Appointments: June 2015

Jonathan Graham

1) Jonathan Graham has been appointed senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at Amgen, a human therapeutics developer and manufacturer, effective July 13. He will succeed David Scott, who is retiring at the end of August. 

Graham previously served as senior vice president and general counsel at Danaher Corp, where he was responsible for all legal, governance, regulatory, risk, and compliance matters. Before that, he vice president, litigation and legal policy, at General Electric and a partner at Williams & Connolly. He also served as a law clerk to Judge Joseph Sneed in the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Graham received his bachelor's degree from Pitzer College and his JD from the University of Texas School of Law, where he was editor-in-chief of the Texas Law Review. 

Ronald Robins

2) Big Lots has named Ronald ‘Rocky’ Robins, Jr as general counsel and corporate secretary. He will also be a member of the executive leadership team and will report directly to CEO and president David Campisi.

Prior to Big Lots, Robins was a partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease. He has also served as GC, chief compliance officer, and secretary of Abercrombie & Fitch. He completed his undergraduate studies at Duke University, and is a graduate of Harvard Law School.

Geoffrey Cruikshanks

3) Geoffrey Cruikshanks, former general counsel and chief compliance officer at Deutsche Post AG, has joined global investigations firm Nardello & Company as chairman.

Cruikshanks is a 32-year veteran of Deutsche Post, where he built and led the company’s world-class compliance organization. Based in Brussels and London, he will work to develop and implement Nardello & Company’s international growth strategy.

He began his career at Deutsche Post AG in 1982 as the company’s first international legal counsel and was instrumental in establishing its early legal and tax structure. He played a pivotal role as the company financed and built its early infrastructure of subsidiaries, agents, hubs, gateways and aircraft throughout the world. In 2003, Cruikshanks was appointed executive vice president, legal services logistics, insurance and risk management for the Deutsche Post Group and in 2011 became GC and chief compliance officer.

He is a graduate of Cambridge University and is a qualified UK lawyer. His professional career began at the London law firm Rowe & Maw.

Eric Loumeau

4)  Otonomy, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has named Eric Loumeau as general counsel and chief compliance officer. He will oversee the company’s compliance efforts as it prepares for the commercial launch of AuriPro, a new treatment for inner ear disorders, in early 2016.

Before Otonomy, Loumeau was vice president of legal affairs at The Medicines Company, joining it after its acquisition of Rempex Pharmaceuticals. At Rempex, he had served as vice president, chief financial officer and chief compliance officer, and was involved in completing several asset acquisitions and financings. Previously, Loumeau served as general counsel and chief compliance officer for Hollis-Eden Pharmaceuticals. His experience as outside corporate counsel at national law firms includes roles as a partner at Bass, Berry & Sims and Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo, and as an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.

He earned a JD from Boalt Hall School of Law at the University of California, Berkeley, and has a bachelor's in finance from Brigham Young University.

Ava Harter

5) Ava Harter has been appointed senior vice president, general counsel and secretary at Owens Corning, a developer and manufacturer of insulation, roofing and fiberglass composites. Harter succeeds John Christy and serves as the company’s chief legal advisor.

Harter previously was general counsel, chief compliance officer and corporate secretary of Taleris America, a joint venture between GE Aviation and Accenture. She also served as general counsel of General Electric's avionics business and has held senior legal positions at The Dow Chemical Company. She served in private practice at Jones Day and Thompson Hine in Cleveland, Ohio.

Harter earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Northwestern University, a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Nebraska, and a JD from Northwestern University School of Law.

Rhonda Brauer

6) Rhonda Brauer, a senior managing director of corporate governance at Georgeson, has been appointed treasurer of the Society for Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals -- a volunteer officer position -- effective in July. She has been a member of the Society’s board of directors since 2011, serving on various board committees. 

She joined Georgeson in 2008, where she will continue to help companies to enhance communications with their shareholders and third-party opinion-makers and to analyze their governance practices. Prior to Georgeson, Brauer held various positions over 15 years in the New York Times Company’s legal department, most recently serving as secretary and corporate governance officer and as a member of the senior management team. Before that she was an associate lawyer with Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton. She is also a member of the Council of Institutional Investors, and the New York City and American Bar Associations.

Brauer has a JD, magna cum laude and Order of the Coif, from Indiana University School of Law and a BA from Cornell University.