Alumni News and Moves – Spring 2023

Our alumni have forged various career paths and taken on interesting new adventures and personal challenges. They are thought leaders, advisers, mentors, advocates, business executives, elected and appointed officials and trusted professionals.

We are proud of the contributions our alumni continue to make to the legal and business communities, grateful for the time they spent with the firm and honored that many have stayed in touch with the firm and each other.

Here are recent news and moves from our alumni community over the past few months, sorted by their former office (*locations in which Faegre Drinker no longer has offices are indicated with an asterisk):

Albany

• Stacy Lutkus (Corporate Restructuring/2016) was promoted to partner at McDermott Will & Emery in January 2023.

Berwyn*

• Nancy Rubner Frandsen (Intellectual Property/1979) joined Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld LLC as Senior Counsel in January 2023.

Chicago

• Michael Cabonargi (Litigation/1999) was appointed as Regional Director for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services in January 2023.
• Tiffany Chan (Corporate/2004) joined King & Wood Mallesons as a senior associate in March 2023.
• Rob Cimo (Health Care/2007) joined Berkeley Research Group LLC as Managing Director in February 2023.
• Kimberly Frailey (Employee Benefits/1998) was promoted to Associate General Counsel, Head of Employment Law Group at Amgen in January 2023.
• Joe Greenberg (Corporate/1990) joined VillageMD as SVP, M&A and Corporate Transactions in February 2023.
• Jamie Haberichter (Litigation/1998) became Assistant University Counsel at Michigan State University in January 2023.
• Brian Hedlund (Corporate/1988) started his own consulting firm, Hedlund Consulting PLLC, in November 2022.
• Bridget Kevin-Myers (Health Care/2006) joined EquipmentShare as Counsel in January 2023.
• Brigitte Kocheny (2004) was promoted to Supervising Attorney at the Children’s Legal Center of Chicago in January 2023.
• Tiana Korley (Health Care/2001) joined the United States Department of Health and Human Services as Senior Counsel in November 2022.
• Mita Lakhia (Intellectual Property/2011) joined Regeneron as Director, Corporate Counsel, Americas Privacy in December 2022.
• Elizabeth Lopez (Litigation/2007) was promoted to Senior Managing Counsel – Global Competition and Alliances and Chief of Staff to the President at United Airlines in January 2023.
• Mark Nelson (Labor and Employment/2005) joined Spencer Fane LLP as Real Estate Counsel in January 2023.
• Jim Parsons (Corporate/1977) fully retired at the end of 2021 after 15 years leading and then consulting with The Brinson Foundation in Chicago. Jim currently serves on nonprofit boards at the Chicago Architecture Center, Communities in Schools of Chicago, the Partnership for College Completion and the Morton Arboretum, where he chairs the Board of Advisors.
• Eric Powers (Litigation/2010) was promoted to Assistant Chief at the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division and Criminal Enforcement Sections in March 2023.
• Emma Rodriguez-Ayala (Corporate/2018) joined Ariel Investments as General Counsel and Board Secretary in January 2023.
• Matt Rosenberg (Corporate/1997) joined Grammarly as Chief Revenue Officer and Head of Grammarly Business in January 2023.
• Sandy Stein (Real Estate/2002) started his own law practice, Sanford Stein Law LLC, focusing on cannabis and psychedelic medicine law and policy in January 2023.
• Aruna Subramanian (Commercial Litigation/2009) joined Workday as Senior Corporate Counsel in December 2022.
• Daniel Werly (Litigation/2009) became SVP and Chief Operating Officer for the Tennessee Titans in January 2023.

Dallas

• Brent Lindon (Intellectual Property/2020) joined Potomac Law Group as Counsel in February 2023.

Denver

• Sara Iams (Health Care/2009) joined Exact Sciences as Senior Manager, Regulatory & Market Strategy in January 2023.
• Ted Koehler (Business Litigation/2017) was promoted to Assistant General Counsel at PGA of America in November 2022.
• Marc Levy (Intellectual Property/2008) joined Stone Levy LLC as a Member in February 2023.
• Richard Marsh, Jr. (Intellectual Property/2010) was promoted to Legal Counsel, Brain Modulation at Medtronic in December 2022.
• Josh Pellant (Real Estate/2014) joined The Gart Companies as General Counsel in March 2023.
• Matthew Rojas (Litigation/2008) joined Spencer Fane LLP as a partner in February 2023.
• Kellen Wittkop (Business Litigation/2016) joined National Renewable Energy Laboratory as Senior Counsel in February 2023.

Florham Park

• Lauren Godfrey (Products Liability & Mass Tort/2003) joined Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, LLP as a partner in January 2023.
• Ever Hess (Litigation/2019) joined the Maryland Office of the Attorney General as an assistant attorney general in February 2023.
• Stacey Hyman (Commercial Litigation/2008) was promoted to partner at K&L Gates in January 2023.
• Justin Linder (Commercial Litigation/2007) joined Apellis Pharmaceuticals as Senior Director, U.S. Market Access Counsel in December 2022.
• Angela Raleigh (Real Estate/2016) was promoted to Counsel at Lowenstein Sandler LLP in January 2023.
• Cheoma Smith (Commercial Litigation/2006) joined Medtronic as Employment Counsel in January 2023.
• Tracey Van Dillen (Product Liability & Mass Torts/2007) was promoted to Head of Litigation and Employment Law at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health in January 2023.

