I hope that you are all keeping safe and well as we continue to navigate these challenging days.  In spite of the pandemic, the CICR program continues to grow and prosper.  In this edition of our newsletter you can read about Dean Stephen Payne's background in the compliance field and his views on the CICR program.  Once you've had a chance to read about Dean Payne, please take a moment to learn about the six outstanding members of the Class of 2021 who are on track to graduate with CICR certificates in May, and check out our News and Events section and the information it offers about programs, speakers, and alumni on the move in the compliance and corporate responsibility fields.

In our next edition, we'll talk about some of the wonderful alumni who have volunteered to serve as program panelists, class speakers, and student mentors.  If you'd like to engage with the Law School and our students, please email me at duggin@law.edu.  We'd love to have you join the growing number of alumni who are engaging in our CICR community!

Dean Stephen Payne took the helm of the Columbus School of Law in the summer of 2019. Steve came to the law school from the global law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP where he chaired the FDA and Health Care Practice Group and managed a practice focusing on regulatory compliance, investigations, and enforcement litigation. These practice areas were a natural fit given his experience as a Captain in the United States Army Judge Advocate General's Corps. As a JAG officer at the U.S. Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Georgia, Steve first practiced as a legal assistance attorney and then as a prosecutor. In the latter role, Steve served as Fort Benning's Senior Trial Counsel for courts-martial and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for felony level crimes with the Middle District of Georgia. Steve believes that his work as a prosecutor helped him hone the investigative skills and counseling techniques he later utilized in his regulatory compliance practice at Gibson, Dunn. As a law firm partner, Steve enjoyed working with companies to make their compliance programs more effective and to find solutions to compliance issues that not only served the companies' best interests but made it easier for employees to understand and comply with legal obligations and company policy. He believes that the compliance field will continue  to  expand and grow over the next ten years and, as it does, offer excellent career opportunities for lawyers.

Whittney Fox has balanced a demanding job with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation with her legal studies.  Prior to joining the FDIC, Whittney worked in law offices and public interest organizations.  Her experiences with both a government regulator and regulated industries, as well as her abiding interest in immigration, sparked Whittney's interest in the compliance and corporate responsibility fields.  After graduation she hopes to build her career in these practice areas.  She is passionate about immigration issues, but open to many different possibilities.  Whittney has had experience working with corporate boards, and she is also deeply interested in corporate governance issues.  When Whittney is not at school or work, she loves to travel.  Over last year's spring break – just before the pandemic travel restrictions – Whittney and her husband took a short, but amazing, trip to Egypt.

Denise came to law school from a career as a commercial banker in South Florida.  Over the past three years, she has had the opportunity to intern with the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of International Trade and Maruta Wachta's Dispute Resolution team in Warsaw, Poland.  Both experiences provided her with opportunities to research Comparative Transactional Law, Public Procurement Law, and the role of European Credit Agencies in world trade.  In addition, Denise recently completed a semester representing DC and Maryland residents as a Certified Student Attorney with CUA's Low Income Tax Clinic.

Denise believes these opportunities, in conjunction with CUA's Compliance, Investigations and Corporate Responsibility Program, have allowed her to transition from the private sector toward a career in the management of government contracts and award allocations for small businesses interested in expanding  globally.   Outside of global trade, Denise enjoys travel, live music, biking, and boating. 

Matthew will join Hogan Lovells after graduation.  He hopes to work with the Investigations, White Collar and Fraud practice area in the Litigation, Arbitration and Employment group.  Matthew really appreciates the professors in the CICR program and the way they bring their real-world experiences to the classroom to help students transform legal theories and hypotheticals into practical takeaways.  Matthew particularly enjoyed the Information Privacy course taught by Professor Savage in light of the increasingly important impacts of personal data management in our daily lives and the myriad statutes and regulations that comprise the patchwork quilt of current privacy protections.  Throughout law school, Matthew has served as Georgetown University's Assistant Director for Community Engagement and Government Relations.  When he is not working, Matthew enjoys being outside and active all year long.  He loves running, biking, and walking his dog throughout the D.C. area.  

Lauren, originally from New Jersey, is interested in health and environmental law, and she hopes to begin her career working in the field of drug and medical device compliance.  Lauren is also committed to creating a cleaner, safer environment.  She has spent the last year as an extern with the Environmental Protection Agency in the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance working on vehicle and engine violations of the Clean Air Act.  Lauren really enjoyed the addition of the Health Law Compliance course to the Law School curriculum last fall.  Lauren was diagnosed with a rare neurological disease called Spinocerebellar Ataxia when she was 21, and diagnosis inspired her interest in health compliance issues.  She is very active in rare disease and disability advocacy, and regularly participates in lobbying activities with non-profit organizations on Capitol Hill.  Lauren also helped establish the Joint Advocacy Board of the National Ataxia Foundation/Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance which put on its second annual Ataxia Hill Day in 2020.  One of her proudest achievements during the past year was authoring a resolution that was passed by the U.S. Senate in November designating September 25th as "National Ataxia Awareness Day. "

Daniel hopes to start his career working in regulatory compliance or serving as in-house counsel for a private company or organization.  Daniel interned in CUA's University Compliance Office with CECO Vin Lacovara last spring and really enjoyed learning about implementing and enforcing an institution-wide compliance and ethics program, including investigations, policy analysis, risk assessment, and conflict-of-interest management. Throughout the course of the CICR program Daniel found learning from professors with industry experience was instrumental in helping him to foster and develop his skills in risk management, corporate compliance, and internal investigations. Prior to enrolling in law school, Daniel worked in marketing in the motorsports industry in Dover, Delaware. Daniel enjoys hiking and running when he can make time to enjoy the outdoors.

Our first program on October 22nd, entitled The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic, featured Kevin Hyland, OBE, the United Kingdom's first Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner and John Durkalski '09, a partner in Butsavage & Durkalski, PC. Mr. Highland is a global expert on human rights and Mr. Durkalski represents workers and unions in some of the U.S. industries hardest hit by the pandemic. They provided valuable insights on the impact of the pandemic on the most vulnerable of workers and possible strategies for engaging government and the private sector in ameliorating their plight.

Christopher Pilkerton

On January 27th , our second online program focused on Corporate Social Responsibility and Small Business. Our speakers were Christopher Pilkerton '99, who has served as a Senior White House Policy Advisor, Interim Administrator and General Counsel of the United States Small Business Administration, a Senior Compliance Officer at J P Morgan Chase, and a law firm partner; and Shawn MacDonald, CEO of Verité, a civil society organization that works to promote workers' rights in global supply chains through research, consulting, training, assessments, and policy advocacy. Daniel Kane '15 who represents small businesses on a variety of issues in his practice and Professor Sarah Duggin moderated the discussion. Mr. Pilkerton and Mr. MacDonald talked about the importance of small businesses in local and regional markets, the ways in which corporate responsibility and sustainability concerns impact small businesses, and tools for enhancing both enterprises and facilitating responsible sourcing for businesses of all sizes.

Tara K. Giunta

Tara K. Giunta '86, Partner and Vice-Chair, Investigations and White Collar Defense Practice at Paul Hastings LLP, and Heather C. Fischer, Special Liaison for Global Strategy, Anti-Human Trafficking, and Exploitation at The Knoble were guest speakers for our March 25th program on What Companies Are Doing To Address Human Rights Violations. Ms. Giunta and Ms. Fischer discussed the challenges of penetrating global supply chains because of their opacity and multi-layered structures. They offered insights into what global businesses are doing to respond to these challenges, particularly in combatting the horrors of modern-day slavery, forced labor, and other human rights violation.