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Speaker at Fireside Chat

The Alumni speaker series is designed to provide students with an opportunity to hear from motivating and inspirational alumni about their law school experience and career trajectory, followed by a networking reception.

If you are interested in participating as a speaker or for more information please email Jasmin Jenkins at  jasmin.jenkins@law.northwestern.edu  or call 312.503.0200.

2023-24 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers

September 2023
Christina Martini (JD'94)
Partner, McDermott Will & Emery LLP 

October 2023
Megan Lawson (JD'13)
Senior Associate, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP   
   

February 2024
Charla Strong (JD'08), Errin Simpkins Travers 
Senior Associate, Lexis Nexis Group, Inc -  Senior Legal Counsel, CVS Health 
 

Theodore Blum (JD'92)
Managing Shareholder, Chair, Atlanta Corporate & Security Practice
   

2022-23 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers 

September 2022
Carter Phillips (JD '77)
Co Director Northwestern University Supreme Court Clinic, Partner at Sidley Austin LLP  

October 2022
Jay Clayton
Senior Policy Adviser, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP  
 

Bill Benitez (JD-MBA '09) & Enoch Varner (JD-MBA '09)
Partner, Kirkland & Ellis | Partner, Kirkland & Ellis 
   
January 2023
Gary Silverman (JD'86)
White & Case 

February 2023
Tamera Sterling (JD'10)
Staff Judge Advocate, Air Force Office of Scientific Research  

John Gasparovic  (JD'10)
Executive Vice President, Chief Legail officer & Secretary, BorgWarner Inc.   

2021-22 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers

October 2021
Luis Pinedo (JD '98)
General Counsel at Rush Street Interactive 

January 2022
Khoury Cooper (BA'98,JD '13)
Senior Manager, Music Business Development, Snap Inc.  
 

February 2022
Kristen Jones (JD '09)
Director of Legal Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Senior Counsel at McDonald's Corporation
   
March 2022
Erik Connolly (JD'99)
Vice Chair, Litigation Practice Group & Co-Chair, Securities Litigation Practice Group

March 2022
Jordon Kruse (JD'97)
Managing Director and Co-Portfolio Manager, Oaktree Capital Management, L.P 


Thank you to our 2021-22 Alumni Fireside Chat Sponsor: 

 


2020-21 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers
   
September 2020
Alycia Broz (JD '98)
Partner, Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP
    
October 2020
Sherrese Smith (JD '96)
Partner, Paul Hastings
   
November 2020
Saat Shaikh (JD-MBA '11)
CFO and Partner, TowerPoint Infrastructure
   
January 2021
Angela Crawford (JD ‘ 98)
Co-founder, Crawford & Acharya pllc
   
February 2021
Karl Riley (JD '10)
Las Vegas Office Managing Partner, Cozen O'Connor
   
Thank you to our 2020-21 Alumni Fireside Chat Sponsor:   


2019-20 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers

September 2019 Austin Wilson (JD '04) and Ryan Turley Partners at Madison West Legal Search

December 2019 Kathleen Cronin (JD '89) Senior Managing Director, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary CME Group

January 2020 Keat Crown (JD/MBA '11) Principal, Sterling Bay

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to our 2019-20  Alumni Fireside Chat Sponsor:

 

 

2018 -19 Alumni Fire side Chat Speakers

 

September 2018
Austin Wilson (JD '04) and Ryan Turley
Partners at Madison West Legal Search

October 2018
E.J. Wunsch (JD '96) and Matt Zabel (JD '96)
General Counsel and Secretary at Wendy's VP Government Affairs at Target Corporation

November 2018
Sherilyn Peterson (BA '77, JD '80)
Partner at Perkins Coie

January 16, 2019
Harris Fischman (JD '05)
Counsel at Paul Weiss

January 30, 2019
Erwin Cruz (MSL '17)
Sr. Director, Intellectual Property Strategy & Management
W.W. Grainger, Inc.

February 13, 2019
Marguerite Griffin (JD '91)
Senior Vice President at Northern Trust Corporation

March 20, 2019
Priya Harjani (JD '00)
Deputy General Counsel at Northwestern University

April 10, 2019
Sherrese Smith (JD '96)

Partner at Paul Hastings

Thank you to our 2018-19 Alumni Fireside Chat Sponsor:

 

 

2017-18 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers

March 2018
Ali Wing (JD-MBA '97)
Board Member
Casey's General Stores, Inc.

February 2018
Gail Hasbrouck (JD '74)
Boards of Advocate Health Care and the American Heart Association's Metro Chicago area

January 2018
Joe Harper (JD '05)
Partner at Dinsmore
David Boyles (JD '16)
Associate

November 2017
Parminder Batra (JD '12)
CEO & Founder
TraknProtect

October 2017
Lynn Watkins-Asiyanbi (JD-MBA '03)
Associate General Counsel
JBT Corporation

September 2017
Austin Wilson (JD '04) and Ryan Turley
Partners
Madison West Legal Search

 

2016-17 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers

March 2017
Paul Gaynor (JD '90)
Managing Member
G&R Public Law and Strategies, LLC

February 2017
Kendrick Washington (JD '10)
Civil Rights Attorney
U.S. Department of Education

January 2017
Esther Joy King (JD LLM '13)
CEO
364 Social

December 2016
Lia Giovanni (JD '12)
Chief of Staff Kirkland & Ellis

November 2016
Peter Chan (JD '91)
Partner
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

October 2016
Michael Scudder (JD '98)
Partern
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

September 2016
Austin Wilson (JD '04) and Ryan Turley
Partners
Madison West Legal Search

 

2015-16 Alumni Fireside Chat Speakers

March 2016
Kathryn Mlsna (JD '77)
Associate Executive Director of American Academy of Periodontology

January 2016
John Grady (JD’96)
Partner
Grady Pilgrim Christakis Bell LLP

November 2015
Christina Martini (JD’94)
Partner
DLA Piper

October 2015
Marie Huber (JD’86)
SVP and General Counsel
eBay, Inc.

September 2015
Austin Wilson (JD’04)
Partner Madison at West Legal Search