U.S. attorney and chief of the civil division in Detroit. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School.
Power Play: One of a handful of black women who head the legal departments of major corporations, Mayes also serves as president of the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund.
Stacey J. Mobley
Senior Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel
DuPont Co.
Wilmington, DE
Contact: 302-774-1000
Career Highlights: Mobley is a 31-year career veteran at DuPont, a $24 billion global science company, and was the company’s first African American attorney. He is responsible for staff services, including legal, public affairs, and government affairs. A registered pharmacist, Mobley holds a B.S. from Howard University’s School of Pharmacy and a J.D. from Howard Law School.
Power Play: Mobley, one of BE’s Top 50 Blacks In Corporate America, oversees a law department of 180 lawyers worldwide with a budget of more than $200 million and a docket of over 2,000 cases, including complex commercial, antitrust, intellectual property, and product liability litigation.
Roderick A. Palmore
Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Sara Lee Corp.
Chicago, IL
Contact: 312-726-2600
Career Highlights: A University of Chicago Law School graduate, Palmore spent two years at a Pittsburgh law firm before assuming the post of assistant U.S. attorney for the northern district of Illinois. In 1996, he joined Sara Lee, the $18.2 billion global consumer products company, where he is responsible for a departmental budget in excess of $15 million.
Power Play: Palmore oversaw the $2.8 billion acquisition of The Earthgrains Co., the largest in Sara Lee’s history. He also launched a diversity initiative with Sara Lee’s outside law firms.
Deval L. Patrick
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
The Coca-Cola Co.
Atlanta, GA
Contact: 404-676-2121
Career Highlights: Patrick directs the $19.9 billion soft drink giant’s worldwide legal affairs and legal staff, oversees shareowner affairs, and ensures that the company satisfies government requirements. A Harvard Law School graduate, Patrick was previously vice president and general counsel at Texaco Inc.
Power Play: As an assistant attorney general during the Clinton administration, Patrick’s efforts led to a precedent-setting judgment against Denny’s for violating the civil rights of employees and customers and helped bring about ground-breaking enforcement efforts under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Solomon B. Watson IV
Senior Vice President and General Counsel
The New York Times Co.
New York, NY
Contact: 212-556-1234
Career Highlights: In 1996, Watson was named a senior vice president of The New York Times Co., a leading media company with 2002 revenues of $3 billion, having served as vice president since 1990 and general counsel since 1989. Watson is a Harvard Law School graduate and former associate of the Boston law firm Bingham, Dana & Gould.
Power Play: In 1993, Watson oversaw the Times’ acquisition of The Boston Globe, a transaction valued at approximately $1.1 billion. He is a recipient of the 2002 National Equal Justice Award from the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the 1998 Pioneer of the Profession Award from the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.
Paul S. Williams
Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary
Cardinal Health
Dublin, OH
Contact: 614-757-5000
Career Highlights: Williams manages worldwide legal matters