March 11th NExT Speakers: A Fireside Chat With
Dr. Latanya Sweeney
Join NExT – Network for Excellence in TechLaw for two dynamic evenings at Legalweek where industry leaders, academics, and innovators come together to explore how AI and legal technology are transforming law, public policy, and corporate strategy.
Dr. Latanya Sweeney
Professor of the Practice of Government and Technology at Harvard University
Professor of the Practice of Government and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy School and in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Editor-in-Chief of Technology Science, and the founding Director of the Public Interest Tech Lab, Data Privacy Lab, and the Tech Science Program at Harvard. Sweeney creates and uses technology to assess and solve societal, political, and governance problems, and teaches others how to do the same. She pioneered the field known as data privacy and her work is cited in the HIPAA Privacy Rule and other federal privacy regulations worldwide. Her work on discrimination in online ads ignited the new research area known as algorithmic fairness. She is an elected fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics, with more than 100 academic publications, 3 patents, 7000 academic citations, and 3 company spin-offs. She has received numerous professional, academic, and lifetime achievement awards and testified before federal and international government bodies. Among other federal appointments, Sweeney formerly served as the Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
In 2018, Harvard launched its new Program in Technology Science, which prepares students for jobs as technologists that work in the public interest. The program is based on Sweeney's prior success at teaching students to scientifically assess unforeseen consequences in technology and to work in civil society organizations, government, and technology companies. Sweeney joined with 50 scholars worldwide to launch the Technology Science Initiative to promote the approach broadly.
Sweeney earned her Ph.D. in computer science from MIT in 2001, being the first black woman to do so. Before joining Harvard as a faculty member, Sweeney was the Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Policy at Carnegie Mellon University, where she taught computer science, technology, and policy from 1998 to 2011. She and her spouse currently serve as the X.D. and Nancy Yang Faculty Deans of Currier House at Harvard College. Professor Sweeney also serves as a member of the inaugural global Technology Policy Council of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world's largest association of computer scientists and professionals.
Professor Sweeney was also formerly a Distinguished Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where she built foundational work in data privacy and computer science education. Her academic career spans decades of pioneering research at the intersection of technology, privacy, and social justice. Her research has resulted in over 100 academic publications with more than 7,000 citations, 3 patents, and 3 company spin-offs. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards including the Louis D. Brandeis Privacy Award, the American Psychiatric Association Privacy Advocacy Award, and she is a Fellow of the American College of Medical Informatics.
In 2016, Professor Sweeney and her family moved to Currier House at Harvard College as Faculty Deans. Being a Faculty Dean has been one of the most rewarding experiences of her life, providing a unique teaching-learning environment where she can mentor and live alongside Harvard College undergraduates. She is passionate about helping students harness their energy for innovative solutions to pressing societal problems. Beyond her academic pursuits, Professor Sweeney enjoys motorcycles and creative writing, bringing a well-rounded perspective to her work in technology and governance.
Roy Austin, Jr.
Director of the Artificial Intelligence Initiative at Howard University School of Law
Roy L. Austin, Jr. is the Inaugural Director of the Howard Law Artificial Intelligence Initiative. He was previously Vice President of Civil Rights and Deputy General Counsel at Meta. Before joining Meta, Austin was a partner with Harris, Wiltshire & Grannis LLP and McDermott Will & Emery, where he primarily practiced criminal defense, civil, and civil rights litigation. He also has experience as an Honors Trial Attorney with the Criminal Section of the US Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, where he investigated and prosecuted hate crime and police brutality cases; Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division, where he supervised the Criminal Section and the Special Litigation Section’s law enforcement portfolio; an Assistant United States Attorney in DC; and the White House Domestic Policy Council’s Deputy Assistant to the President for the Office of Urban Affairs, Justice and Opportunity, where he coauthored a report on Big Data and Civil Rights, worked with the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, helped develop the Police Data Initiative, worked on the expansion of reentry assistance, and was a member of President Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper Task Force. Austin is a graduate of Yale University and the University of Chicago Law School.