Fort Wayne

• Angela Kohlheim (Product Liability & Mass Torts/2017) joined Haynes International as Vice President, General Counsel in January 2023.

Frankfurt*

• Caroline Mirow (2001) joined Messer SE & Co. KGaA as Group Legal Counsel in March 2023.

Indianapolis

• Matthew Ennis (Intellectual Property/2013) was promoted to Senior Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at Savannah River Nuclear Solutions in March 2023.
• Dan Kelley (Business Litigation/2012) was promoted to partner at Dinsmore & Shohl LLP in January 2023.
• Melina Kennedy (Products Liability/2007) was named Chief Executive Officer of The Central Indiana Corporate Partnership, a coalition of top executives across Indiana advocating for economic growth, in December 2022. She began this new role in February 2023. Most recently, Melina was Vice President – Product Compliance and Regulatory Affairs at Cummins Inc.
• Heather MacDougall (Labor & Employment/2003) joined Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP as a partner in March 2023.
• Ashley Osak (Health Care/2016) was promoted to Shareholder at Polsinelli in November 2023.
• Tina Richards (Product Liability & Environmental/2007) was promoted to Senior Deputy City Attorney for the City of Portland in January 2023.
• Sara Sharp (Product Liability & Mass Tort/2013) was promoted to Senior Counsel at Cummins in January 2023.
• Mark Sifferlen (Labor & Employment/1992) started his own business, MJS Risk Management Solutions LLC, in February 2023. He provides practical and cost-effective advice and strategic direction to companies on designing and implementing world class ethics and compliance, and enterprise risk management programs and ESG strategy.

London

• Richard Curtin (Finance & Restructuring/2009) joined Spector Constant & Williams as a partner in March 2023.

Milwaukee*

• Colleen O’Connor Patzer (Health Care/2010) joined North Shore Healthcare LLC as Interim Chief Compliance Officer in February 2023.

Minneapolis

• Kathryn Allen (Intellectual Property/2019) was promoted to Senior Managing Associate at Sidley Austin in January 2023.
• Nick Anderson (Intellectual Property/2014) was promoted to Director, Senior IP Counsel at Boston Scientific in February 2023.
• Joe Baker (Corporate/1991) was promoted to General Manager, Corporate Vertical at ThoughtExchange in January 2023.
• Teresa Bechtold (Finance & Restructuring/2006) joined Optum as Senior Associate General Counsel in January 2023.
• Tom Bottern (Litigation/1993), the Secretary of the Minnesota Senate, was featured in a December 11, 2022 article in Kenyans.co.ke.
• Judy Branham (Litigation/2007) joined Cadien Cyber Response as Senior Vice President, Engagement in January 2023.
• Meaghan Clayton (Labor & Employment/2018) was promoted to Shareholder at Rhoades McKee in January 2023.
• Derek Devgun (Corporate/1993) joined Baxter International Inc. as Deputy General Counsel – Business Development, M&A in January 2023.
• Rikke Dierssen-Morice (Litigation/2001) joined Blank Rome LLP as a partner in March 2023.
• Bruce Gisi (Finance & Restructuring/2011) joined Zelis as Managing Counsel, Claims Cost Solutions in January 2023.
• Matthew Harris (Business Litigation/2014) was promoted to Managing Attorney for State Regulatory at Xcel Energy in December 2022.
• Kirk Johnson (Corporate/1999) joined Heartland Financial USA, Inc. as Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel in November 2022.
• Kim Jordahl (Business Litigation/1997) joined the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as Associate General Patent Counsel in January 2023.
• Kelly Kuglitsch (Employee Benefits & Executive Compensation/2008) joined Lit Law Translation LLC in January 2023.
• Judge Tony Leung (Real Estate/1985), United States Magistrate Judge for the District of Minnesota, was featured in an article in the Mill City Times. In the article, he recognizes how he was helped by several of his mentors at the firm.
• Laura Marion (Intellectual Property/2017) was promoted to Senior Corporate Counsel at Amazon Web Services in March 2023.
• Sarah McGee (Labor & Employment/2002) joined the University of Minnesota as Senior Associate General Counsel in January 2023.
• Keriann Riehle (Labor & Employment/2017) joined HealthPartners as Associate Counsel in December 2022.
• Erin Wessling (Litigation/2004) was promoted to SVP and Chief Counsel, Commercial, Government Business and Litigation and Investigations at CIGNA in March 2023.
• Nathan Zietlow (Corporate/1994) joined Nike as Senior Director, Global Tax Controversy & Policy in January 2023.

New York City

• Christina Cahill (Corporate/2018) was promoted to Shareholder at Polsinelli in November 2022.
• Heath Rosenblat (Corporate Restructuring/2013) was promoted to partner at Morrison Cohen LLP in January 2023.

