2012-2013 BBA Council
PRESIDENT– James D. Smeallie
J.D. is a partner at Holland & Knight, LLP. His practice is concentrated in business litigation and the representation of educational institutions. J.D. has served on the firm’s Directors Committee and as the Executive Partner of the Boston office. He currently chairs the Education Team at Holland & Knight. At the BBA, J.D. has served as Vice President, Co-Chair of the Strategic Communications Work Group, Chair of the Diversity Committee, and as a member of the Diversity Leadership Task Force. In addition, J.D. served on the BBA's Beacon Award Committee, the Adams Benefit Committee, and the Annual Meeting Committee. He has also served as a Commissioner on the ABA’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. J.D. is a past Vice President of the Boards of Trustees at Shore County Day School and the Pingree School. He is also a Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation and a member of the BBA’s Executive Committee.
J.D. is a graduate of Yale College and the University of Virginia Law School.
PRESIDENT – ELECT – Paul T. Dacier
Paul is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel of EMC Corporation. He is responsible for EMC’s worldwide legal group which consists of more than 90 attorneys. Paul has served as BBA Treasurer, co-chaired the BBA’s Strategic Planning Committee, and volunteered on the Law Day Committee. Under Governor Mitt Romney, Paul was a commissioner of the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission and the presiding officer in the proceedings to remove, for cause, the then chairperson of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority. Paul was instrumental in establishing the Business Litigation Session in Suffolk County in the 1990s, and he is a past-chair and remains on the board of the New England Legal Foundation. He is a Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation and the Social Law Library. Paul is also a member of the BBA’s Executive Committee.
Paul graduated from Marquette University and its law school.
VICE PRESIDENT – Julia Huston
Julia is a partner at Foley Hoag LLP, where she chairs the firm’s Trademark, Copyright & Unfair Competition Practice Group. Her practice includes litigation, counseling and strategy in the areas of trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, Internet commerce, domain name piracy, false advertising, unfair competition, and patents. At the BBA, she has served as Secretary and Chair of the Amicus Committee, as well as Co-Chair of the Delivery of Legal Services Section, the Litigation Section, and the Intellectual Property Litigation Committee. She is also a past member of the Annual Meeting Committee. A longtime supporter of civil legal services for the poor, Julia previously served as Chair of the Equal Justice Coalition, President of Greater Boston Legal Services, and President of the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts. Julia currently serves on the Executive Committee, as a Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation, and as a Co-Chair of the BBF Community Projects Committee.
Julia is a graduate of Boston University (B.A., B.S., J.D.) and Harvard University (Ed.M.).
TREASURER – Wayne M. Kennard
Wayne is a partner at WilmerHale. His practice focuses on representing high-tech start-up and established companies in a full range of intellectual property matters that include patents, trademarks, copyright protection, licensing intellectual property, and trade secret protection. At the BBA, Wayne has served on the Council, as a member of the Executive Committee, and as Co-Chair of the Intellectual Property Law Section. He is currently a member of the BBA/BBF Joint Partnership Committee, as well as the BBA/BBF Civil Right to Counsel Joint Oversight Committee. Recognized for his exceptional standing in the legal community in the area of intellectual property by Chambers USA in 2005, he also writes extensively on intellectual property issues and has lectured across the country. Wayne currently serves on the Executive Committee and is Chair of the BBA Finance Committee.
Wayne received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from the United States Naval Academy and earned his law degree from George Washington University Law School.
SECRETARY – Lisa G. Arrowood
Lisa is a founding partner of Arrowood Peters LLP whose practice concentrates on business litigation, employment disputes, medical malpractice, personal injury, and legal malpractice. She is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and is Vice-Chair of the ACTL Massachusetts State Committee. She currently holds a three year appointment (2010-2013) as the First Circuit Representative to the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary. She previously served as Co-Chair of the BBA’s Tort Litigation Committee and as a member of the Litigation Section and the Annual Meeting Committee. From 1997 through 2008, Lisa served as a Member of the Litigation Curriculum Advisory Committee for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, and from 2001 through 2004 she was a member of the MBA’s Health Law Council. She is also a current member of the BBA’s Executive Committee.
