The Millstein Center for Corporate Governance and Performance

RISING STARS OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE 2009

The Millstein Center has named its Rising Stars of Corporate Governance for 2009.

This is the second year that the Center has recognized an exceptionally talented group of young corporate governance professionals.

The award recipients were presented with e certificate at the Rising Stars of Corporate Governance Award Reception on June 10, 2009 as part of the Center's annnual Yale Governance Forum.

The Center recognized 10 professionals under the age of 40 who are making their mark on the field of corporate governance. The recipients were nominated by their peers and then selected by a committee of leaders from the Millstein Center, the Open Compliance and Ethics Group, the International Corporate Governance Network and Weil Gotshal & Manges. Nomination committee members and those affiliated with the Millstein Center were not permitted to make nominations to ensure there were no conflicts of interest.

The nomination and selection process was based on criteria such as past accomplishments and thought leadership, future projects and endeavors, reputation among existing industry leaders, and potential to influence the industry in the future.

This year’s decision process was particularly difficult. There were nearly 40 young professionals nominated across varying fields – academia, in-house corporate settings, think tanks, pension funds and investment houses to name but a few. The caliber of nominees was truly impressive.

The 2009 Rising Stars of Corporate Governance are :

Nada Abdelsater-Abusamra, Partner at Raphaël & Associés

Nada is an international corporate and finance legal advisor admitted to the courts of Beirut and New York
She recently drafted, in collaboration with Hawkamah, the Corporate Governance Code for listed companies in Qatar recently adopted by the Qatar Financial Monetary Authority. She is also the co-author of the first Lebanese Code of Corporate Governance.
She has drafted various corporate governance codes for business associations, private companies and non governmental institutions
Nada is a founding member of the Lebanese Corporate Governance Taskforce where she co-chairs the Legal and Regulatory Committee and chairs the SME’s committee; the Corporate Governance Consortium advising public and private institutions on corporate governance; and the Lebanese Institute for Excellence in Government
She is also a board member of the Lebanese Transparency Association
Nada holds an LL.M from Harvard Law School, a Lebanese and French law degree from the Université Saint Joseph in Beirut, a BSc from the American University of Beirut and has completed the coursework for an M.A. in International Affairs at the Lebanese American University.

George M. Anderson, Partner, Tapestry Networks

George is a partner with Tapestry Networks
He leads a number of corporate governance networks including groups of audit committee chairs, compensation committee chairs, and lead independent directors
He also serves as the Managing Partner of Tapestry Networks’ Boston office
Prior to joining Tapestry Networks, George was a principal at Toffler Associates, where he led its commercial business activities and worked with top government officials and senior commercial executives to develop strategies to improve competitive differentiation, enter new markets, and introduce new products
Earlier in his career, he was a senior consultant in the financial services practice at Accenture
George holds a Master’s degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Haverford College

Stephen L. Brown, Director & Associate General
Counsel – Corporate Governance, TIAA-CREF

Stephen is the Director of Corporate Governance and Associate General Counsel for Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America–College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA-CREF)
He and his colleagues in the Corporate Governance Group work to enhance the governance/social responsibility practices of companies held within TIAA-CREF’s investment portfolios with the objective of increasing shareholder value and improving long term performance of targeted companies
He also advises management and the boards of the TIAA-CREF group of companies on internal corporate governance operations
Prior to joining TIAA-CREF, Stephen practiced corporate and securities law with Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr, LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher and Flom, LLP in New York City. At both firms, he represented industrial companies, investment advisers, hedge funds, private equity funds, and mutual fund complexes, as well as Fortune 500 corporations, boards of directors and executives in a variety of securities enforcement matters and corporate internal investigations
Before practicing law, he was a financial analyst with Goldman Sachs
Stephen received his B.A. with honors from Yale University and his J.D. from Columbia University Law School where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and an Olin Law & Economics Junior Fellow

Evelynne Change, Coordinator for Corporate Governance, African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) Secretariat, New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)

Evelynne currently works as the Coordinator for Corporate Governance under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), an initiative of the African Union. Her main duties include research and analysis of issues relating to the Corporate Governance reform strategy for African countries and the relevance of global standards and developments in this regard
She is particularly interested in the governance of state-owned enterprises, a topic which is fairly nascent in Africa, and is the proposed subject of her doctoral research
Prior to joining the APRM, Evelynne worked for the Economics and Trade Branch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Geneva, and has previously worked in law firms in Kenya
She hopes to continue to contribute to the development of Africa more generally and corporate governance reform in particular
A Kenyan national, Evelynne holds a Master of Laws degree from Columbia Law School in New York in addition to a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi, Kenya. She is also called to the Bar in both the Republic of Kenya as well as the State of New York

Deborah Gilshan, Corporate Governance Counsel, Railpen Investments

Deborah is the Corporate Governance Counsel at Railpen Investments, the investment management arm of the Railways Pension Trustee Company, the trustee of the pension funds of the railway industry in the UK
She is responsible for the implementation of Railpen's global corporate governance and shareholder engagement policies, with her specific focus being on the UK, USA and Australia
Prior to joining Railpen in November 2007, Deborah managed corporate governance and engagement at Co-operative Insurance Society, having started her governance career there in December 2000
Deborah holds the CFA’s Investment Management Certificate (IMC) and is an Associate of the UK’s Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators. She holds the Institute’s Professional Award in Corporate Governance and is an Advisor to them on governance issues from the perspective of an investor
While qualifying as a Chartered Secretary, Deborah was awarded the Institute’s prizes for her papers on corporate governance, financial accounting and corporate administration
Deborah read Mathematics and English at the University of Manchester

