Reta J. Lewis, Esq.

Principal, Vanderbilt Consulting, LLC

Reta J. Lewis has more than 20 years of experience in public policy, government affairs, politics and law. Lewis is a Principal in the public affairs and marketing firm, Vanderbilt Consulting, LLC. Ms. Lewis recently served as Vice President and Counselor to the President at the United States Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business federation.

In her capacity as Vice President and Counselor, Ms. Lewis served as one of the Chamber's senior experts on issues affecting small business. Ms. Lewis was also charged with leading the Chamber's strategic initiative designed to build diverse alliances and partnerships across the United States and served for four years on the National Chamber Foundation Board. Throughout her tenure in government and the private sector, Ms. Lewis created bipartisan coalitions to build grassroots political support on emerging issues affecting the growth of America's businesses.

Ms. Lewis' Chamber initiative, Access America, focused on the nation's fastest growing business sectors: women-owned and minority-owned businesses. During her tenure, she created a national network of organizations and partnerships that engaged in business policy issues including healthcare, international trade, regulatory reform, education, transportation, technology and corporate social responsibility.

Lewis was a partner in the international law firm, Greenberg Traurig and a member of the firm's government and public finance groups. Her practice focused on representing corporate and public sector interests before Congress, the White House, regulatory agencies and state and local governments.

Before joining Greenberg Traurig, Ms. Lewis was Of Counsel with the Washington office of Arter and Hadden and advised the firm's clients on political, legislative and regulatory issues. Lewis specializes in working with governors, mayors, county executives, their senior staff, as well as with state and local legislators across the country.

Ms. Lewis served as Special Assistant to U.S. President William Jefferson Clinton in the Office of Political Affairs. Lewis was the Political Director for the Northeast

and Southern Regions and served as one of President Clinton key liaison to state and local elected officials, constituency groups and opinion leaders.

During her tenure in the White House, Ms. Lewis was the President's domestic political advisor to the 1994 Western Hemisphere Summit of the Americas. She was the principal staff coordinator for the White House Task Force for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic and Paralympics Games and the World Cup Soccer series. Her work resulted in more than $100 million in federal grants.

In addition, Ms. Lewis served as the Chief of Staff for the District of Columbia Public Works Department, the second largest department in the D.C. government. Public Works with over 3,000 employees and a $650 million annual budget included the Department of Transportation and the Water and Sewer Authority. As Chief of Staff, she managed over 22 employees, and served as the Director's liaison to the Office of Budget and Finance in the department.

After graduating from law school, Ms. Lewis was an associate at the law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand. She has worked in the U.S. House of Representatives, is a veteran of state, congressional, and five presidential campaigns.

She served as the National Tour Director of the first Nelson Mandela (8 city) U.S.A. Tour, a $7 million fundraising campaign. Ms. Lewis managed over 150 tour staff and a budget of over $1 million.

Ms. Lewis recently served for 4 years as the National Legal Counsel/Advisor for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a private, non-profit organization which has a national membership of over 200,000 women, 900-plus chapters, 30 full time staff and a budget of over $30 million located in the United States, Japan, Germany, Korea and the Caribbean. Ms. Lewis was responsible for ensuring the Sorority's compliance with all laws and regulations and represented the corporation in all legal disputes, corporate matters and the building and renovations of its national headquarters.

Currently, she serves on the Board of Directors for the Emory University School of Law and is a member of the International Women's Forum. Additionally, she serves as a Senior Adviser to the Democratic Leadership Council.

Lewis serves as the Chair of the American Association of Advertising Agencies, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Innovation Institute (ELII) at Howard University. Ms. Lewis is a member of the American Bar and the National Bar Associations and the National Association of Securities Professionals.

Ms. Lewis holds a J.D. from Emory University, a M.S.A.J. from the American University, and B.A. in Political Science from the University of Georgia. She is admitted to practice law in the District of Columbia and Georgia and before the Court of Appeals of the District of Columbia and the United States Supreme Court Bar.