Lisa graduated from Brown University (A.B.) and Harvard Law School (J.D.).
Council Members
Jonathan M. Albano
Jon is the deputy chair of the Litigation Area at Bingham McCutchen LLP, where he has practiced since 1982. Jon co-chairs the firm’s Entertainment, Media & Communications Practice Group and is Deputy Managing Partner of the firm’s Boston office. His practice focuses primarily on constitutional and commercial litigation. Jon is a former Co-Chair of the BBA’s Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Section and a former member of the Annual Meeting Committee. He has served on the adjunct faculty of Boston College Law School. He is a contributing author to the Massachusetts Tort Handbook, the Massachusetts Journalists’ Court and Legal Handbook, and the Survey of Privacy and Related Claims Against the Media. In addition, Jon is currently a Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation, a member of the BBA’s Amicus Committee, and a member of the BBF Community Projects Committee.
Jon is a graduate of Boston College and Boston College Law School, where he was an executive editor of the Boston College Law Review.
Susan H. Alexander
Susan has been the Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Biogen Idec since January 2006. Prior to that, she had served as the Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of PAREXEL International Corp. since September 2003. From June 2001 to September 2003, Susan served as General Counsel of IONA Technologies. From January 1995 to May 2001, she served as Counsel at Cabot Corp. Prior to that, she was a partner of the law firms of Hinckley, Allen & Snyder and Fine & Ambrogne. She is a member of the board of directors of the New England Legal Foundation and the Association of Corporate Counsel, Northeast Chapter.
Susan received her J.D. degree from Boston University School of Law and her B.A. degree from Wellesley College.
Katharine E. Bachman
Kathy is a partner at WilmerHale LLP, where she is Vice Chair of the Real Estate Practice Group. She represents clients in a broad range of real estate development, leasing and financial transactions, with a particular focus upon life science and technology companies, and projects involving public/private partnerships and affordable housing. She has served as Co-Chair of the BBA Real Estate Section, is a member of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers, and has been active in a number of professional and civic organizations, including service as President of New England Women in Real Estate, a Trustee of Dickinson College, and membership on the Board of Directors of Greater Boston Legal Services and other non-profit organizations. Kathy is currently a member of the BBA’s Finance Committee.
Kathy is a graduate of Dickinson College and New York University School of Law, where she was a Root-Tilden Scholar.
Navjeet K. Bal
Navjeet is a member of Nixon Peabody’s Public Finance group and has extensive experience serving as bond counsel, underwriter’s counsel, and borrower’s counsel in publicly and privately placed debt financings for governmental, quasi-public, and nonprofit borrowers. She was formerly the Commissioner of Revenue for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a post she was appointed to in February 2008 by Governor Patrick. She is also a Board member of the Federation of Tax Administrators. Prior to her appointment, Navjeet practiced at Mintz Levin for 17 years in its public finance department, where she co-founded Mintz’s Domestic Violence Project. Navjeet is currently a Board member of the Legal Advocacy and Resource Center, the Lawyer’s Committee for Civil Rights, and was appointed in February 2010 by Chief Justice Marshall to the Access to Justice Commission. Navjeet is a member of the South Asian Bar Association of Greater Boston Advisory Board and was a 2008 recipient of the National South Asian Bar Association’s Cornerstone Award. She is also a member of the BBA’s Public Policy Development Working Group, the Beacon Award Committee, and the BBA's Executive Committee.
Navjeet graduated from Williams College and Northeastern University School of Law.
