Smart Business Magazine, April 2019

36 Smart Business Cleveland April 2019 2019 PROGRESSIVE WOMAN HONOREES J oining law firm Reminger Co LPA as an associate in 2000 current shareholder Jeanne Mullin quickly found her passion in focusing on the defense of medical and professional negligence cases Today she specializes in the development and execution of effective defense strategies that help her clients combat exposure to catastrophic injuries and instances of death Her cases involve high stakes and Mullin serves her clients with unmatched dedication and compassion that have earned her the role of co chair of Remingers Medical Malpractice Defense Group She has also strived to help develop a culture that promotes inclusiveness and mentorship earning her a spot on Remingers executive team and board of directors Chief among Mullins achievements was helping to develop Remingers Womens Leadership Council which oversees the mentoring networking training and development of women attorneys Serving as a member of several bar associations as well as a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America Mullins has been recognized among the Best Lawyers in America since 2012 for Medical Malpractice Law Defendants among other accolades She has handled complex cases in other states on a pro hac vice basis presenting matters on appeal at both the state and federal levels including presenting a case to the Ohio Supreme Court that resulted in precedent law relating to medical credentialing And she is a passionate advocate for Down syndrome support volunteering on the board of GiGis Playhouse Cleveland JEANNE MULLIN SHAREHOLDER CO CHAIR MEDICAL MALPRACTICE DEFENSE GROUP REMINGER CO LPA F rom a young age Ohio native Laura Kepley had a passion for theater She fed this passion by acting throughout high school college and after graduation consistently in productions directed by men As such she says she never dreamed she could one day become the artistic director for one of the largest theater districts in the country That changed when Kepley met her first female artistic director prompting her to take a leap of faith and apply for the master of fine arts degree in directing program at Brown University Trinity Repertory Co The only woman in that program for two of the three years she worked her way up through a number of traditionally male dominated roles finally leading her to her role at Cleveland Play House CPH Starting out as associate artistic director for CPH Kepley assumed the role of artistic director in 2013 Now overseeing a 9 million operating budget shes proving much of the discouraging career advice she received over the years wrong and inspiring an industry still struggling with low numbers of minority leadership to see women as capable and influential leaders Through CPH Kepley focuses on providing unique development opportunities to aspiring women and African American professionals in the field promoting diversity within its apprenticeship program creating a new Managing Director Fellowship for African Americans and establishing policies that drive gender parity both onstage and off Kepleys efforts have not only earned recognition for CPH and shes been named a Crains Cleveland Woman of Note LAURA KEPLEY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE C leveland native Lorna Wisham got her start at The University of Akron where she earned a bachelor of arts degree in business and organizational communication Her hard work and dedication would see her take her passions to the federal stage Wisham took on a masters degree in public communication from American University Washington D C followed by Leadership Cleveland and the German Marshall Fellow program abroad She then worked her way up through a number of roles to become senior adviser to federal affairs for the Illuminating Co where she lobbied Congress on a broad spectrum of issues ranging from utility operations and cyber security to regulatory and environmental issues Today she leverages this experience at FirstEnergy where she serves as vice president Corporate Affairs Community Involvement as well as president of FirstEnergy Foundation She has advocated FirstEnergys policy position with the administration and various federal agencies while making time to give back to the Cleveland community as a director on the University Hospital Case Medical Center and Cuyahoga Community College Foundation Board Wishams progressive tenure as a change agent on both a local and national scale has earned her honors from the Women of Color Foundation the Diversity Center of Northeast Ohio and Kaleidoscope Magazine among others LORNA WISHAM VICE PRESIDENT CORPORATE AFFAIRS COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PRESIDENT FIRSTENERGY FOUNDATION FIRSTENERGY A s senior vice president and senior program officer of KeyBank Foundation a nonprofit charitable foundation funded by Key Corp the impact of Lorraine Vegas responsibilities can be felt throughout the organization the Cleveland region and even across the nation Locally she drives impactful initiatives to create safe affordable inclusive communities within the Cleveland region managing an active 15 million grant portfolio focused specifically on corporate grants related to education civic and health and human services programs She also oversees an additional 4 million in grantmaking for KeyBank Foundation in Keys Pacific Northwest and Rocky Mountain regions Across programming and regions Vega emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion throughout KeyBanks entities providing leadership and guidance for Keys senior leader board placement employee giving programs governance activities and community relationships profile in Hispanic communities across the franchise Vegas efforts to empower to the Hispanic community extend beyond the nonprofit as well She has held several leadership roles in Latino community circles including serving as a board trustee of the Cleveland Hispanic Roundtable and in her earlier years founding director of the League of United Latin American Citizens Tirelessly civic minded Vega is a trustee of the boards of Lutheran Hospital National Urban Fellows Business Volunteers Unlimited Center for Nonprofit Excellence and Sullivan Scholarship Fund of the Cleveland Foundation She actively encourages others to contribute and participate in partnerships with civic organizations LORRAINE VEGA SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT AND SENIOR PROGRAM OFFICER KEYBANK FOUNDATION