Deborah Foster is a Partner at Edgeworth Economics (one of the WBA’s Vendor Sponsors). She holds a PhD in economics and MA in economics, both from Michigan State University. She earned her BS in business and economics from Trinity University. Dr. Foster told us: “Most people who go to graduate school in economics want to be a professor, but I was the rare bird who got my PhD to work in litigation consulting. I first learned about the field my [...]

Sarah Mugmon is an employment attorney at the Lipp Law Firm, PC. She has a pragmatic approach to client counseling and a knack for negotiating solid settlement agreements, regardless of whether her clients are businesses or individuals. In her free time, you can find her attending group fitness classes around DC, visiting family and friends in San Francisco and New York City, or dog-sitting her best friend’s mini dachshund. When did you join the WBA? September 2020 In what committees/forums [...]

Sage Stewart is a 1L (JD ’24) at Howard University School of Law. She attended the University of Central Florida, where she received a dual degree in Political Science and Psychology, with a minor in Diplomacy. Following her undergraduate studies, she began working at the U.S. Department of State, first within the Bureau of Administration, then the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. While working there, she also pursued her Master of Public Administration with Florida State University. Sage also engaged in [...]

Olivia Robinson is Assistant General Counsel at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield in Washington, DC. CareFirst is the largest healthcare insurer in the Mid-Atlantic region, serving 3.3 million members. In her current role, Olivia advises the company on pharmaceutical matters, Medicare and Medicaid managed care strategies, operational, and compliance issues. Before joining CareFirst, Olivia was a Senior Associate at a Washington healthcare firm where she represented regional health care systems in administrative matters related to healthcare reimbursement disputes against federal, state, and [...]

Brooke Welch is the Founder & CEO of Tiny Adventures, LLC. She works with proactive organizations and individuals to stop risking burnout and start getting excited about well-being with a tiny adventures mindset. The Tiny Adventures Path well-being practice is based on Brooke’s personal experience of recovery from a well-being crisis and thriving amidst deep uncertainty. She also supports alcohol-free social experiences as organizer of the Tiny Adventures RVA Sober-friendly Meetup Group. Brooke graduated with a joint degree from the [...]

Kirsten Wilkerson is Deputy Director, Torts Branch, Civil Division, at the U.S., Department of Justice. She joined the Federal Tort Claims Act Office in 2013. Prior to that, she was a Senior Trial Counsel in the Office of Environmental Torts, also in the Civil Division. After graduating from law school at St. Louis University, Kirsten served as a law clerk for a Federal District Judge for two years. She then joined the Department of Justice through the Honors Program. Kirsten [...]

Karen Plave Goldstein is Assistant General Counsel at CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, where she supports the company on a variety of business matters related to information technology and data security and privacy. She previously worked at Hewlett-Packard Company, learning a great deal about the intersection of business and technology. Karen started her career in DC, representing children and families in abuse and neglect proceedings, and continued that work in Prince George’s County, at Maryland Legal Aid in their Child Advocacy Unit. [...]

A native of Albany, New York, Catherine “Kate” Hedgeman is the owner of the Hedgeman Law Firm. After college, Catherine pursued a career in government relations on Capitol Hill in Washington DC, when she decided to return to her hometown to attend law school, earning her J.D. from Albany Law School in 2000, where she was an associate editor of The Albany Law Review and was awarded the Dominick Gabrielli award for excellence in Appellate Moot Court. After graduation, Catherine [...]

Bridgette Stumpf is the Executive Director of the Network for Victim Recovery of DC (a WBA Foundation grantee), a position she has held since co-founding the organization in May 2012. As part of this role, she developed the Legal Services and Pro Bono Programs at NVRDC. Bridgette is a co-chair of the newly formed Advocacy Committee. She serves on the review committee for DoD sexual assault advocacy approval and is an adjunct at George Washington University, teaching “Victims, Victimization, and [...]

Gina Anders is a Client Executive, at Ernst & Young LLP and serves as Southeast Regional Director for Women in eDiscovery. She joined the WBA last year and although she is currently involved in a committee or forum, she fully expects president-elect Candace Beck to reaching out soon with an assignment. We asked Gina to tell us a little about herself and she shared: I graduated from American University Washington College of Law in 1997 (Yikes, am I really that old?!). [...]

Nory Dianne R. Miano is originally from the Philippines and became a U.S. permanent resident in 2017. She is a licensed lawyer both in the Philippines and the U.S.Nory earned her J.D. from the Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. Prior to commencing her Master of Laws in Georgetown, she practiced for seven years in the Tax Advisory Group of an accounting firm in her home country, Reyes Tacandong & Co. (RSM Philippines). In 2019, Nory decided to pursue [...]

