Status Report on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: What Else Needs to Be Done to Get Us There?

Upneet S. Teji is a co-leader of the Financial Services Industry Group at Greensfelder and is an officer in the firm’s Business Services practice group. His practice focuses on commercial lending and real estate, and his clients include lenders and borrowers in financing transactions involving single-bank and syndicated loans secured by a variety of asset types.

In addition to his lending practice, Upneet represents businesses in a broad range of commercial real estate and general corporate matters. Clients engage Upneet to advise and counsel on the acquisition, disposition and leasing of commercial real estate, day-to-day corporate counseling, and M&A transactions. His practice encompasses multiple industry verticals, including technology, energy, health care and finance. Upneet is also a member of the firm’s opinions committee.

Beyond his practice and role at the firm, Upneet frequently speaks at continuing legal education programs on a variety of topics and serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education.

Kruti Trivedi is an Exectuvie Director & Assistant General Counsel at JPMorgan Chase & Co. Kruti received his JD from Harvard Law School.

Shauna Fulbright-Paxton is the Senior Counsel at Abbott.

Looking back on her career, it was her time at Mayer Brown that laid the groundwork for alumna Shauna Fulbright-Paxton’s interest in labor and employment law.

“I was doing a lot of investigations work. This naturally seemed to lead to an interest in labor and employment, because much of the work focused on people’s jobs and their roles and responsibilities,” she explains. “I have always enjoyed the problem-solving aspect of being a lawyer and as an in-house labor and employment lawyer, I get vast exposure to different parts of the business.”

After joining Abbott in 2018, Shauna was promoted to senior counsel at the end of 2020. “It’s been a natural transition with regards to the work I’m doing, but I am now looking to expand the ways in which I can help the organization further,” she explains. “The longer I’m here, the more I learn about the business and the more I develop in my role.”

Abbott, a global health care company, has been working relentlessly to develop important tests to help battle COVID-19, and Shauna has aided these efforts by supporting the company from a legal perspective. “It’s been great working for a company that I know is doing all it possibly can to help others throughout this pandemic,” she says.

Tamela Merriweather is Senior Vice President, Assistant General Counsel at The Northern Trust Company. She is a respected legal advisor in the industry and serves in a leadership role for the Risk Management Association’s Securities Lending Council. Prior to joining Northern Trust, Tamela was an associate at Mayer Brown LLP and clerked for the Minnesota Supreme Court.

Tamela is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Women Lawyers (NAWL) and previously served as co-chair of its Diversity Committee. Tamela’s recent recognitions include participating in McKinsey & Company’s Black Executive Leadership Program (2021), receiving NAWL’s Virginia S. Mueller Outstanding Member Award (2019), and completing the Leading Women Executives program (2018-19).

Tamela graduated with honors from Spelman College and the University of Minnesota Law School. She is a native of San Diego and has lived in Chicago for most of her career.