Roberto M. Braceras
Roberto is a partner at Goodwin Procter, where he focuses on white collar criminal defense, securities, products liability, and business litigation. Roberto was recently named head of Litigation for Goodwin Procter’s Boston office. He also serves as Chairman of the firm’s Diversity Committee and sits on the Hiring Committee. He is a Board member of the Criminal Justice Act Panel and previously served on the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission, State Ballot Law Commission, a U.S. Magistrate Judge Selection Panel, and a Federal Court Judicial Selection Committee. Prior to Goodwin Procter, Roberto served as a prosecutor with the Department of Justice. He is a former Co-Chair of the BBA’s Diversity & Inclusion Section and a current member of the Beacon Award Committee.
Roberto is a graduate of Dartmouth College (magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa) and the Yale Law School. He also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Nathaniel M. Gorton of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
John H. Clymer - BBF President
Jack Clymer is Counsel at Nixon Peabody where his practice focuses on estate planning; estate and trust administration; representation of charitable organizations, including foundations; and counseling owners and managers of private businesses. He currently serves as President and Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation and previously chaired the BBF Investment Committee. Jack is a member of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Advisory Committee on Public Charities. He is also a Fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, a member of its Charitable Planning and Organizations and Practice Committees, and has served as State Chair for Massachusetts. In addition, Jack is a director of Boston Private Bank & Trust Company, Vice Chair of its Trust and Investment Committee and Chair of its Audit Committee. He also serves on the Board of the Hyams Foundation, Inc. and the Town of Concord’s Community Preservation Committee. Jack also serves on the BBF's Executive Committee.
Jack is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
Susan M. Finegan
Susan is a Litigation Partner at Mintz Levin. She currently serves as the Chair of the Pro Bono Committee and serves as the firm’s full-time Pro Bono Partner. From 2004-2007, Susan was the Legal Director of the Victim Rights Law Center, overseeing civil legal services to sexual assault survivors. Susan previously served as Co-Chair of the BBA’s Delivery of Legal Services Section and as a member of the Adams Benefit Committee. She is on the BBA’s Task Force on Expanding the Civil Right to Counsel. Susan is a member of the Judicial Nominating Commission, the Access to Justice Commission, the Commission on Judicial Conduct, and is an ex officio member of the SJC’s Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services. She is a former board member of the Women’s Bar Foundation. Susan is a current member of the BBA’s Public Policy Development Working Group.
A former law clerk to the late Honorable Andrew A. Caffrey and Honorable Francis P. O’Connor, Susan is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Boston College Law School.
Anthony A. Froio
Anthony is the Regional Managing Partner of the Boston office at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P. He represents clients in complex litigation related to intellectual property and trademark infringement, employment and bankruptcy litigation, as well as general commercial disputes. Anthony serves as Treasurer of the Holy Cross Varsity Club in Worcester, Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of Tufts Medical Center, and Chair of the Personnel Board for the town of Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. He also recently served on the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Committee, as a Co-Chair of the BBA Litigation Section, a member of the BBA Annual Meeting Committee, and a member of the Law Day Committee. He is also active with several professional associations including the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Lawyers, the Boston Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and the Boston Patent Law Association. Tony also currently serves on the Boston Bar Foundation’s Board of Trustees, the BBF's Executive Committee, the Adams Benefit Committee, and the BBA's Executive Committee.
Anthony is a graduate of the College of Holy Cross and Suffolk University Law School.
Lee T. Gesmer
Lee is a founder and partner of Gesmer Updegrove LLP, a Boston-based boutique technology and “start-up company” law firm formed in 1986. Lee’s practice focuses on dispute resolution and litigation in the areas of business and intellectual property law. He is a former Co-Chair of the BBA Intellectual Property Section, as well as the Computer and Internet Law and Business Litigation Committees. From 2004 through 2008, Lee served as a Member of the Advisory Committee on Business and Commercial Law for Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education. He is also currently a member of the BBA’s Finance Committee.
Lee received his B.A. from Boston College and his J.D. from Boston College Law School.
