Leadership

The work of the Coalition brings together managing partners, general counsel and lawyers and other legal professionals employed by our members in various positions and at all levels, ranging from brand new hires to senior practitioners.

The Coalition is led by a 11-person board of directors and an executive director. In 2023, the PLDIC established a Young Professionals Advisory Board (YPAB). In addition to ad hoc committees put together around particular and time-limited goals, it has three standing committees reflecting the three key imperatives of the Coalition’s work: Recruitment, Retention, and Community Building.

The Board

Chair

Aarthi Murty
Vice President, Associate General Counsel
Giant Eagle

Vice Chair

Tony J. Thompson
Counsel
Dollar Bank

Treasurer

Jim English
Staff Director – Legal
FedEx Ground

Secretary

Dawn Beighey
Senior Assistant General Counsel – Litigation
U.S. Steel

April M. Barton
Dean and Professor of Law
Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University

 

Donald C. Bluedorn II
Managing Shareholder
Babst Calland

Andrea-Clark Smith
Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer
UPMC

 

Eric Cottle
Partner
K&L Gates

Jerry Dickinson
Dean and Professor of Law
University of Pittsburgh School of Law

Krista Staley
Deputy General Counsel
PJ Dick – Trumbull – Lindy

Stuart H. Sostmann
Office Managing Attorney/Shareholder
Marshall Dennehey

The Executive Director

Ena Lebel (She/Her/Hers), a corporate attorney for over a decade (most recently for Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky), also serves as the President and Board Chair of Healthy Start, Inc. and on the boards of Women’s Law Project and FISA Foundation. She has extensive volunteer experience with efforts around diversity and inclusion, and holds a passionate belief that we can inspire, empower, and connect people to change the world.

Communications Director

Megan Edwards (She/Her/Hers) is a communications strategist passionate about inspiring positive change. She extensive experience managing communications and public relations efforts for nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and health care.