Amy P. Lyons is a 2L (graduating in 2023) at American University Washington College of Law (AUWCL) where she is also completing a dual degree with American University's School of International Service (SIS). She serves on her school's Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) board as the Social & Cultural Chair, is a member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Honor Society (ADRHS), and is a staff writer for the Human Rights Brief. She is passionate about international human rights [...]

Upnit K. Bhatti grew up in Syracuse, New York, with her parents, sister, and grandparents. She is Managing Associate, Supreme Court & Appellate practice group, at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. She serves a co-chair of WBA’s Amicus and Advocacy Committees. This past fall, she was WBA’s point person when we joined as a co-lead for an amicus in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Upnit serves as a mentor with the Appellate Project and is a member of the [...]

Roya Vasseghi is a Partner at Vasseghi Budd PLLC. She has been in practice for 11 years. Her career began at a defense firm in Los Angeles. Roya moved to Virginia in 2012, and has worked for several private firms, focusing her practice on litigation and employment law. In January 2020, she launched her own firm, and recently merged her practice with a good friend and fellow WBA member, Kellie Budd. Roya and Kellie are passionate about changing the way [...]

The first time Anne Collier attended law school, she was 6 years old. In her words: "My mother started in 1972 and was part of the first wave of women who went to law school. My father’s class (1965) included 5 women. Thus, from a very young age, I assumed I could do anything I wanted and didn’t see my gender as a barrier. It was my father supporting my mother that made this point. I believe that everyone can [...]

Rachel Hardwick, COO of ResInnova, serves as president of the WBA Foundation and has been on the Foundation board since 2015. For almost 25 years she was in-house corporate counsel at large non-profits, focusing on health coverage. Rachel notes, “I’ve recently left that work and now work with my husband running our growing commercial testing laboratory which I very much enjoy!” When did you join the WBA? 1996 or so. What committees/forums have you been involved in? In addition to [...]

Laura Yaffe is a co-chair of the WBA’s Energy and Environmental Law Forum. In that capacity, she has had the opportunity to help establish and grow an active steering committee of a group of energy and environmental law and policy associations in the DC area. Laura notes, “It is great to meet with them quarterly and share resources and experiences that help each of our organizations develop effective planning and programming.” Laura has lived in Montgomery County for about 18 [...]

Christopher Macchiaroli has been an attorney for 17 years and has spent the majority of his career living and working in the District of Columbia. He has also spent significant time as a lawyer in New York City and Miami. Chris has been a civil litigator, federal prosecutor, and criminal defense attorney, and has represented individuals and companies alike. In his words, “Each experience has taught me new lessons about the law and about myself.” In 2009, Chris joined the [...]

Kathryn Caballero has practiced environmental law in Washington DC for 22 years, first in the environmental practice group at Arnold & Porter, and then with the Environmental Protection Agency. Kathryn is currently the acting Associate Director in the Air Enforcement Division of EPA's Office of Civil Enforcement, and was previously a senior attorney in the Air Enforcement Division and in the Waste and Chemical Enforcement Division. Kathryn has also been a supervisory attorney-advisor in EPA's Office of Transportation and Air [...]

Ama Romaine is the General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer for G6 Hospitality, the parent company for the iconic Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands where she leads the company’s ESG platform, Lighting the Way. She is also responsible for Risk Management and Franchise Administration. In her role, Ama developed and implemented the company’s first compliance program and successfully launched the company’s ESG platform focused on operating responsibly. Immediately prior to joining G6, Ama was the General Counsel & Head [...]

Chiara Tondi Resta is an Associate at Wiley, where her practice is focused on insurance coverage litigation and counseling.  Chiara went to law school at the University of Virginia, and was President of the Innocence Project there. Although she doesn’t practice criminal law full time, post-conviction issues and work is something that is very important to her, and she dedicates her pro bono work to that. In particular, lately, she has spearheaded Wiley's partnership with the Second Look Project. They [...]

Lauren Drake is a Partner at Macrae, Inc., a legal recruiting boutique with a focus on the placement of law firm partners. She joined the WBA in 2020 and quickly become involved in the Membership Committee. She also coordinates Macrae’s support of the WBA as a sponsor; the firm has supported our Fall Leadership Series (2020); Spring Career Series (2021), and is a Vendor Sponsor. Lauren describes here career path as “slightly unusual.” She started her career as a telecom [...]

Ellen M. Jakovic is Of Counsel in the antitrust group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Prior to 2021, Ellen was a partner and headed the Firm’s Hart-Scott Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act (HSR) filing practice. She was recently elected as President-Elect of the DC Bar and has served as President of both the WBA (2002-2003) and WBA Foundation (2006-2008). She has served on the Board of many legal organizations, including the DC Bar Foundation, Bar Association of the District of Columbia, [...]