Sheila L. Birnbaum ’65 serves as Special Counsel at Dechert LLP. She was previously a mediator, arbitrator, and independent panelist at Phillips ADR. She was also co-chair of Dechert’s product liability and mass torts practice, focusing on on complex product liability, mass torts and insurance litigation. As one of the country’s preeminent product liability defense lawyers, she has served as national counsel or lead defense counsel for numerous Fortune 500 companies in some of the largest and most complex tort cases in the United States. Prior to joining Dechert, Birnbaum was co-chair of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan’s global product liability and mass torts practice and chair of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom’s product liability group. A trailblazer for women in the legal profession, Birnbaum is also a former NYU Law professor and associate dean of the graduate division and was the first tenured woman professor of law at Fordham University Law School. She was honored in 2008 with NYU School of Law’s Vanderbilt Medal, the highest honor bestowed on an alumna or alumnus. In 2011, Birnbaum was also appointed special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. In 2017, she was honored with the Judge Edward Weinfeld Award, which recognizes distinguished alumni who graduated from the Law School 50 or more years ago. Birnbaum is also the 2018 recipient of the Law Women Alumna of the Year Award, which is awarded annually to outstanding alumnae who are groundbreakers in the field of law.
Sara Moss ’74 is the visionary supporter and namesake of the Sara Moss Women’s Leadership Training Program. She is a Fortune 500 business executive, trailblazing female litigator, and change agent who is passionate about developing women’s leadership skills. As Vice Chair of The Estée Lauder Companies, Sara provided guidance to the company’s Executive Management, Board of Directors, and the Lauder family on a range of critical issues. Before becoming Vice Chair, Sara was Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Estée Lauder, where she was responsible for the company’s global legal function. Sara has been a steadfast voice for women’s advancement throughout her career. In 2019, she partnered closely with Estée Lauder senior leaders to drive the company’s first Women’s Advancement and Gender Equality Strategy. The following year, she deepened her commitment to championing professional women by creating the Open Doors Women’s Leadership Program, which continues to be a success. Open Doors delivers life-changing lessons in effective leadership. Combining experiential learning and coaching, this intensive program helps participants develop and hone essential leadership skills to carry with them for life. The framework for this innovative women’s development program took shape in 2017 when Sara collaborated with NYU Law to create the Sara Moss Women’s Leadership Training Program. Every year since, the five-day course has supported selected first-year law students in developing critical skills, creating community, and building confidence and courage. Prior to entering the corporate sphere, Sara held several milestone legal leadership roles. Beginning as a law clerk to a US District Judge in the Southern District of New York, she then became one of a small group of the country’s first women federal prosecutors as an Assistant US Attorney in the Southern District of New York. She was later a litigator at the Wall Street firm Davis Polk & Wardwell and a litigation partner at Howard, Darby & Levin (now Covington & Burling). Sara currently serves as a Trustee of NYU School of Law and a Board Member of the Estée Lauder Companies Charitable Foundation and New York Common Pantry. She also sits on the Advisory Board of the International Rescue Committee and the Legal Aid Society. She has been recognized with many awards and honors, including the New York Law Journal Lifetime Achievement Award, the NYU Outstanding Alumni Award, and the NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund “Aiming High” Award.
Jeannie Forrest is a business coach who works with executive- and senior-level administrators. She previously served as vice dean for development and leadership initiatives at NYU Law, where she held several positions since she started as the coordinator for the Institute of Judicial Administration in 1994. In 2010, she became vice dean, where her primary focus was on developing synergies and collaborative communication among school-wide departments, with the aim of transforming the student, graduate, and administrative experience. She is a frequent consultant on issues of organizational effectiveness, communication, and emotional intelligence for institutions and corporate entities in a number of fields, including medicine, law, and finance. Forrest completed her undergraduate degree in communication theory at the University of Utah and received her PhD in counseling psychology at NYU Steinhardt. She is a member of the International Coaching Federation.