BBA PRESIDENT EMERITUS Lisa C. Goodheart
Lisa is a partner at Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C., where she concentrates in environmental, real estate, and general business litigation. At the BBA, she has served as President, Vice President, Treasurer, Co-Chair of the Environmental Law Section, and Chair of the Environmental Litigation Committee, and she has also been a member of the Finance Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the Annual Meeting Committee. Lisa is the former Chair of the Massachusetts Judicial Nominating Commission, as well as past President of New England Women in Real Estate, and has been active in the ABA as a member of the Standing Committee on Environmental Law. An active supporter of the arts, she has served on the boards of several dance companies and of Celebrity Series of Boston, Inc., the major presenting organization for the performing arts in New England. Lisa is also a Trustee of the Boston Bar Foundation and a member of the BBF Grants Committee.
Lisa is a graduate of Williams College (B.A.) and the University of Pennsylvania Law School (J.D.).
Maura T. Healey
Maura is Chief of the Public Protection and Advocacy Bureau of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office where she oversees work in consumer protection, health care, environment, antitrust, civil rights, and insurance and financial services. Prior to that, she was Chief of the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Division and a Special Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County. Previously, she was a Junior Partner in the business and securities litigation departments at WilmerHale LLP. She served as a Co-Chair of the BBA’s Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Section, and she served on the BBA’s Beacon Award Committee and the BBA’s Legal Services Committee for Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families. She is a member of the Boston Advisory Board of the American Constitution Society, a recipient of the Mass LGTBQ Bar Association’s Larkin Award for Public Service, and a member of the Women’s Bar Association’s Leadership Initiative Charter Class.
Maura is a graduate of Harvard College and Northeastern University School of Law.
Dustin F. Hecker
Dusty is a partner of and Co-Chair of the Litigation Department of Posternak Blankstein & Lund LLP. Currently, he is Co-Chair of the BBA’s Ethics Committee. Previously, he was Co-Chair of the BBA’s Litigation Section and of the Business Litigation Committee of the Litigation Section. Dusty also was a member of a BBA subcommittee that evaluated and commented on the SJC’s proposed changes to contingent fee agreements and a past member of the Annual Meeting Committee. He has for many years been one of Posternak’s representatives to Mackrell International, an international association of medium–size law firms such as Posternak. For the first three years after law school, Dusty practiced in the litigation department of a law firm in New York City.
Dusty is a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as the Notes Editor of the Virginia Journal of International Law. He also received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia, with distinction in Economics.
Gerald P. Hendrick
Gerald (“Jed”) is the partner-in-charge of Edwards Wildman Palmer's Boston office. Jed served as a co-chair of the Business Law Department and is a member of the firm's Operating Committee. He acts as general counsel to numerous public and private companies in diverse industries and also advises boards of directors regarding governance and fiduciary matters. Previously, Jed was Senior VP, General Counsel for Dennison Manufacturing Company, and Senior VP-Administration, General Counsel for H.P. Hood. In both positions, he was responsible for legal and key non-legal executive functions. Jed participates actively in local and regional projects, including serving as director of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and as a volunteer tutor in Boston public schools. He is also a frequent author and panelist for MCLE. In addition, Jed is a member of the BBA’s Audit Committee and a past member of the Annual Meeting Committee.
A graduate of the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and Providence College, Jed earned his law degree from Suffolk University Law School.
Geoffrey A. Howell
Geoff is a partner at DLA Piper LLP (US) where he concentrates on real estate development, finance, and leasing matters. He represents regional and national owners, developers and lenders, as well as public agencies, in a range of complex commercial real estate transactions. He is an at-large member of the BBA Real Estate Section Steering Committee, has served as Real Estate Section Co-Chair and Co-Chair of the Section’s Leasing Committee, was a member of the BBA Future of the Profession Task Force and is currently serving on the BBA/BBF Joint Partnership Committee. Geoff serves on the Board of Directors for Greater Boston Legal Services and is a past member of its Executive Committee. He also serves on the Executive Committee for MassEcon and is an Associate Member of the Board of Directors for A Better City, Inc.
