Association of Corporate Counsel – St. Louis Chapter Honors Members for Individual Contributions at 2020 Annual Meeting

(L) Vikas Sunkari, Senior Attorney, Transactions, SSM Healthcare; (R) 2019 ACC STL President, Chrissy Teske, Senior Attorney, Commerce Bancshares, Inc.

February 6, 2020 (St. Louis) – The Association of Corporate Counsel – St. Louis Chapter (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, held its 2020 Annual Meeting recognizing members for their individual contributions.

The 2020 ACC STL award recipients include:

  • Member of the Year: Vikas Sunkari, Senior Attorney, Transactions, SSM Healthcare. Sunkari volunteered to lead the 2019 ACC STL Summer Diversity Internship Program, which paired six, first-year law students with host corporations in the St. Louis region. He managed the entire process that included the interview and selection process, recruited mentors to pair with the interns, and developed educational and training programs to supplement the students’ internship experience. Through participation in the program, several 2019 Summer Interns obtained employment for the summer of 2020.
  • 2019 Pro-Bono Committee, (L) Co-Chair Patricia Duft, Vice President, Legal, Medtronic; (C ) Chrissy Teske; (R ) Paula Finlay, Assistant Vice President, Senior legal Counsel, Labor & Employment, AT&T.

    Committee of the Year: 2019 Pro-Bono Committee led by Co-Chairpersons Patricia Duft, Vice President, Legal, Medtronic; and Paula Finlay, Assistant Vice President, Senior legal Counsel, Labor & Employment, AT&T. Under the leadership of Duft and Finlay, the committee engaged members to volunteer in a variety of projects and pro bono opportunities including: National Health Care Decisions Clinic, Veterans Wills Clinics; Partnered with Loaves & Fishes; Legal Services of Eastern Missouri micro-Enterprise Entrepreneur Seminars and Clinics; and Backpacks for St. Louis City Schools

  • William E. Jaudes Service Award: Renee Schenk, Senior Assistant General Counsel, Bayer, received the award. The William E. Jaudes Service award was named after Bill Jaudes, one of the original founders of the ACC STL. This honor, which is not awarded annually is given to members who exemplify dedication, leadership and service. Schenk served ACC STL leadership roles including president and membership chairperson where the Chapter was recognized by the national Association of Corporate Counsel as Outstanding Chapter of the Year and achieved a milestone of surpassing 500 members for the first time in the Chapter’s history.

(L) Chrissy Teske; (R) Renee Schenk, Senior Assistant General Counsel, Bayer.


Brian Parsons, 2020 ACC STL President, and Senior Counsel, Macy’s Inc., said, “Each member recognized has contributed significantly to the growth of the St. Louis chapter. Their leadership and dedication have helped make the St. Louis chapter one of the strongest in the country, and one that continues to evolve to serve our members.”

In 2019, ACC STL received the Gold Chapter of Distinction by the national Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). The award recognizes the Chapter’s accomplishments in areas including programming, membership recruitment, and governance / operations.  In 2018, ACC STL received the Gold Level Award, and the Innovation Award for Best Membership / Recruitment.

Contact:

Ann Marie Mayuga, AMM Communications

314.485.9499

annmarie@ammcommunications.com

 

About the ACC STL:

The Association for Corporate Counsel of St. Louis (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, was founded in 1987. The St. Louis chapter has more than 550 members who represent more than 100 organizations. During its 30-year-history, the ACC STL has been recognized as one of the leading chapters in the country by the national Association of Corporate Counsel with having received the 2017 and 2019 Gold Level Award and selected for the 2018 Best Membership / Recruitment Award. To learn more, please visit,https://www.acc.com/chapters/stlouis/.