David Hess, Assistant Professor of Business Law & Business Ethics, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan

At the Ross School, Professor Hess teaches courses on corporate law, corporate social responsibility, and business ethics in the undergraduate and MBA programs. In addition, he teaches sessions on business ethics in other degree programs and in executive education
His research focuses primarily on the role of the law in ensuring corporate accountability. His publications in this area have analyzed the use of sustainability reports by corporations, efforts to combat corruption in international business, and how the Organizational Sentencing Guidelines, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and how deferred prosecution agreements can be implemented in a way that best assists corporations in developing more ethical corporate cultures
In addition, he has conducted empirical work on the governance of public pension funds and their use of sustainable investment strategies. This research has been published in leading law, ethics, and management journals, and has been recognized with national awards
In 2008, Professor Hess won a Faculty Pioneer Award from The Aspen Institute and the Faculty Award of Excellence for Early Career Achievement from the Academy of Legal Studies in Business
Professor Hess received MA and PhD degrees in management (corporate strategy field) from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, a JD from the University of Iowa College of Law, and a BA in economics from Grinnell College

Elizabeth Ising, Associate Attorney, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP

Elizabeth is an associate in the Securities Regulation and Corporate Governance Practice Group in Gibson Dunn & Crutcher's Washington, D.C. office. Her practice focuses on corporate governance, securities regulation and disclosure and executive compensation
She also advises clients regarding shareholder proposals and interaction with institutional investors and proxy advisory firms, and she represents several non-profit organizations on corporate governance issues
She has authored numerous articles on a variety of securities law and corporate governance issues, including the recent article "Climate Change Disclosures in SEC Filings 'Heat Up'", in Insights – The Corporate & Securities Law Advisor, 2008, and a chapter on shareholder proposals for A Practical Guide to SEC Proxy and Compensation Rules Elizabeth also authored updates for the 2003 – 2006 editions of Preparing for Your Annual Meeting, Bowne & Co., and a chapter for Corporate Governance: Law and Practice, 2005 supplement
She has appeared as a speaker at seminars about securities law and corporate governance issues, including presentations for the District of Columbia Bar and the American Bar Association
Elizabeth is a member of the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals and the National Association of Stock Plan Professionals (NASPP). She is also Vice Chair, Corporate Finance Committee; Corporation, Finance and Securities Law Section of the District of Columbia Bar
She is admitted to practice in the State of North Carolina and in the District of Columbia, and graduated with high honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law in 2000

Alexis B. Krajeski, Associate Director, Governance & Sustainable Investment, F&C Investments Limited

Alexis is Associate Director, Governance & Sustainable Investment at F&C in London, where she is responsible for engaging with US and Emerging Market companies on a broad range of issues including corporate governance, climate change, human rights, and bribery and corruption
Her sector focuses include insurance and telecoms, media and technology (TMT)
Alexis also oversees F&C’s global proxy voting and is involved in research and analysis for F&C’s Global Climate Opportunities Fund
Over the last several years, Alexis has co-authored several research reports looking at how environmental, social and governance factors influence company performance, including “In the Front Lines: The insurance industry’s response to climate change,” “Accounting for Climate Change: A window on the future,” and “Managing Access, Security & Privacy in the Global Digital Economy”
Alexis holds an MSc in Politics of the World Economy, with Merit from the London School of Economics, as well as a BA in Political Science & Religion from Barnard College, Columbia University

Rachel C. Lee, Senior Corporate Counsel, EMC Corporation

Rachel is Senior Corporate Counsel at EMC Corporation in Hopkinton, Massachusetts. EMC is a NYSE listed company with 2008 revenues of approximately $14.9 billion and approximately 40,000 employees in more than 60 countries
Rachel’s practice focuses on corporate governance matters, including the review and implementation of governance “best practices”, communication with shareholders and other stakeholders, and sustainability. She provides legal support for key committees of the Board of Directors
She also advises on a wide range of securities law matters, including issues involving public company disclosure, proxy statements and shareholder meetings, and SEC filings
Prior to joining EMC, she was Counsel at CA, Inc. and an associate at Chadbourne & Parke LLP, where she also concentrated on general corporate, corporate governance and securities law compliance and disclosure matters
Rachel is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals and its Corporate Practices Committee.
She received a B.A. from Columbia College and a J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School

Julieta Rodríguez Molina, Associate, Galindo,
Arias & Lopez

Julieta is an Associate Lawyer at Galindo, Arias & Lopez, a law firm based in the Republic of Panama
She is also the founder of the Institute of Corporate Governance of Panama, a non-profit organization created to support the business community of Panama in the modernization and professionalization of directors of private and public organizations.
The Institute aims to be the principal centre in Panama for knowledge sharing, research, dissemination and training in relation to Corporate Governance and future hub of a regional coordinated group of institutes for Central America and the Caribbean.
Currently, Julieta serves as President of the Institute’s Executive Committee.
Julieta was awarded a Master of Laws (LLM) by the London School of Economics and Political Science