Geoff is a graduate of Wesleyan University and received his J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Sheila A. Hubbard
Sheila is the Executive Director of the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) of the Boston Bar Association, which provides free civil legal assistance to low-income residents of Greater Boston, primarily through the pro bono services of private attorneys. Dedicating her entire professional career to public service, she has worked as a Homeless Specialist for the Department of Social Services, Director of Boston’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise Office, the Chair of the Massachusetts Parole Board and President of the Association of Paroling Authorities International. She was the Associate Director of the Office of Public Interest Advising at Harvard Law School, assisting law students and alumni to pursue public interest and legal service careers, and Senior Program Director for the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama working on issues of race and poverty.
She is a 1982 graduate of Yale College and a 1985 graduate of Harvard Law School.
Renee Inomata
Renee is a partner and Chair of the Labor, Employment & Employee Benefits Practice Group at Burns & Levinson LLP. Her practice focuses on employment law for companies and executives and intellectual property law. Renee served as a member of the Boston Bar Journal Board of Editors from 2001 to 2007. She is very active in the Asian American community and currently is the Chair of Governor Deval L. Patrick’s Asian American Commission. She is a former Board member of the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts. Renee also serves on the Board of the Boston Center for Community and Justice and is a 2008 graduate of its LeadBoston Program. She has been recognized as a Super Lawyer in 2004, 2008 and 2009. Renee is also a member of the BBA’s Public Policy Development Working Group.
Renee is a graduate of Brown University and received her J.D. from Boston University School of Law.
Robert W. Iuliano
Bob is the Vice President and General Counsel at Harvard University, a position he has held since 2003. Before Harvard, he served as an Assistant United States Attorney in the District of Massachusetts, worked as an associate in the litigation department at Choate, Hall & Stewart, and clerked for Judge Levin Campbell on the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Bob has served on various BBA panels and committees, most recently participating on the Strategic Communications Work Group and on the steering committee for the In-House Counsel Diversity Conference. He was the editor of a book published by MCLE in 2009 on College and University Law and also teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In addition, Bob is a member of the BBA’s Executive Committee, Public Policy Development Working Group, and serves as Chair of the BBA Nominating Committee.
Bob graduated from Harvard College and received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the Virginia Law Review.
Kelly A. Leighton
Kelly is a partner at Barnes & Leighton, where she focuses on all aspects of domestic relations. Prior to entering private practice, she was a Senior Attorney with Greater Boston Legal Services, and spent thirteen years representing low-income victims of domestic violence in family law cases. Currently, Kelly is Co-Chair of the BBA’s Family Law Section Steering Committee, and was past Co-Chair of the Section’s Policy and Legislative Subcommittee. She was the BBA’s liaison to the Massachusetts Alimony Reform Task Force, which produced the bill that ultimately became the Alimony Reform Act of 2011. Kelly is a current member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Family and Conciliation Court’s Massachusetts Chapter, and has long served as a trainer and mentor for the Family Law Project of the Women’s Bar Foundation. She also is a frequent panelist and author on domestic relations topics.
Kelly is a graduate of Merrimack College, magna cum laude, and received her J.D. from Boston College Law School.
Diana K. Lloyd
Diana is a partner at Choate, Hall & Stewart LLP and Co-Chair of the firm’s Government Enforcement & Compliance Group. She is a member of the firm’s Operating Committee and Associates Committee, has co-chaired the firm’s Hiring Committee, and has sat on its Diversity Committee. From 1997-2001, Diana served as an Assistant US Attorney in Boston, and in 1996, served as a Special ADA in the Suffolk County DA’s Office. Diana formerly served as Co-Chair of the BBA’s Criminal Law Section and as a member of the Law Day Committee. She is a former member of the Board of Trustees of the Women’s Bar Foundation. She also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Amalya L. Kearse in the Second Circuit. Diana currently serves on the BBA’s Executive Committee.
Diana received her JD and MA from New York University, and was Editor-in-Chief of the New York University Law Review. She received her BA, summa cum laude, from St. Lawrence University.
