The Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) has kicked off its seventh Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI), a program that brings together senior women attorneys and up-and-coming stars of the legal profession for leadership development and mentoring. The program is chaired by Nancy Cremins, Legal Counsel at Public Consulting Group, and Stesha Emmanuel, Partner at McCarter & English, LLP, along with Jayne Tyrrell as Senior Chair.

The WLI was launched in 2009 by a group of leaders in our legal community eager to give back to the next generation of promising women attorneys. WLI alumnae include Governor Maura Healey and other high-ranking government attorneys, law firm partners, and accomplished in-house attorneys.

The WLI is designed to provide participants with large-scale networking, group mentoring, and one-on-one career development opportunities.  Each event leverages the experiences of accomplished women attorneys in Massachusetts interested in cultivating the next generation of women leaders.  From no-holds-barred Q&A sessions to events introducing participants to leaders in the Massachusetts legal and business communities, the WLI provides participants with opportunities to work with senior women attorneys and one another, build their networks, and further their careers.  

The 2023 Class includes women practicing in firms, government, and in-house, touching a wide variety of sectors/industries including government lawyers, legal services, financial services, and the legislature.  With the high caliber of applicants this year, it is clear that the desire for leadership training and building connections with accomplished women lawyers is strong. 

Congratulations to the 2023 Women’s Leadership Initiative members:

Samita Ali-Khan, Foley Hoag LLP
Jessica Caamano, Goulston & Storrs PC
Andrea Carrillo-Rhoads, Greater Boston Legal Services
Meghan Cleary, U.S. Attorney’s Office
Hayley Cotter, Armstrong Teasdale LLP
Colby Dillon, Senate President Karen E. Spilka’s Office
Amanda Hainsworth, Office of the Attorney General
Amanda Hayes, Fragomen
Alison Holdway, Greenberg Traurig LLP
Stephanie Friends Holt, Victim Rights Law Center
Darshana Indira, Laredo & Smith LLP
Kieran Johal, MFS Investment Management
Kelly Kirby Ballentine, Burns & Levinson LLP
Laura Kirshenbaum, Rose Law Partners LLP
Christine Maguire, Roberts & Associates LLC
Alanna McCaffrey Barton, BOX Exchange
Alexandra Mitropoulos, Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP
Kathleen O’Toole, Conn Kavanaugh Rosenthal Peisch & Ford LLP
Sophia Rousseau, Office of the Attorney General
Sharona Sternberg, Sunstein LLP
Jessica Winn, Cooley LLP

The following women have committed to serve as mentors:

Michele Liu Baillie, Sunstein LLP
Navjeet Bal, Social Finance
Manisha Bhatt, Greater Boston Legal Services
Kathleen Brill, Foley Hoag, LLP
Kara DelTufo, Foundation Medicine
April English, Office of Governor Maura Healey
Sa’adiyah Masoud, Point32Health
Carmen M. Ortiz, Anderson & Kreiger, LLP
Michelle Peirce, Hinckley Allen  
Carla Reeves, Goulston & Storrs, P.C.
Jennifer Saubermann, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative
Kristin Shirahama, Bowditch & Dewey, LLP
Abim Thomas, Fidelity Investments
Raquel Webster, National Grid


WBA President Kristy Lavigne remarked, “After a hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I am thrilled for the return of the WLI program and welcome this new class of exceptional women.  As a former WLI member myself, I am well aware of the program’s benefits and treasure my WLI experience.  The WBA is very grateful to the 2023 WLI chairs Nancy Cremins, Stesha Emmanuel, and Jayne Tyrrell for the outstanding mentors that they have lined up, and for their willingness to lead a new class.  Programs like the WLI are integral to changing the practice of law by fostering the growth of women into leadership positions across all areas of the law, and the WBA is proud to offer this program to its members.”