Danielle V. Brooks
Sr. Director of Corporate Verticals, Consilio
Danielle V. Brooks is a Senior Director at Consilio, one of the world’s leading providers of legal consulting and eDiscovery services. A respected leader overseeing Consilio’s Corporate Verticals, she supports a portfolio representing approximately $500M in annual revenue and guides strategic initiatives across key industries including Financial Services, Consumer Brands, Insurance, Pharmaceutical, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Technology, and Transportation & Mobility.
With more than two decades of experience at the intersection of legal, technology, and business operations, Danielle is known for her ability to translate complex challenges into clear, actionable strategies. She works closely with senior executives, in‑house counsel, and outside firms to deliver client‑centered programs, strengthen operational excellence, and foster innovation. Danielle is also part of Consilio’s top‑performing revenue organization, contributing to a team recognized for industry‑leading results.
Danielle also serves as Chief of Staff for Consilio’s Financial Services Vertical (FSV), one of the company’s largest and most strategically important client groups. In this role, she coordinates relationship management and matter oversight across top‑tier banks and law firms, supports initiatives with global partners including Microsoft, and plays a key role in multiple cross‑functional strategic programs.
Danielle’s background also includes leading Consilio’s Global Learning organization, where she guided performance management, professional development, competency design, and onboarding for a global workforce of more than 4,000 employees. She built Consilio’s Learning department, implemented enterprise learning and performance technology platforms, and co-founded the company’s Summer Internship Program. A long‑standing champion of equity and inclusion, she is the founding Co‑Chair of the Black Responsiveness Affinity Group (B.R.A.G) and has served on Consilio’s Diversity & Inclusion, Client Experience, and Affinity steering committees.
A paralegal by trade, she spent the early part of her career managing large‑scale litigations, regulatory investigations, and global document review programs—building deep subject‑matter expertise in eDiscovery, EDRM workflows, intellectual property, broker‑dealer matters, and employment litigation.
Danielle is married to her childhood sweetheart, and resides in the Atlanta, GA area.
March 12th NExT Speakers: A Fireside Chat, CLE, and Networking Event
Join NExT – An interactive CLE discussion on navigating AI regulation during uncertain times, these events are designed to spark insight, connection, and action.
Conway Ekpo
Director, Associate General Counsel, Brex
JConway Ekpo has nearly 20 years of industry experience, including as a litigator at large law firms in New York City, as in-house counsel on Wall Street advising two of America’s largest financial institutions – Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley – and as in-house counsel to Silicon Valley startups including financial technology (“fintech”) company Brex and AI-powered data broker Apollo.io.
In his current position at Apollo.io, Conway manages an international team of AI tech product lawyers, privacy lawyers and privacy compliance professionals. His teams are responsible for advising the business on AI development and governance issues and for creating and maintaining a global GDPR-compliant data privacy program. In addition, Conway manages cross-functional project teams that span across design, engineering, go-to-market, marketing, operations, partnerships, product, sales and security.
At Brex, Conway served as Chief Privacy Officer and as Director, Associate General Counsel of Global Product, Partnerships and IP. Prior to his time at Brex, Conway was an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley where he advised the bank on the financial regulations impacting its global wealth management business and digital products and services in over 80 countries. Similarly, at Merrill Lynch he advised the global wealth management business.
Prior to his in-house roles, Conway practiced law as a litigator, handling complex banking, commercial, IP, securities and regulatory litigations at top law firms in New York City.
In 2024, Conway was appointed by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and unanimously affirmed by the New York State Senate to the Board of Directors for the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation where he serves as Chair of the Governance Committee. Conway regularly speaks on tech and other legal issues at industry-leading conferences, such as Money20/20, SIFMA, and the National Bar Association – Commercial Law Section. Conway earned his B.S. in architectural engineering at the University of Kansas and his J.D. at Rutgers Law School where he was Managing Editor of the Rutgers Law Review.
Amber Thomson, Esq.
Partner, Cybersecurity & Data Privacy, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Mayer Brown
Amber Thomson counsels a wide range of clients, including private equity firms, financial institutions, and retailers, on complex and cutting-edge issues related to cybersecurity and privacy. She also helps clients assess and implement compliance and remediation efforts to comply with international and domestic regulations, including US state comprehensive privacy laws, CPRA, COPPA, HIPAA, TCPA, PCI DSS, CAN SPAM, and GDPR.
