Donna Bucella Elected New NAFUSA President

Longtime NAFUSA member Donna Bucella was elected the 2024-2025 NAFUSA President at the general meeting in Oklahoma City (OKC) on September 27, 2024. Donna has been an active NAFUSA member, Director and Officer and, most recently, served as President Elect. She has successfully held a number of prestigious positions, both within government and in the public sector. She is currently Chief Compliance Officer for 7-Eleven, the largest convenience store chain in the United States.

Donna was appointed by President Clinton and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Attorney (USA) for the Middle District of Florida in 1999 and was the first U.S. Senate confirmed female USA in the State of Florida. Prior to that she led the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (EOUSA) as Director from 1997-1999 after holding other leadership positions within that agency.

Donna is a graduate of the University of Miami School of Law and received a B.A. from the University of Virginia. After graduating law school, she served in the United States Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps on active duty from 1984-1987, followed by membership in the Army Reserve until 2008 when she retired with the rank of Colonel.

In addition to her positions within the Department of Justice, Donna held leadership
positions with the Transportation Security Administration and was recruited by then FBI
Director Roert Mueller to create the Terrorist Screening Center, a multi-government agency post 9/11 for consolidating the U.S. Government’s approach to terrorist screening. From 2010 -2013 she served as Assistant Commissioner, Office of Intelligence and Investigative Liaison with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). While in this position she was the recipient of the Presidential Rank Award.

Donna practiced law in firms in Miami, Florida, and Washington, D.C. and held positions
with the Bank of America, Perot Systems, Education Management Corporation and
Guidepost Solutions, L.L.C. where she was President, Compliance. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the U.S. Attorney General’s Exceptional Service Award, the highest award given by the Attorney General.

NAFUSA is fortunate to have such a highly qualified and committed former U.S. Attorney as our president for 2024-2025. She announced in OKC that the 2025 NAFUSA  Annual Conference will be October 8-10, 2025 in Washington, D.C. at the Willard Hotel. It will be great!

Scott Schools Named Chief Compliance Officer for OpenAI

Newly elected NAFUSA Board of Directors member Scott Schools has recently been
appointed Chief Compliance Officer for OpenAI, an artificial intelligence research and
deployment organization founded in 2015, headquartered in San Francisco. Scott served as the US Attorney for the Northern District of California 2007-2008 and South Carolina February 2001 to November 2001, as well as Associate Deputy Attorney General at the U.S.Department of Justice from January 2008 to February 2013. Most recently he was employed as Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer at Uber Technologies.

Scott was the keynote speaker at the NAFUSA 2024 Annual Conference in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. In a conversation with then NAFUSA president John Richter at the conference’s closing dinner on Friday night, Scott described the importance of the role he held as the DOJ’s senior career official for over five years, a position held for many years prior to that by David Margolis. In that capacity he advised Attorneys General and Deputy Attorneys General on significant DOJ matters with a focus on ethics and professional responsibility.

U.S. Attorneys Meet in D.C.

United States Attorneys met for the last U.S. Attorneys Conference of the Biden
administration in Washington, D.C. earlier this month. U.S. Attorneys have met in similar
conferences in D.C. since 1939. The 2024 U.S. Attorneys Conference, held at Main DOJ, was a two and a half day meeting beginning on Tuesday, September 10th with most Districts represented. It was, as NAFUSA members most likely recall from their own days as U.S. Attorneys, an opportunity to get together with colleagues from other districts whom they have met through work on cases or interaction on AGAC subcommittees. We hope they continue to maintain these relationships through NAFUSA membership!

The Conference consisted, in large measure, of presentations highlighting progress and
challenges over the past year addressing program areas including violent crime, fentanyl and other drug cases. It is no surprise that significant attention was focused on increased efforts to ensure maintaining election integrity.

The conference culminated with an address by Attorney General Merrick Garland (AG) on Thursday in the Great Hall. He thanked the more than 115,000 Department of Justice employees for their work on behalf of the American people and for their “ironclad
commitment to the principles of fairness and impartiality that have long guided it…”
The title and theme of the AG’s remarks was “An Independent Justice Department”
reminding prosecutors of the enormous power they hold as federal prosecutors and the
responsibility that comes with it. He also talked about his first job at the Justice
Department working for Attorney General Civiletti in which he assisted on a project to
formalize a set of norms to guide the work of the DOJ. The result was Principles of Federal Prosecution first published in 1980 and now a main fixture in the U.S. Attorneys Manual.

