Secretary & General Counsel - Sellmark Corporation - Fort Worth, Texas / Sofia, Bulgaria / Bangkok, Thailand / Calgary, Canada / Bengaluru, India
(2025-07)
Chief legal, compliance, and risk officer for this global designer, manufacturer, and distributor of precision optical systems, sensor technologies, and advanced aerial visualization devices serving defense, outdoor recreation, and industrial markets. Advise shareholders, boards of directors, joint venture steering committees, chief executive officers, senior executive management, and business unit personnel on corporate governance, regulatory strategy, enterprise risk exposure, and major strategic initiatives.
- Lead legal strategy and execution for international transactions, strategic partnerships, and corporate initiatives supporting global operations.
- Negotiate, draft, and manage domestic and international business deals, including stock & asset acquisitions/divestitures, joint collaboration ventures, and purchase/supply/manufacturing relationships.
- Actively managing an international litigation docket which includes product liability, commercial, intellectual property ownership/infringement, data privacy, and employment matters.
- Responsible for the company's global real estate, construction, and intellectual property functions, providing strategic advice on acquisitions, development projects, leasing, and infrastructure investments while directing worldwide trademark, patent, copyright, licensing, and brand protection initiatives.
- Responsible for all corporate governance matters ranging from shareholder and board of directors/board committee activities to regulatory reporting.
- Establish enterprise-wide policies, controls, training programs, monitoring processes, and investigative protocols to identify and mitigate regulatory, operational, and reputational risks while promoting a culture of compliance and ethical business conduct.
- Led product safety compliance efforts, including regulatory reporting, agency submissions, risk assessments, and implementation of controls to meet governmental requirements.
- Manage internal investigations involving ethics, compliance, employment, and regulatory matters and personally responsible for post-incident compliance remediation efforts following a global data security incident including implementing corrective actions to strengthen security controls and strengthen organizational resilience.
- Manage all global corporate risk management and insurance programs that include both traditional and self-insured coverage.
- Establish risk monitoring and reporting mechanisms to support the proactive management of enterprise-wide risks and opportunities as well as global business continuity and crisis management programs, ensuring preparedness for operational disruptions and emerging threats.
- Partner with business unit leaders to integrate risk management principles into strategic planning, acquisitions, and international expansion efforts.
- Oversee the company's human resources function, providing strategic leadership on domestic and international employment law compliance, workforce policies, employee relations, and organizational risk management.
- Lead all labor and employment legal matters, including workplace investigations, labor negotiations, administrative agency proceedings, employee benefits and compensation programs, and the development of employment policies, procedures, and compliance frameworks.
Executive Vice President & General Counsel - Cenergy Companies - Houston, Texas / Calgary, Canada / Sidney, Australia / Hyderabad, India
(2018-08 - 2025-07)
Chief legal and compliance officer for this global service conglomerate that provides operational support primarily for the energy, chemical, aerospace, beverage, automotive, industrial manufacturing, aviation, and maritime industries. Advised shareholders, boards of directors, board committees, executive management, and business unit personnel on a wide array of legal; governance; compliance; audit; human resources; risk management; and health, safety, security, and environmental matters.
- Led involvement in domestic and international business deals and M&A activities, including the acquisition and divestiture of corporate assets as well as the organization of strategic alliances, joint ventures, and partnerships.
- Negotiated and drafted international master service agreements, vendor management agreements, material/equipment purchase & rental agreements, professional consulting agreements, personnel & shared employee agreements, corporate management service agreements, trademark/software licensing & usage agreements, financial agreements, and various employment-related contracts.
- Directly managed the organization's contract management function, corporate intellectual and real property portfolios, internal and governmental investigation activities, and ethics and communications functions.
- Actively managed a varied litigation docket with emphasis on employment, commercial, intellectual property ownership/infringement, bankruptcy, and personal injury matters.
- Personally involved in settlement negotiations and conferences, mediations, arbitrations, and administrative actions.
- Actively administered all shareholder, board of directors, and board committee activity of holding company and domestic / international subsidiary entities.
- Responsible for domestic and international regulatory reporting, records retention management, corporate employee stock ownership plan compliance and regulatory administration, and privacy/data security programs, including compliance with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation.
- Managed all global corporate risk management and insurance programs that included traditional and self-insured coverage as well as the corporate internal audit function.
- Administratively managed all aspects of the company's human resources function with a specific focus on domestic and international employment law compliance.
- Personally involved in a full range of labor and employment matters, including workplace investigations, labor negotiations, EEOC/state agency charges, employee benefits, employee stock ownership, compensation matters, and the drafting and implementation of handbooks, policies, and procedures.
- Actively administered all aspects of the company's HSSE subdivision with emphasis on proactive measures to ensure the health and wellbeing of employees and related third parties.
- Supervisory responsibility for workplace incident investigation and reporting (including root cause analysis), required federal OSHA and state agency reporting, drafting and enforcement of various safety policies, procedures and manuals, workplace hazard identification and minimization efforts (including environmental impact), employee and contractor safety training, and the monitoring and implementation of applicable safety and security rules, regulations, and laws.
