I oversee all legal, compliance, and risk management program matters for my public company. While I enjoy all facets of being a Chief Legal Officer, I admit a preference for closing deals. While at Zix, I closed the $860M acquisition of the company by Open Text, but a more satisfying “close” was not a classic big deal at all and I accomplished it by taking a trip to Oakland, California and wearing a casual Hawaiian shirt. Here’s what happened. When I first arrived at Zix, they had been trying for years to acquire the Zix.com domain, owned by an artist in Oakland who refused to sell and wouldn't negotiate. So during a California trip, I knocked on his door wearing my friendliest outfit. He wasn’t there, but his neighbor was, and we talked. I stayed in touch, finally learning of a difficulty the artist had where I could help. In exchange for resolving his problem, I obtained the domain Zix wanted. While I handle all legal issues and advise the rest of the C-suite and board members on growing the business with integrity, at the end of the day, problem solving is what really matters, and what brings me the most personal satisfaction as well.My additional responsibilities include:* organize board meetings and annual shareholder meetings* supervise the drafting and filing of SEC quarterly and annual disclosures* record board meeting minutes  * oversee contracting, privacy, data protection, litigation, the IP portfolio, the equity plan legal compliance, insurance, acquisition integration, and employment law matters* establish and manage an ESG program* prepare for activist challenges to company strategy* manage crisis response as part of management team (including Covid response strategy)