Recognized for exceptional abilities and hand selected for this highly visible role as a key member of the support team to the Governor’s Cabinet and executive leadership. Serve as General Counsel of the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, a 1,300-employee state cabinet agency with a $1.6B budget. Manage and provide oversight for all areas of in-house legal issues including contract negotiation and management, data sharing and management, HR, procurement, IT security, project management, communications, IT service delivery, legislative affairs, finance, diversity and inclusion, and strategy. Indirectly manage and work closely with outside counsel on litigation matters and contract negotiation. Member of and work directly with C-Suite executive management. Provide leadership for a staff of 5 direct reports.✔Provide direct counsel and advisement to the Secretary/State Chief Information Officer and the executive leadership team, including the CFO, COO, Chief Privacy Officer, Chief Risk Officer, and Chief Deputy Secretary. Hold final legal authority for the department.✔Identify and mitigate risks to the department and navigate and interpret the department’s statutory authority and responsibilities. ✔Provide legal analysis/direction, policy advisement, management direction, agency governance, strategy, and compliance oversight.✔Highly involved with vendor, billing and contractual issues, as well as human resource investigations, and other adversarial matters. ✔Trusted advisor for legal and other department issues by establishing key relationships with C-suite executives.✔Authored an executive order to create the joint cybersecurity task force, a partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, North Carolina National Guard and local government. Provide advisement to these stakeholders on how to respond to cybersecurity incidents throughout the State. Optional federal members include the FBI, DHS, and DoD. * continued below *

* continued from above *✔Helped spearhead the expansion of the North Carolina Division of Broadband and Digital Equity to make broadband services available via grant programs to underserved populations and areas.✔Manage the review, drafting and negotiations of over $1billion in annual purchases of complex licensing agreements and statements of work, throughout the lifecycle of the contract, and provide oversight for contract managers and legal staff throughout the procurement process.✔Manage a customer service oriented legal department that helps all levels of department management accomplish their goals while remaining compliant with all applicable laws and regulations. ✔One of the Founding Members and Executive Leaders of the company’s first Diversify, Equity and Inclusion Committee.✔Adjudicated a multimillion-dollar IT bid protest utilizing vast knowledge of IT contracts, procurement law, and administrative procedure.✔Revamped the employee policy and procedure manual and developed human resources processes to comply with North Carolina employment law. Specific focus on using performance management tools to improve employee work product.✔Inform executive and cabinet level leadership of important and urgent issues before the State and Department.✔Ensure complex issues before the Department are solved by gathering key players from various aspects of department leadership.✔Secure and manage outside counsel for litigation matters.

Promoted to take on accountability for more complex IT contracts and procurement matters. Involved in future direction of the division and strategic contributor to HR matters, litigation matters, and operational matters serving as a strategic advisor to senior leadership. Served as a mentor and SME to other attorneys.✔Trusted advisor and counselor to my client’s General Counsel and leadership of the Human Resources Office.✔Negotiated software license agreements with vendor legal representatives utilizing a diplomatic approach. Ensured compliance with applicable law and client requirements, while also understanding the vendor’s need to control its proprietary assets in an effort to maintain collaborative negotiations that met client expectations.✔Regularly interacted with client to develop strategies in dealing with current legal, procurement, and human resources issues.✔Counseled and assisted the Procurement Office in helping the client understand complex legal issues and requirements of North Carolina law. ✔Frequently sought out by contract specialists to teach, explain and help them understand and recognize emerging legal issues of concern.

Independently provided assistance and guidance to State government personnel including in-house attorneys, Attorney General representatives and agency procurement specialists in drafting and negotiating State procurement IT contracts, license agreements, and service level agreements for the entire state.✔Advised government divisions on the implication of State and Federal law as it related to IT procurement, and conducted reviews of complex legal matters that involved significant State investments and memoranda of agreement with other State agencies.✔Assigned to research and provide legal guidance to the Department of Information Technology General Counsel and Attorney General Counsel of the implications of the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) on State contracts. ✔Authored an advisory letter on behalf of the Department of Justice for distribution amongst State agencies.✔Assisted Human Resources and leadership on all varieties of employment issues included hiring, dismissal, and disciplinary actions.✔Provided guidance to Human Resources on compliance with State and Federal laws including FMLA, ADA, Title VII, ADEA, and related litigation risks.

Promoted to provide legal advisement for the Department of Health and Human Services including defending and litigating personnel actions of the Department. Also responsible for representing the Division of Health Services Regulation and advising the section on the licensing of adult health care and mental health facilities, as well as the matters involving the employees working in those facilities.✔As sole counsel of record, successfully litigated complex personnel cases before the North Carolina Office of Administrative Hearings on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services, its divisions, and State Operated Healthcare Facilities. ✔Defended and litigate cases involving issues of both North Carolina and federal laws, including ADA, Title VII, FLSA, as well as hiring, dismissal and other disciplinary actions.✔Counseled the Employee Relations Division of the Department of Health and Human Services in matters regarding compliance with State and Federal laws in order to mitigate exposure to potential litigation.✔Utilized innovative problem solving, statutory interpretation, and legal research skills to advise leadership on issues of employment law litigation, including the likelihood of successful litigation. ✔Represented and advised the Division of Health Service Regulation on the licensure of mental health and adult care facilities.✔Mediated employee claims as a Certified Mediator with North Carolina Office of State Human Resources.

Sole counsel for assigned claims under the Tort Claims Act, including a large caseload of active litigation cases, in which I defended various State agencies in cases before the Industrial Commission and courts of general justice. Cases included negligence cases, slip and falls, auto accidents, premises liability, and medical malpractice.

Reviewed client documents for pending large-scale litigation project, document review, and large pharmaceutical company, ensuring documents were relevant to discovery.

Researched and drafted internal briefs for use by the Justices in upcoming oral arguments.