Senior Legal Advisor (Transitional Role) - Chariton & Malak - Wilkes-Barre, PA
(2017-09 - 2018-08)
Consulting attorney for this boutique litigation and corporate law firm who advised public and private businesses as well as high wealth individuals on an array of legal and compliance matters ranging from general business advice to commercial litigation. Specific experience and subject matter focus on regulatory compliance, transportation, corporate acquisitions, corporate governance, employment, finance/tax, and corporate risk management.
Secretary, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer - Mitsubishi Caterpillar Forklift America Inc. / UniCarriers Americas Corporation - Houston, TX / Marengo, IL / Kyoto, Japan
(2000-08 - 2017-09)
Chief legal counsel for the Americas of this combined global designer, manufacturer and distributor of industrial equipment publicly traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under the corporate name of Mitsubishi Logisnext Co., Ltd. Led an internal team of both attorneys and non-attorney professionals responsible for the legal, governance, compliance, risk management, and regulatory concerns throughout North and South America with specific attention to cost control efforts. Advised boards of directors, steering committees, chief executive officers, senior executive management, and business unit personnel on applicable law and its relevance to business operations and strategic objectives.
- Negotiated and managed various domestic and international business deals, including stock & asset acquisitions/divestitures, strategic alliances/joint ventures, and purchase/supply/distribution relationships.
- Directly handled the negotiation, review and preparation of all corporate contracts ranging from sales and warranty agreements to trademark/software licensing and usage agreements to various employment and financial agreements.
- Managed an international litigation docket which included product liability, employment, commercial, intellectual property ownership/infringement, environmental, real property/construction, bankruptcy, and antitrust/unfair competition matters.
- Actively managed all real estate activities, intellectual property portfolio, and contractual financial covenants.
- Responsible for all corporate governance matters ranging from shareholder and board of directors/board committee activities to regulatory reporting and filings to close collaboration with external/statutory auditors.
- Knowledge of JSOX/SOX, FIE/SEC Acts, and TSE/NYSE listing/governance requirements.
- Developed and led corporate compliance efforts that included programs for anti-corruption, anti-fraud, antitrust, environmental, ethics & integrity, information security, employment, licensing, and privacy.
- Established code of conduct, corporate communication assessment, and entity-wide awareness training programs.
- Responsible for governmental product safety compliance programs, including required reporting and filings.
- Led fraud and corporate policy/procedure investigations involving employees, vendors, and customers.
- Supervisory responsibility for workplace incident investigation and reporting (including root cause analysis), required federal OSHA and state agency reporting, drafting and enforcement of various safety policies, procedures and manuals, workplace hazard identification and minimization efforts (including environmental impact), employee and contractor safety training, and the monitoring and implementation of applicable safety and security rules, regulations, and laws.
- Developed and managed an enterprise risk management program, including internal audit function.
- Directly managed corporate insurance program that included traditional, self, and captive coverages.
- Established corporate communications assessment, product retrofit, and crisis management programs.
- Developed and managed trade regulatory programs including foreign trade zones, free trade agreements (specifically, NAFTA), duty drawback, C-TPAT, governmental sanctions (specifically, OFAC) and importer self-assessment/disclosure.
- Responsible for legal compliance with domestic industry product standards, including OSHA, UL, NFPA, ANSI, ITSDF, ISO, and the Japanese Industrial Safety & Health Law.
- Managed legal compliance with employment laws, including FLSA, ERISA, ACA, and NLRB.
- Legal management of multiple North and South American personnel reduction-in-force initiatives.
- Development of the MCFA University School of Law company-wide legal education/training initiative.
Associate Attorney - Egler Garrett - Pittsburgh, PA
(1995-03 - 2000-08)
Associate attorney with this old-line Pittsburgh law firm trained in the business and litigation practice groups who advised public and private corporate clientele on legal matters ranging from business acquisitions to insurance defense to complex commercial litigation, including first chair trial experience in non-jury trials/arbitrations and second chair trial experience in jury trials.
- Specific knowledge and skill set gained in corporate entity formation, mergers & acquisitions, contract review and negotiation, intellectual property protection, real estate development & management, corporate/nonprofit/governmental financing, product liability defense, life insurance, regulatory licensing & enforcement, and environmental liability matters.
Corporate Counsel - BTLL, Inc. - Chase, PA
(1993-09 - 1995-03)
In-house attorney for this transportation company who counseled all levels of management on commercial, transactional, insurance, and regulatory compliance matters.
- Independently responsible for asset purchase acquisitions, contract negotiations, and the representation of corporate interests before state and federal regulatory agencies on applications for operating authority, rate increases, and consumer complaints.
Judicial Law Clerk - Court of Common Pleas of Washington County - Washington, PA
(1992-03 - 1993-09)
Judicial Law Clerk to The Honorable David L. Gilmore.
- Responsible for legal research, judicial opinion/order drafting, and management of a 200+ case civil trial list.