Elizabeth A. Lunt
Liza is of counsel at Zalkind Duncan & Bernstein LLP, where she focuses her litigation practice on criminal defense in state and federal courts. She is Vice President of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and Co-Chair of MACDL’s Legislative Committee. She also serves on the Local Rules Committee (Criminal Rules) of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. Liza is a past Co-Chair of the BBA’s Individual Rights and Responsibilities Section and a past member of the Steering Committee of the BBA’s Criminal Law Section. She previously served on the BBA’s Task Force to Prevent Wrongful Convictions. Liza serves on the BBA Executive Committee, the Crime Lab Task Force, and the Amicus Committee.
Liza is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Oxford University.
Christina Ely Miller
Christina is Chief of District Courts and Community Prosecutions for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, where she oversees the office’s operations in the Boston Municipal and District Courts, manages the hiring and training of Assistant District Attorneys, and supervises hate crime prosecutions. She has prosecuted criminal cases in the Appellate, Superior, and District Courts of the Commonwealth through her work in the Suffolk, Norfolk, and Essex District Attorneys’ Offices. Christina is a member and former Co-Chair of the BBA’s Criminal Law Section, during which time she organized a number of BBA programs, represented the BBA on the Governor’s Anti-Crime Council, and contributed to the Boston Bar Journal. Christina is an Ex Officio Chair for the Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association and served on its board for six years. In addition, Christina is a past member of the Annual Meeting Committee, and she currently serves as a Co-Chair of the BBA Diversity & Inclusion Section’s Affinity Bar Relations Subcommittee, a member of the Beacon Award Committee, and a member of the Crime Lab Task Force.
Christina graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University and Northeastern University School of Law.
Martin F. Murphy
Marty is a partner at Foley Hoag LLP, where he represents companies and individuals in civil litigation and in criminal investigations ranging from white-collar offenses to capital murder. He co-chaired the BBA’s Task Force to Prevent Wrongful Convictions and the BBA’s Criminal Law Section. He has been a member of the Boston Bar Journal Board of Editors and was the BBA’s designate to the Supreme Judicial Court’s Advisory Committee on Massachusetts Evidence Law. Marty served as the First Assistant District Attorney for Middlesex County from 1992 to 1997 and as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts from 1987 to 1991. He is a former law clerk to the late United States District Judge A. David Mazzone. Marty is currently a member of the BBA’s Executive Committee, the Crime Lab Task Force, and the Public Policy Development Working Group.
Marty is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
Camille A. Nelson
Camille is Dean and Professor of Law at Suffolk University Law School. Prior to joining Suffolk, Camille served as Professor of Law at Hofstra Law School, a member of the faculty of Saint Louis University School of Law, and as a visiting professor at Washington University in Saint Louis. Prior to pursuing her scholarly career, Camille clerked for Justice Frank Iacobucci of the Supreme Court of Canada before working as an associate at McCarthy Tetrault in Toronto, the largest law firm in Canada. Dean Nelson is a member of the American Law Institute and is widely recognized for her writings and lectures, which have focused on the intersection of critical race theory and cultural studies with particular focus on criminal law and procedure, health law, and comparative law.
Camille is an alumna of the University of Toronto, University of Ottawa Faculty of Law and Columbia Law School.
Christine M. Netski
Chris is a partner at Sugarman, Rogers, Barshak & Cohen, P.C., where she focuses on business, employment and product liability litigation. She currently co-chairs the firm’s Business Litigation Practice Group and is a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. At the BBA, Chris most recently served as Co-Chair of the Future of the Profession Task Force and is currently serving on the Incubator Implementation Committee. She has served in the past as Co-Chair of the Strategic Planning Committee, Chair of the Nominating Committee, Chair of the Boston Bar Journal, and as a member of the Annual Meeting Committee. Chris also currently serves as Co-Chair of the Women’s Bar Association’s Women’s Leadership Initiative and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice.
Chris is a graduate of Cornell University and Boston University School of Law, where she was Note and Case Editor of the Boston University Law Review.
