Sam Walker Email & Phone Number

Denver, Colorado

Executive in Residence for the Office of the Colorado Attorney General, a volunteer, part time role. Accountabilities include: (1) through the General Counsel Initiative, reinventing how the Colorado Department of Law provides legal advice to Colorado’s cabinet agencies, boards, and commissions; (2) serving the AG’s Leadership Team as an executive coach; and (3) assisting in developing leadership competencies and resources for the Department.

Denver, Colorado, United States

The Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System (IAALS) is a leading think-do institute, founded in 2006, that forges innovative and practical solutions to problems within the American legal system. As chair of the Board of Advisors, stepped into the executive director role for IAALS on an interim basis in July 2020. Leading a national search for permanent executive director.

Greater Denver Area

Developed and taught twice (Spring 2017 and Spring 2018) a highly-reviewed two-credit seminar exploring the legal, regulatory, and practical challenges posed when Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP) doubled its size in 2016 by acquiring full ownership of America’s second largest beer business, MillerCoors, and the Miller International Business, which commercialized the Miller beer brands (such as Miller Genuine Draft ® and Miller Lite®) in approximately 70 countries. The course also explored how in-house lawyers can help drive a company’s business strategy, and how effective in-house counsel solve problems that get in the way. Learning objectives included: (1) understanding the different kinds of deals Molson Coors Brewing Company has done in the last 15 years, and the legal agreements that underpin them; (2) identifying and solving deal problems via legal agreements; (3) drafting term sheets as part of transaction negotiations; (4) the interplay of competition regulation with the legal agreements in a divestiture transaction; (5) devising strategy and tactics to resolve commercial disputes in the midst of negotiations, and handling dispute resolution processes; and (6) understanding how in-house lawyers work together, and collaborate with their outside counsel and non-lawyer colleagues.

Denver, Colorado

Spearheaded Colorado’s pathbreaking work to create more doors of opportunity, and more keys to open them, for people who do not have the opportunity to move straight from high school to college and then to work. Innovations included: modern youth apprenticeships; creation of credentials of value; creation of sector partnerships in healthcare, education, and retail; and encouragement of hiring based on demonstrated skills rather than proxies. Chaired the Governor’s Workforce and Education cabinet. Led the Department’s 1400-person team via an agenda of customer service, stakeholder engagement, process improvement, and diversity and inclusion. At the conclusion of Sam’s term, Governor Hickenlooper thanked him for electrifying and driving Colorado’s vision to reinvent the process of learning about, through, and at work.

Denver, Colorado

Chief-level leader for over a decade at Denver-based Molson Coors Brewing Company (NYSE: TAP), a leading global brewer with 20,000 employees in 70 countries (2002-2018). Forged the deals that transformed the global brewing industry. Recruited and encouraged a diverse, high-performance leadership team. Drive engagement and a high-integrity corporate culture. Team and individual awards: Colorado Hispanic Bar Association Outstanding Corporate Commitment Award (2018); American Lawyer global grand prize for the global M&A deal of the year (shared with the legal departments of ABI and SABMiller plc) (2016); Women’s Leadership Foundation Progressive Board Award (recognizing my recruitment, along with our board chairman and CEO, of women leaders to Molson Coors’s board of directors) (2016); Center for Legal Inclusiveness: Inclusiveness@Work Award, recognizing our success in attracting and promoting women and minorities (2015); and Colorado Law Department of the Year (American Lawyer), recognizing our hiring practices, training programs, and successful transactional work (2014).

Washington Dc

Partner at this 200-attorney D.C. law firm. Chaired the firm’s long-range planning committee. One of three partners elected to the firm’s seven-member executive committee. Lead defense counsel in jury trials, class actions, and complex cases. On behalf of individual companies and industries, dealt with the U.S. government on a variety of issues, including negotiating and implementing the Harkin-Engel protocol to improve labor standards in the growing and processing of West African cocoa. See generally, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harkin%E2%80%93Engel_Protocol.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Worked with White House, Congressional, state, and local leaders to form and implement America 2000. America 2000 was the outcome of an agreement between the President and the National Governors Association in 1989 to apply standards and testing to the Nation’s primary and secondary schools.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Led the 3000-employee Employment Standards Administration, the U.S. Department of Labor’s largest agency, as Assistant Secretary for Employment Standards (Acting) and Deputy Assistant Secretary. Oversaw the Wage and Hour Division, the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (implementing federal affirmative action under Executive Order 11246), and the federal workers compensation and black-lung programs.Other positions in ESA included Wage and Hour Administrator (Acting) and Deputy Wage and Hour Administrator. Responsible for nationwide enforcement of 60 statutes administered by the Wage and Hour Division, including the Fair Labor Standards Act and the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts. Devised and implemented a strategy to improve the wages and working conditions of hand-harvest migrant workers. Represented the United States in multilateral treaty negotiations at the International Labor Organization (an agency of the United Nations). Member of the five-person U.S. team that negotiated the predecessor to the NAFTA labor side agreement with Mexico.

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

Handled litigation, including employment and construction disputes. Junior member of a two-person team that tried numerous civil cases to verdict. Argued before the North Carolina Supreme Court, all lower state courts, and the federal district courts.

Law Clerk to the Honorable John D. Butzner, Jr., United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Doctor Of Law - Jd, Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Legal methods instructor (civil procedure and legal writing teaching assistant). Member of the Board of Student.

Bachelor Of Arts - Ba, Public Policy Analysis, Magna Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Phi Beta Kappa. Chairman of undergraduate and university judicial boards.