What was your route to the top? I joined the Cleveland office of Squire Patton Boggs right after law school. I chose this firm because of its global outlook and growth strategy, which matched my view of the world after serving as a diplomat for the US government. I was fortunate to choose a firm that encouraged me to advance and develop at an accelerated pace. After becoming a partner in our Corporate Practice, I expanded my cross-border M&A activities by focusing on Latin America, an area of strength for my language and personal background, as well as a growth area for my clients. I was appointed to various firm-wide task forces and committees and was then offered the opportunity to serve as the managing partner of our Cleveland office, the third largest office within the firm.

What keeps you up at night? (i.e. What are your biggest business-related concerns?) My biggest business-related concerns are my clients' biggest business-related concerns. As legal advisors, we must be able to anticipate not only our clients' next request, but also how our firm and its vast expertise can assist our clients in predicting and being prepared for the next issue around the corner.

What is the best leadership advice you provided, or received, and why do you think it was effective? “Change is better than irrelevance.” The legal profession is not known for embracing change. And yet that is often what we are called on to do as effective leaders—to move the organization and profession toward the future. The quote is brilliant in its simplicity—we can make the hard decision to change, push beyond our comfort zones and into the future, or we can become irrelevant. Stated in that manner, change takes on a different and less worrisome perspective for the team that you are leading.

Looking back, what do you wish you had known when you started out in the legal profession? We work in a profession that still has a long way to go on the diversity front. I became active in conferences and organizations aimed at addressing this issue early in my career, and I would suggest that these efforts rewarded me professionally and sustained me personally at times when the odds seemed quite daunting. Today, I am proud to be involved with DirectWomen, a national non-profit organization whose mission is to increase the representation of women on corporate boards, and to get to know women from across the US working together to advance diversity in our profession and beyond.

What is the most valuable career advice anyone has ever given you? There are few decisions that are significant enough to make or break your career. A career spans years; there are high points and low points. Enjoy the high points; manage and learn from the low points.