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Please tell us a little bit about your company and your role there. What are your responsibilities and what does a typical day look like?
With roots older than the United States, GSK is a major British multinational biopharmaceutical company. As a focused biopharma company, we discover, develop and deliver medicines and vaccines to create value for patients and shareholders. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade.
I am an employment law attorney, its kind of like being stationed in an Emergency Room triage unit some days. There is no accurate prediction into the variety of issues I may see on a given day but to sum it up, I am a strategic advisor to the business on workplace issues throughout the employee lifecycle from recruitment to termination and beyond. Because we are a global company, I spend a lot of my day on calls collaborating across the world.
What was your career path? What drove you to become an attorney? How did you get to where you are?
Hard work and a little bit of luck.
I am the first person in my family to attend college. I think when I told them I was going to law school, they simply thought I enjoyed being a student. They aren't wrong. I love learning which is why you will see me at almost every single CLE, even though my state bar, Michigan, has no CLE requirements.
Do you want the long story or short story? My family would tell you I was always arguing… ahem, I mean “negotiating” my way in and out of situations throughout my childhood. I may or may not have held court on the playground by swings after lunch. In the fourth grade, we had to give a speech about what career we aspired for and apparently proposing to be a professional stunts person did not meet my teacher’s approval so by default, attorney was up next. I am a woman of my word and held myself to that fourth grade commitment…. But really though, throughout my life my biggest passions have been reading, travel and advocacy. In undergrad, I studied international relations, arguing on our Model UN team.
During law school, I focused on international business while having some doubt of how I was going to land my dream role of working for a global company. Leaving law school, I joined a large firm where I litigated for several years before taking a hiatus from practicing, turning to consulting at a public accounting firm in the ERISA and employee benefits, executive compensation space before I was recruited to go in house at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. After spending a couple years there, I happily took at opportunity to move down here to North Carolina, chasing my dream opportunity with a global position.
How did you hear about RTAC-ACC? How long have you been a member? What made you excited to get involved in our chapter?
I was on the Executive Board of the Michigan ACC prior to moving to North Carolina two years ago. On the same day I researched the closest chapter to me in Raleigh, I received an email informing me of my membership of the RTAC-ACC from GSK. I wanted to get involved as I wanted to carry on as I had back in Michigan in growing our chapter and giving other attorneys and myself the best resources to gain knowledge and friendship across our various businesses and practice areas. From my first event I attended at Brier Creek, I jumped at a way to get more involved!
What do you most enjoy about being in-house?
What I enjoy most about being an in-house attorney is getting to be part of the business rather than just parachuting in when something has already gone sideways. I like working with teams early, helping solve problems in a practical way, and seeing legal advice actually shape decisions. It’s also rewarding when people start to view legal as a business partner instead of the department that appears, says “absolutely not,” and vanishes into the mist.
If you were not an attorney, what would you be?
Probably a professional athlete, book editor or travel guide (not agent, like an actual guide that would tour you around some mountain or adventure).
What are your interests and hobbies outside of work?
Traveling all over the world, 36 countries and counting, running, lifting heavy objects and reading books, oh and eating, I do a lot of that to be able to run more. For those of you that do know me, I wake up at 4am to train daily. The current fixation: running ultramarathons, my first 100 mile attempt is on the books, Pinhoti 100.
Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
While speaking with people feels like second nature to me, I have to force myself to lead larger discussions and/or presentations. I hate the sound of my own voice.
Do you have any pets?
Presently, a 9 year old corgi mini australian shepherd, Zoey.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Why Not Me?”- Rachel Entrekin
Do you have a favorite movie?
I don’t really watch a ton of TV, so I will provide my top two books I have read in 2026 so far- 'Theo of Golden' by Allen Levi and 'Running for My Life, One Lost Boy’s Journey from the Killing Fields of Sudan to the Olympic Games' by Lopez Lomong.
What is your favorite food or restaurant?
Locally, in my two years of NC residency, the tops are Brodeto, Sushi Mon and Stanbury.
Do you have any advice for RTAC-ACC members, either professionally or personally? This can be advice for those just starting in their career or tips for experienced lawyers.
Get outside of your comfort zone and say yes to every opportunity that comes your way. Even if something is outside of your current practice area, life is too short to not take chances and really lean into that human connection. Especially, in the post covid world, we need human connection more than ever to help us remember that we are not alone and we are a part of something much larger than ourselves.
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