The GC's Role in Workforce Equality

Simone Wu serves as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary & External Affairs for Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH), one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the world. In this role, Wu serves as the primary legal advisor to the company’s senior management team and Board of Directors. In addition to leading the company’s legal function as general counsel, she also oversees government affairs, risk management, external communications, and public relations.

Wu joined Choice Hotels in 2012 and has over 30 years of legal and regulatory experience and expertise, particularly in corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, employment law, and intellectual property issues. Earlier in her career, Wu served as executive vice president, general counsel, and secretary for XO Communications. She has also held leadership roles at MCI and AOL, and practiced corporate transactional and communications law at Skadden, Arps, Slate and Meagher & Flom.

Throughout her career, Wu has been an outspoken proponent of women and diversity in the workplace, advocating for these themes at numerous industry and legal conferences. She received the 2021 Diamond Award of Excellence from the Corporate Counsel Women of Color in recognition of her career achievements and commitment to the leadership and professional development of women.

Wu earned a degree in political science from the University of Michigan and a law degree from Columbia University, and currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Alarm.com (NASDAQ: ALRM) and the American Hotel & Lodging Association. She previously served on the Boards of the International Franchise Association, the Minority Corporate Counsel Association, and American Corporate Counsel Association--National Capital Region, and as co-chair of the In-House Counsel Network of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

Karyn A. Temple is Senior Executive Vice President and Global General Counsel for the Motion Picture Association. One of the world’s leading authorities on copyright, Ms. Temple oversees all of the Association’s legal affairs and content protection efforts around the world.

Prior to joining the Motion Picture Association, Ms. Temple served more than eight years in the U.S. Copyright Office, most recently as the Register of Copyrights, where she led the 400-person agency and its eight divisions.

Prior to leading the U.S. Copyright Office, Ms. Temple headed its Office of Policy and International Affairs, as well as served in policy and litigation roles at the U.S. Department of Justice; she most recently served in the Obama Administration as Senior Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States.

Ms. Temple received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law and her B.A. in English from the University of Michigan.

Drawing on more than 25 years of experience providing dedicated client service as an attorney and consultant, Maureen engages with Consilio's customers to ensure a best-in-class client experience. She works cross-functionally across the company to develop and deploy best practices that embed Consilio's commitment to service excellence, and to deliver the highest levels of quality and value. She seeks opportunities to create differentiating moments for clients—from bespoke educational sessions to loyalty programs to peer networking events—to foster client satisfaction and loyalty.

Maureen also serves as Consilio's Diversity & Inclusion Officer. She leads the development and implementation of the company's strategies, policies, and programs for ensuring a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. Partnering with Consilio's internal and client Advisory Boards on Diversity & Inclusion, Maureen guides the organization in carrying out its mission of attracting and encouraging a diversity of backgrounds, experiences, and ideas; fostering a global, inclusive culture; and celebrating employees’ diverse strengths.

Maureen is a respected industry thought leader, speaking and writing frequently on significant issues that impact Consilio’s clients, such as current challenges for legal professionals around data privacy and security; strategies and tactics for engaging in cross-border discovery; the latest developments in e-discovery law and practice; and diversity, equity, and inclusion in the legal profession.

Prior to joining Consilio, Maureen was a partner at Paul Hastings LLP, where she represented Fortune 100 and other multinational companies in complex employment litigation, including class and collective actions. Maureen also co-chaired the Firm’s eDiscovery Practice Group. In that role, she advised clients on various e-discovery issues, such as identifying and inventorying sources of electronic information, drafting legal hold notices, and developing protocols for document collection, storage, and management. She also consulted internally with attorneys at the Firm on e-discovery issues, and helped develop best practices for litigators engaged in eDiscovery.