements, equipment purchase agreements, vendor finance agreements, software license agreements, acquisition and divestiture agreements, satellite transport agreements, employment agreements, confidentiality agreements, and dealer and distributor agreements.

As Managing Director of DMX's residential music service, I was responsible for obtaining the largest recurring revenue contract in the companies history. Under my direction, DMX increased its penetration in the residential music space from just under 2mm households to more than 19mm households.

My practice focused on trademark and false advertising litigation. I represented several pharmaceutical companies in a variety of false advertising claims resulting in favorable settlements for the clients. I represented a national retailer of home improvement and construction products and services in a trademark infringement case involving a well-known tag line resulting in a favorable outcome for the client. I represented a national magazine publication against a trademark licensee in a breach of license case resulting in the licensee voluntarily relinquishing its license.