Colin Owyang
Colin Owyang is Senior Vice President and US General Counsel at National Grid. He previously served as Vice President of Global Records Management and Assistant General Counsel for Commercial Litigation; Director and Counsel of Merger Integration and Strategy Implementation; and Assistant to the CEO. Prior to joining National Grid, Colin was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington, DC, a Trial Attorney in the Environmental Crimes Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, an associate at Foley Hoag and a judicial clerk for three federal judges in Boston and Detroit, MI. Colin serves on the Boards of the New England Legal Foundation and the Middlesex Partnerships for Youth and is a member of the External Diversity Committee of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office. Colin is also on the legal committees of the Edison Electric Institute and the American Gas Association where he serves on the Leadership Council. Colin serves as a member of the BBA's Beacon Award Committee.
Colin is a graduate of Yale College, Yale University and the University of Michigan Law School.
Lon F. Povich
Lon is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary of BJ’s Wholesale Club. Following law school, Lon clerked for the Chief Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court, and started practice as a litigation associate at Goodwin Procter in 1985. In 1990 he was appointed as an Assistant United States Attorney, in the economic crimes division. After the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Lon became Deputy Chief Legal Counsel to Governor Weld. In 1996, he began his in-house career as General Counsel of The Boston Consulting Group, an international strategy consulting firm. In early 2007, Lon moved to BJ’s. Lon served as a director of MassHousing, the Commonwealth’s low income housing finance agency, from 1996 to 2004, and has served on the Judicial Nominating Commission since 2005. He is also on the board of directors of the Greater Boston Food Bank. In addition, Lon is the Chair of the BBA’s Public Policy Development Working Group.
Lon graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard Law School.
Mark D. Smith
Mark is a partner at Laredo & Smith, LLP where he focuses on white collar criminal defense and government investigations. He has served as Chair of the BBA’s Education Committee, as Co-Chair of the BBA’s Criminal Law Section, and as a member of the Law Day Committee. Prior to entering private practice, Mark served for eleven years as an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Bureau of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office including as Chief of the Public Integrity Division and Deputy Chief of the Criminal Bureau. Mark began his legal career in New York City, where he worked as a public defender for four years. He also clerked for the New York State’s Supreme Court. Mark is a current member of the BBA’s Public Policy Development Working Group and the Crime Lab Task Force.
Mark graduated from St. Lawrence University and received his J.D. from Suffolk University Law School.
Gina Y. Walcott
Gina serves as Executive Director of the Fair Housing Center of Greater Boston. Prior to the Fair Housing Center, Gina served as Executive Director for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers. In addition, Gina served for over 14 years as a public sector attorney for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office. She is a Mentor/ Steering Committee member of the BBA Diversity & Inclusion Group Mentoring Program. Gina co-chairs the WBA Women of Color Committee, is a member/ Past President of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association, and serves on the Diversity and Work/Life Balance committees of the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs. She is also a member of Wellesley College Lawyers and an Overseer of the Boston Children’s Museum. Gina recently received the Lawyers Weekly “Women of Justice” Award, and she has also received the Ten Outstanding Young Leaders award by the Boston Junior Chamber of Commerce. Gina is currently a member of the BBA’s Finance Committee.
Gina is a graduate and active alumna of BB&N, Wellesley College, and Boston University School of Law.
Pratt N. Wiley
Pratt is an attorney for the Obama for America campaign. Prior to joining the campaign, Pratt was an attorney at Nutter, McClennen & Fish, where he practiced in the business law department representing clients in public finance, venture finance, and merger and acquisition transactions. Pratt served for several years as the Chair of the Public Policy Committee of the BBA’s Business Law Section and served on the ad hoc committee reviewing the section structure of the BBA. He is also a member and director of the Massachusetts Black Lawyers Association.
Pratt received his J.D. from Boston College Law School, where he was elected President of the Law School Association, and his B.S. from Georgetown University.