The full text of the Attorney General’s remarks as delivered can be found on the attached link:

An Independent Justice Department

DOJ and the importance of maintaining the independence of the DOJ and the work of the U.S. Attorneys Offices.

Longtime NAFUSA Member Michael Cody Dies

W.J. Michael (Mike) Cody who served under President Jimmy Carter as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Tennessee from 1977 to 1981, died in his hometown of Memphis, Tennessee on Sunday, September 15, 2024, after a long illness. He was 88.

Although he was a well-known and influential progressive Democrat, Cody’s service
transcended partisan politics, and he was well respected by both parties. He was
appointed Attorney General of Tennessee in 1984, a position he held for four years, by then governor, Lamar Alexander, a Republican. He was later appointed by Democratic governor Phil Bredesen to co-chair the Tennessee Commission on Ethics.

Nor did he play partisan politics while serving as U.S. Attorney. In 1980 his office indicted Democratic State Representative Emmitt Ford on insurance fraud charges. Ford, who was sent to prison upon conviction, was the brother of Memphis Congressman Harold Ford for whom Cody had served as campaign coordinator in 1974. Cody partnered with prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Nashville to bring bid-rigging charges against members of Governor Ray Blanton’s family, involving Blanton-owned construction companies. The corruption was later dramatized in the movie “Marie” starring Sissy Spacek as a whistle blower in the then governor’s office.

Cody figured prominently in the history and politics of Tennessee during his long career. He was one of six lawyers representing Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. during his 1968 Memphis visit. In fact, he met with Dr. King at the Lorraine Motel not long before King was assassinated while in the city to support striking sanitation workers. Following Dr, King’s death, Cody and Memphis pastor James Lawson formed a neighborhood legal services operation to offer free aid to the sanitation workers. The organization expanded into what is now known as Memphis Legal Services.

Cody graduated from Rhodes College in 1958 and received his law degree from the
University of Virginia in 1961. He was an avid runner who participated in many Boston
Marathons and was an avid reader. He served on the boards of several high-profile
organizations, including the National Civil Rights Museum, and he was often hired as
technical advisor on Hollywood legal thrillers, including “The Firm” with Tom Cruise. He was the local legal representative for the Rolling Stones when they performed at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis in 1994.

In 2012, Cody stepped in as the keynote speaker at the NAFUSA annual conference in
Atlanta when the scheduled speaker unexpectedly became ill. According to then Executive Director Rich Rossman, Cody gave “…one of the most memorable speeches ever heard at the annual meetings.” Rossman added, “Cody’s intense description of the last two days of Dr. King’s life affected everyone in the room.”

Cody was devoted to his family. He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Susanna; two
daughters, Jane Cody and Mia Cody; a son, Michael Cody; three grandchildren and two
great-grandchildren.

In keeping with NAFUSA tradition, a flag was flown over the Department of Justice on
Tuesday, September 17, 2024, in his honor and will be presented to his family.

Bradford Award Winner 2024 John Romano

 

NAFUSA is pleased to announce the 2024 winner of the J. Michael Bradford
Memorial Award – Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) John F. Romano
from the District of New Jersey. John was selected from an outstanding group of nominees from U.S. Attorney offices across the country because of his outstanding advocacy in United States v. Jackson, a case involving two
defendants’ horrifying treatment of three foster children between the ages of
2-months and 4-years old while living at the Picatinny Arsenal and elsewhere.
The jury heard overwhelming evidence of gut-wrenching abuse and neglect
against the three children, causing them life threatening injuries. Despite the
defendants’ grievous conduct, the originally assigned district judge imposed
sentences so lenient that the Solicitor General authorized three affirmative
appeals and two requests for reassignment. AUSA Romano prevailed in all
three appeals, which included two oral arguments, while securing
reassignment to another district judge in the third appeal. He handled three
resentencing hearings before the District Court, two before the originally
assigned district judge and then before the reassigned district judge. Finally,
he successfully moved for summary action to foreclose the defendants from
challenging their convictions on appeal. That motion was granted in January
2024.

