About the Founder

Although much more common now, I began my career in 1994 by going straight in-house at Midcom Communications, which was then the ninth-largest long distance telecommunications carrier in the U.S. The company had just gone public, and the general counsel hired me as the second attorney on the legal team. Fresh out of law school, I faced a trial by fire, but thrived on it, learning as much – if not more – than I would have as an entry-level associate at a large law firm. In a short time, I was managing the company’s regulatory compliance with the Federal Communications Commission and state public utility commissions, representing the legal function on the due diligence team, and negotiating multi-million dollar telephone switch center leases.

When Midcom was bought by Winstar Communications in 1998, I took on the role as the sole in-house attorney for Pro Air, a start-up commercial airline. This position required that I learn in the trenches, initially responding to detailed information requests from the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding potential anti-trust violations by major carriers against smaller operators like Pro Air. While further honing my skills in contract negotiations, regulatory compliance, and litigation management, I expanded my responsibilities to include corporate governance, securities transactions, and employment matters, eventually becoming the head of employee relations as the company grew to 450 employees in 10 locations. Unfortunately, operating a start-up airline proved expensive, and Pro Air ended up in Chapter 11 bankruptcy in September 2000. I helped managed its reorganization efforts until it liquidated a year later.

I then transitioned into the technology industry, joining Classmates, regarded as the “grandfather” of social media websites, at the end of the dot-com bubble in the early 2000’s. I remained with the company for 18 years, navigating various roles of increasing responsibility. I played a key part in Classmates’ acquisition by United Online in 2002, where I became part of the corporate legal team overseeing the company’s “content and media” segment, including multiple domestic and international subsidiaries. Ultimately, I managed an 8-person legal team, handling numerous contract negotiations, M&A transactions, and class action and government investigation proceedings, while also providing guidance on consumer protection and privacy matters during a time with minimal regulation.