Philadelphia

• David Anderson (Corporate/1995) joined Anderson Leavitt LLC as a member in January 2023.
• Brian Astrup (Litigation/2011) joined Foursquare Labs, Inc. as Senior Commercial Counsel in December 2022.
• Melanie Barnes (Commercial Litigation/2009) was promoted to Deputy General Counsel at Comcast in January 2023.
• Mira Baylson (Litigation/2015) joined the Pennsylvania Department of State as Executive Deputy Secretary in February 2023.
• Leslie Bohner (Litigation & Private Client/1992) was appointed Chief Fiduciary Officer of Fiduciary Trust International in March 2023. In this newly created role, Leslie will oversee all trust operations and administration, and will lead the firm’s Delaware business. She also joined the Executive Committee. Prior to this appointment, Leslie served as chief fiduciary officer and general counsel for the Pennsylvania region.
• John Cascarano (Real Estate/2007) opened a solo practice, John Cascarano PLLC, in Brentwood, Tennessee in January 2023.
• Ivy Duke (Investment Management/1993) joined ImpactAssets as General Counsel in February 2023. ImpactAssets is a nonprofit financial services firm that promotes impact investing through donor-advised funds and other philanthropic and impact investing options.
• Joe Evangelista (Insurance/2010) joined 777 Partners as Associate General Counsel in February 2023.
• Heather Fritts (Insurance/2003) was promoted to Supervisory Attorney in the Office of General Counsel at the Social Security Administration in February 2023.
• Jennifer Green (Litigation/2007) was promoted to Assistant General Counsel, Head of Global Commercialization and Market Access Legal at Jazz Pharmaceuticals in November 2022.
• Allison Hester-Solomon (Corporate/2007) joined City Year as Vice President, People Experience and Culture in February 2023.
• David Larsson (Real Estate/1984) joined Clark Hill PLC as a Member in January 2023.
• Stephanie Marcozzi (Corporate/2017) was promoted to Assistant General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Nielsen in January 2023.
• Jonathan Pavlovcak (Insurance/2008) joined the U.S. Navy as Deputy Counsel in January 2023.
• Jenna Poligo (Commercial Litigation/2015) was elected to the partnership at Stoel Rives LLP in November 2022.
• Jeff Pott (Litigation/1990) was promoted to Chief Human Resources Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and General Counsel at AstraZeneca in January 2023.
• Bryan Sgrignoli (Litigation/2005) joined Nouryon as Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer in February 2023.
• David Solomon (Litigation/2012) was promoted to Associate General Counsel at the Community College of Philadelphia in January 2023.
• Charles Vargo (Corporate/2014) was promoted to partner at Winston & Strawn in December 2022.
• Kirke Weaver (Commercial Litigation/1998) was named Organon’s General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, effective January 1, 2023.
• Nathan Will (Investment Management/2004) was promoted to Principal, Head of Municipal Credit Research at Vanguard in March 2023.

San Francisco

• Sanjeet Ganjam (Product Liability & Mass Torts/2011) was promoted to partner at Shartsis Friese LLP in January 2023.
• Claudia Garcia (Product Liability & Mass Torts/2015) was promoted to Senior Corporate Counsel, Commercial at Exelixis in March 2023.
• Ben Halbig (Products Liability & Mass Tort/2017) was promoted to partner at Jenner & Block, effective January 1, 2023.
• Angel Sevilla (Labor & Employment/2007) was promoted to Equity Principal and Office Litigation Manager at Jackson Lewis P.C. in December 2022.

South Bend*

• Jason Schultz (Health & FDA/2007) joined Barnes & Thornburg LLP as a partner in November 2022.

Washington, D.C.

• Jason Baron (Commercial Litigation/2013), Professor of the Practice at the University of Maryland, College of Information Studies returned to Cambodia in January 2023 to dedicate a new elementary school for 300+ children, built with donations, to The Chelly Foundation. For the past seven years, the charity has helped transform the lives of thousands of children of all ages living in a very poor, rural part of Cambodia. The purpose of The Chelly Foundation is to help bring about positive changes in people’s lives through literacy, education and other means. Jason started The Chelly Foundation to keep alive the creative and generous spirit of his late mother, Chelly Baron.
• Jessica Eisenhaure (Corporate/1999) was promoted to Chief Legal & Compliance Officer at CorEvitas, LLC in November 2022.
• Kevin Gross (Corporate/1990) joined Penumbra, Inc. as Senior Corporate Counsel, International in March 2023.
• Amber Haggins (Commercial Litigation/2007) joined Katten Muchin & Rosenman LLP as Senior Director for DEI & Talent in November 2022.
• Jamie Lanphear (Products Liability/2016) was promoted to Counsel at Reed Smith LLP in December 2022.
• Stacey Lantagne’s (Commercial Litigation/2005) article, “Tinhatting the Constitution: Originalism as a Fandom” was published in Volume II, Issue I of the Florida Entertainment and Sports Law Review. Stacey is currently a Professor of Law at Western New England University School of Law.
• Todd Reinstein (Corporate/2003) joined FORVIS LLP as a partner in January 2023.