Nadine joined the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General (OAG), formerly the Office of the Corporation Counsel in December 1992, after working a year in the private sector. She served as an Assistant Attorney General in OAG’s Housing Litigation Division and Civil Litigation Division, successfully defending the District of Columbia and individual in contract disputes and matters involving allegations of negligence, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, assault and battery, use of excessive force, medical malpractice, wrongful death and breach of contract.
In October 1998, Nadine joined Howard University General Counsel’s Office as a Senior Associate General Counsel where she provided legal representation to the University in all employment and litigation matters.
Nadine returned to OAG in December 1999 in a leadership capacity, Assistant Deputy for the General Litigation Division, served as second in command of the division, provided guidance on case strategy, evaluated and authorized settlements, supervised six attorney managers, 50 line attorneys, and 15 paraprofessionals and otherwise directed the day-to-day operation of the division.
In June 2003, after serving one year as the Interim Director of the District of Columbia Office of Human Rights where she managed the District’s local agency responsible for enforcing the District’s robust anti-discrimination statute, the Human Rights Act, Nadine returned to her Assistant Deputy post in the General Litigation Division.
In January 2007, the then Attorney General appointment Nadine as the Chief Counsel for OAG’s Personnel Labor and Employment Division (PLED) and Senior Advisor to the Attorney General and served in three roles, the head of PLED, OAG’s General Counsel on personnel matters, and Chief Negotiator, and Senior Advisor to the Attorney General. She led the division which represented District agencies in administrative personnel matters such as proposed terminations and suspensions, reductions in force, placement on enforced leave, the denial, modification or termination of public sector workers’ compensation benefits, the denial of unemployment compensation benefits, and claims of discrimination filed before the Office of Human Rights (OHR) and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She maintained a hands-on role in coordinating and advising on case strategy and settlements.She led OAG’s practice of law before various District of Columbia administrative tribunals, American Arbitration Association and Federal Mediation Conciliation Service arbitrators, and the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. She oversaw OAG’s HR/people functions between 2007 and 2018 and managed OAG’s recruiting, internal investigations, discipline and professional development.
As OAG’s General Counsel on personnel matters and Chief Negotiator, she provided legal advice and training to the Attorney General and managers on applicable laws, internal personnel matters, risk management, grievances, performance management, and unfair labor claims. She worked closely with OAG’s Human Resource Unit and Chief Operating Officer, guiding on internal policies/practices, business realignments, and legal sufficiency reviews of investigations of employee misconduct and/or policy violations. As Chief Negotiator, she represented OAG at the bargaining table for successor collective bargaining agreements.
After many years of leadership and close to 30 years of government practice, Nadine returned to the private sector in January 2024 and joined Sierra Club, an environmental non profit organization founded in 1892, as its General Counsel for Employment and Senior Director for Labor Relations, handling a variety of matters such as negotiating collective bargaining agreements, managing arbitrations, and providing comprehensive legal advice on all employment, labor relations and People matters, until July 18, 2025.
Nadine is married and has two awesome adult children.
Education
J.D., Howard University School of Law, 1991
BA, Rollins College, 1988
Representative Experience
- Served as the sole senior in-house legal advisor to the Board of Directors, executive leadership, People Department, department managers, and chapter executive committees during a five-month interim period in a 700+ people non-profit organization, maintaining organizational legal continuity and high-quality counsel across all governance levels.
- Led high-stakes labor negotiations that averted a potential strike, culminating in a multi-year collective bargaining agreement and the successful withdrawal of 10 pending unfair labor practice claims—safeguarding operational stability and labor peace.
- Served as in-house senior legal advisor to the Board of Directors, executive leadership, managers, and chapter executive committees during a five-month period in the absence of a Chief Legal Officer, ensuring continuity of legal counsel across the organization.
- Unified and streamlined labor relations by negotiating memoranda of understanding to merge three separate bargaining units into a single unit—reducing negotiation complexity and administrative cost.
- Saved the organization hundreds of thousands of dollars by negotiating favorable resolutions in high-risk employment discrimination lawsuits and grievances involving various claims of discrimination and CBA non-compliance, mitigating reputational and financial exposure.
- Implemented internal conflict prevention systems that reduced dependency on outside counsel by resolving legal issues early, strengthening in-house legal workflows, and standardizing employment action reviews.
- Contributed to reputational credibility and stakeholder confidence by reinforcing legal compliance, risk mitigation, and ethical employment practices across the organization during a time of budget deficits and organizational change.
- Spearheaded the District of Columbia’s Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Personnel Labor and Employment Division, avoiding millions of dollars in liability.
- Navigated OAG HR and OAG executives through multiple performance management issues, including challenges to performance improvement plans and terminations.
- Revived and enhanced employee recognition and incentive awards program.
- Successfully negotiated successor collective bargaining agreements with OAG’s lawyer union.
- Enhanced team professional development through trial skills, mediation, and negotiation training.
- Drafted and negotiated OAG’s mandatory COVID vaccine policy complying with applicable regulations.
- Modernized equal employment, anti-harassment, alternative work schedule, telework, and promotion policies.Led OAG through comprehensive administrative position classification study and execution of effective recommendations without union grievance.
- Led team to successful defense against numerous cases that received media attention.
- Managed cases alleging medical malpractice and supervised outside counsel. Monitored litigation involving allegations of employment discrimination and medical malpractice assigned to outside counsel.
- Reviewed substantive pleadings drafted by outside counsel to ensure legal sufficiency prior to filing. Acted as a liaison between outside counsel and University officials to ensure compliance with University policies and practices.