After reviewing the nomination submitted by U.S. Attorney Phillip Sellinger, the NAFUSA Board of Directors found that AUSA Romano’s continuous and
dogged efforts to seek justice for these vulnerable victims exemplifies his
devotion to the mission of the Department of Justice and has voted to award
him the Bradford Award for 2024. The Award will be presented by NAFUSA
Secretary Tim Purdon at the NAFUSA Conference in Oklahoma City on
September 27, 2024, and AUSA Romano will deliver remarks about the
Jackson prosecution which included two long trials, as well as exhausting
pretrial and post-trial proceedings. According to USA Sellinger, for more than
nine years John Romano played a pivotal role in the effort to secure justice for
the victims in this case.

Each of this year’s candidates for the Bradford Award exemplified the high
standards and commitment to justice that the Bradford Award honors. The
decision wasn’t easy. The following AUSAs were nominated by their offices for the award based on their outstanding service to the Department of Justice
and each has received an award from NAFUSA, thanks to the generosity of
former NAFUSA president Ed Dowd:

Audrey B. Hemesath
Eastern District of California

Melanie K. Pierson
Southern District of California

Brian Dunn
District of Colorado

Jocelyn Courtney Kaoutzanis
District of Connecticut

Gregory Rosen
District of Columbia

Rachelle DesVaux Bedke
Middle District of Florida

Ron Timmons
Northern District of Iowa

Christopher M. O’Connor
Western District of Michigan

Michael J. Goldberger
Eastern District of New York

Catherine Mirabile
Eastern District of New York

Lara Pomerantz
Southern District of New York

Robert Yalen
Southern District of New York

Kathryn Risinger
Middle District of Tennessee

Ahmed Safeeullah
Middle District of Tennessee

Ben Schrader
Middle District of Tennessee

Adrian Garcia
Eastern District of Texas

Carmen Castillo Mitchell
Southern District of Texas

Timothy J. Ohms
Eastern District of Washington

NAFUSA OKC Conference Features Panel on AI

Artificial intelligence is everywhere, whether we like it or not, and apparently
it’s here to stay. NAFUSA is very excited to host a panel of experts at our
annual conference in Oklahoma City on how AI impacts legal practice. They
will delve into the ethical and practical uses of generative AI in legal practice
beginning with the question “How are Lawyers using AI today and what will the
near future bring?” Catherine Hanaway, Partner and former Chair of Husch
Blackwell and NAFUSA Vice President, will moderate the panel discussion
which includes the question of whether lawyers actually have an ethical
obligation to use AI and what that obligation looks like.

Panel members include Julie Myers Wood, CEO of Guidepost Solutions
International, a leading investigations, compliance, monitoring and security
firm, and long-time NAFUSA friend and sponsor. She has a particular interest
and expertise in how technology and artificial intelligence is transforming
compliance.

Also on the panel is NAFUSA Board member Jay Town, Vice President and
General Counsel of Gray Analytics, a cybersecurity risk management firm
focusing on challenging technical problems with offices in Huntsville,
Alabama and Los Angeles. Joining them is Justin Helms, the Artificial
Intelligence Solutions Strategist at Husch Blackwell. A licensed attorney, he
helps drive AI technology development and application to transform legal
practice and business operations.

The last panel member is Valerie McConnell, the Senior Director of
CoCounsel Customer Success at Thompson Reuters where she uses her
litigation and computer science background to advise lawyers on how to
leverage artificial intelligence in their practices. She is a frequent speaker on
the application of generative AI to solve problems in legal workflow and we are
thrilled to welcome her and the other panel members.

In addition to the discussion of ethical issues surrounding the use of – or
failure to use – AI, this highly experienced and talented panel will suggest
specific practical uses of AI in legal practice from conducting legal research to responding to discovery requests. We look forward to their presentation on
Friday morning, September 27 in OKC!

NAFUSA Conference Panel to Discuss Public Relations in High Profile Cases

The 2024 NAFUSA Conference’s CLE program will open on Thursday morning,
September 26, with a panel of outstanding speakers delving into the high
stakes issues that lawyers and public relations professionals should consider
in high profile litigation and investigations. The topic could not be timelier.
News outlets and social media for the past year – and more – have inundated
the public with accounts of legal entanglements involving public officials,
movie and reality TV stars, and events, often tragic, of wide public interest.
The panel, composed of experienced legal and public relations professionals
highly skilled in dealing with the legal and ethical issues that arise in these
types of cases, will provide a detailed look at these issues and discuss
practical considerations and solutions.