Amber's cybersecurity incident experiences range from deepfakes to double- and triple-extortion ransomware attacks. Carrying out these efforts, she advises clients through the incident response life cycle, including remediation, investigation, and notification. Amber also represents clients in class-action data breach litigation cases and helps clients respond to federal and state regulatory inquiries that result from these incidents.
Amber also regularly collaborates on privacy and data security due diligence and facilitates executive and board training on incident response, privacy legal compliance, and the US cybersecurity and privacy law landscape. Clients trust and rely on Amber's experience as well as her practical, business-centric approach to client management.
Amber is recognized as a Certified Al Governance Professional (AIGP) by the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
Reginald M. Rasch
General Counsel, AMG Companies
Reginald Rasch is the General Counsel of The AMG Companies — a collective of best-in-class consumer goods companies with a diverse portfolio spanning apparel, health & wellness, and accessories. He brings extensive experience leading teams and enterprises on strategic business initiatives and legal matters, with expertise in contract negotiation, commercial matters, licensing, enterprise risk management, AI, cybersecurity, privacy, litigation, and intellectual property protection.
Prior to joining The AMG Companies, Reginald served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of Wolverine Worldwide (NYSE: WWW), a global marketer of branded footwear, apparel, and accessories. In this role, he led the legal, sustainability, and enterprise risk management functions, partnering with the executive management team and board of directors to navigate complex commercial transactions, securities disclosures, and emerging regulatory challenges in privacy, cybersecurity, and AI policy.
Before joining Wolverine, Reginald was Chief Legal Officer of Party City (NYSE: PRTY), where he oversaw the company's legal department and led its ESG and government affairs initiatives. Prior to that, he spent 20 years in various legal roles within the Americas division of the Rakuten Group (OTCMKTS: RKUNY), rising to Head of Legal, Americas. At Rakuten, he partnered closely with senior executives to scale the Americas business operations, providing legal and business guidance across a broad range of technology-related initiatives. He also served on the Americas region executive diversity and inclusion committee and was the executive sponsor for the region's Black Employee Alliance.
Reginald began his career as a corporate associate at New York law firms Warshaw Burstein, LLP and Stroock & Stroock & Lavan LLP, and Connecticut law firm Cummings & Lockwood. Throughout his career, he has been deeply committed to demonstrating how in-house counsel can be a strategic asset to corporate enterprises — helping business executives navigate complex business challenges, including Generative AI, that are rapidly reshaping how companies execute strategy and drive growth.
Jason Harrell
Owner, JAH Secure Solutions LLC
Jason Harrell is the Owner of JAH Secure Solutions, LLC where he assists financial institutions with addressing their cyber, operational resilience and digital asset risks. Prior to this role, Jason was Managing Director and Head of External Engagement where he led DTCC's global advocacy and policy engagement for cybersecurity, operational resilience and new and emerging technology (e.g., AI, blockchain). Throughout his career, Jason has partnered with industry peers, financial authorities, government officials and trade associations to address policy and systemic risk challenges and implement solutions that improve the overall resilience of the financial services sector. His work strengthens the global financial sector by aligning real-world risk management implementations with public policy development, building trust across the public and private sectors, and mentoring future leaders in the field. Jason has contributed to several global trade associations’ cyber and operational resilience working groups and served as the Vice Chairman of the Cyber Risk Institute, a non-profit coalition of financial institutions and trade associations focused on aligning cyber risk frameworks to supervisory cyber obligations. A thought leader and expert on cyber security, operational resilience, and digital asset risks, Jason often speaks at conferences, authors position papers and works to advance the risk dialogue across the industry.
Prior to DTCC, Jason was the Corporate Senior Information Risk Officer for BNY Mellon Investment Management. He previously held several information technology and cybersecurity positions at BNY Mellon, ABN AMRO, Royal Bank of Scotland and the New York Board of Trade.
As an AAAS IF/THEN ambassador, Dr. Grady actively promotes STEM equity through community outreach and academic initiatives. Her achievements have been recognized nationally and internationally, with her legacy honored in the world’s largest exhibit of women’s statues and showcased in museums across the country.
Jason has over 20 years of experience in Information Technology (IT), Privacy, and Cybersecurity Risk Management within the financial services sector. He also holds several certifications in technology, information security and data privacy
