Alumni Spotlight

I had a wonderful summer associate experience in 2000 and followed with six years of practicing with amazing lawyers from whom I learned so much. Terry Potter and his yellow research files from “back in the day” still form the basis of my labor law knowledge. I’ve recovered from the trauma of Randy Thompson’s redlines and realize he really was teaching me to be a better lawyer and all-around person. Bob Tomaso taught me how to build trust with people at any level of any company and allowed me to take ownership of cases early on. (He also let me hang the velvet Elvis in my office and share his extraordinary admin, Paula Hall, who taught me how to properly relay messages to clients.) I taught Joe Glynias everything he knows, so you can all thank me for that. (Side note: I did not teach Joe anything he knows.) Joe and I still exchange ridiculous jokes to this day.

Most importantly, I got to work with a group of people who became family to me. To this day, I know any one of them would have my back.

Share a favorite memory of your time at Husch Blackwell.

There are too many great memories to share just one, but I often laugh when I think of Bob Tomaso riding a scooter down the hallway and the time our cleaning professional, Liz, reported to all of us that she had been kidnapped. (Side note: Liz was not actually kidnapped.)

Describe your current role/practice outside of Husch Blackwell.

I somehow ended up being an L&E specialist in the food manufacturing industry, starting with ConAgra Foods. I’ve now landed with Leprino Foods Company in Denver where I am part of our version of the top leadership level of core leaders/directors and am able to play a strategic role in the company’s overall success.

At some point along the way, I earned a master’s degree in organizational development (OD) and spent some time on the flip side of the human resources (HR) coin as an OD/leadership specialist and HR generalist. That diverse experience (while making for a strange résumé) has helped immensely with my ability to advise my clients.

What is one of the most interesting projects on which you’ve worked?

As an in-house lawyer, navigating the issues with COVID-19 has been my most unique and challenging experience. However, I still live for the crazy situations that pop up from time to time and allow me to be fascinated/entertained by human behavior. These days, keeping up with the rapidly changing landscape of both state and federal laws and regulations are a huge part of my day-to-day work. For this reason, I have signed up for the sage advice and comedic stylings of Barbara Grandjean, who gives me all the details I need to know about legal stuff AND lets me talk smack about the L&E boys in St. Louis.

I am very grateful for my time at the firm. Although over a decade has passed since I left, that experience is still the foundation of my skills as an attorney. It also set a high bar for what I look for in a work environment. I think I’m going to search for a velvet Elvis…

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