The panel discussion is entitled The Intersection of Law, Ethics, and Public
Relations in High Profile Litigation and Investigations. The speakers are truly
outstanding practitioners in law and public relations fields who have dealt
with the complex legal and ethical issues that arise when public scrutiny is
focused on investigations and litigation. NAFUSA is pleased to have on this
panel two highly regarded public relations experts: Mark Corallo, a political
communications and public relations professional who is the co-founder,
along with Barbara Comstock, of Corallo Comstock, a public relations firm;
and Ellen Moskowitz, senior partner of the Brunswick Group and co-leader of
Brunswick’s global litigation communications and crisis practice.

Additionally, we are honored to have two highly skilled and experienced
attorneys on the panel, both of whom are NAFUSA members: Debra Wong
Yang, a partner in Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher’s Los Angeles office and chair of
their Crisis Management Practice Group; and Ronald Machan, partner in
WilmerHale, a member of the firm’s Global Management Committee and
Chair of the firm’s Litigation and Controversy Department. Moderating this
panel of experts is Robert Conrad, former United States Attorney for the
Western District of North Carolina, former District and Senior Judge for the
Western District of North Carolina, and most recently appointed the Director
of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts.

We are pleased and excited to have this august group lead off the program in
Oklahoma City.

NAFUSA Conference Registration Opens

Registration for the 2024 NAFUSA annual conference is now open. The
Conference will be held in the award winning National Hotel in Oklahoma
City, Oklahoma, from September 25 through September 28.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR 2024 CONFERENCE

CLICK HERE TO RESERVE A HOTEL ROOM

If you have any issues reserving a hotel room please contact Lisa Rafferty at lisarafferty27@gmail.com.

The conference begins early for NAFUSA golfers who sign up to play golf and
for transportation to the Jimmie Austin Golf Course at the University of
Oklahoma Wednesday morning, September 25. The full
conference begins that evening at 6:00 with the opening cocktail/dinner
reception hosted by Guidepost Solutions in the Library of Distilled Spirits at the hotel.

The conference CLE program begins Thursday morning, September 26 after
opening remarks by this year’s president, John Richter and Executive Director,
Wendy Goggin. Following the morning’s programs, there will be a lunch
in the hotel with introductory remarks by former OK Governor and U.S.
Attorney Frank Keating. Conference attendees will be given guided tours of the
OKC National Memorial Museum, the site of the bombing of the Murrah
Federal Building immediately after lunch. On Thursday night, former U.S.
Attorneys and guests from the various presidential administrations will gather
for reunion dinners organized by their class representatives.

After breakfast on Friday, CLE programing continues with outstanding
presentations including representatives from the DOJ, a Supreme Court
review, and a panel on Ethical and Practical Uses of Generative AI in Legal
Practice. The 2024 Bradford Award winner will be introduced and will give a
presentation of his successful – and award winning – prosecutions.

New Directors and Officers nominations will be presented for vote before the
general membership following the morning programs.

The Friday night cocktail reception and dinner will be held in the Vast
restaurant which is at the top of the 50 story Devon Tower in the heart of
downtown OKC. It has been named one of Open Table’s 100 Most Scenic
Restaurants in America. The fabulous view, the outstanding menu and the planned dinner speaker will be a wonderful way to conclude and celebrate this year’s conference.

See you in Oklahoma City!

FLAG PRESENTATION TO TARVER FAMILY

In keeping with NAFUSA tradition, a flag was flown over the Department of Justice in honor of Ed Tarver who passed away on February 9, 2024, (see February 26, 2024 NAFUSA article). The flag was presented to Dr. Carol Thompson Tarver, Ed’s widow, and children Elizabeth and Eddie by NAFUSA member and longtime friend, Michael Moore. The presentation took place on June 24 at the United States Attorneys Office in Augusta, Georgia, where Ed served as United States Attorney from 2009 to 2017. Pictured are (l-r) Michael Moore, John Horn, Ed Enoch (Ed’s law partner), Dr. Tarver, Elizabeth Tarver, Eddie Tarver and Senior US District Judge Dudley Bowen, Jr.