Anastasia Kelly
Director

Professional Experience

Anastasia Kelly is an authority on corporate legal matters.  Ms. Kelly, from 1981 to 1985, was a member of the law firm of Carrington Coleman Sloman & Blumenthal in Dallas TX .  Subsequent to that she was a partner at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering in Washington DC, which she joined in 1985, where she practiced in the area of financial institution regulation, corporate and securities law. 

In 1995, Ms. Kelly joined Fannie Mae in Washington, D.C., where she served as Senior VP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary until 1999.  She reported to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and was a member of the corporation's Executive Committee.

 In 1999, Ms. Kelly joined Sears, Roebuck in Chicago, Illinois where she served as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary until February, 2003.  At Sears, Ms. Kelly reported to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer as a member of the corporation's Executive Committee.

At both Fannie Mae and Sears, Ms. Kelly was responsible for developing and supervising corporate legal policy, supervising the Law Dept and outside counsel, and supervising the Office of the Corporate Secretary.  She also supervised the Public Relations, Communications and Community Relations functions while at Sears.

Ms. Kelly joined telecommunications giant MCI as Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary in 2003 where she reported to the Chief Executive Officer and was a member of MCI's Senior Staff.  Ms. Kelly also oversaw the Government Relations and State, Federal and International Regulatory groups.

In addition to being a member of Fortress Global's Board of Directors, Kelly is a member of the Board of Directors of Owens-Illinois, one of the world's leading producers of glass and plastics packaging products, which is headquartered in Toledo, OH.

Ms. Kelly has also been involved with a significant amount of non-profit and committee work throughout her career. She is Vice-Chair and director of the Corporate Counsel Association ("ACC") and is Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of Equal Justice Works in Washington DC, which funds public interest fellowships for new lawyers, and for Lawyers for Children America, which provides legal services for children in several cities.  She is a member of the Corporate Advisory Board of the Appleseed Foundation, which funds lawyers in various states who provide pro bono legal services.

Education and Studies

• George Washington University National Law Center, Washington DC, Juris Doctor, Magna Cum Laude, 1981
• Trinity College, Washington DC, Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, 1971

Bar and Court Admissions

• Member of the Washington D.C. Bar
• Member of the Texas Bar
• Fellow of the American Bar Foundation

Awards

• 2001-Ms. Kelly was recognized by the Women's Bar Association of Chicago for her outstanding achievement as a lawyer with the Myra Blackwell Award.
• 2002- One of five "Aiming High" Awards given by the National Organization for Women Legal Defense and Education Fund, in recognition of her leadership accomplishments in the business and nonprofit communities.