Nominations Committee

The Nominations Committee advises on the Awards Program and the various opportunities the National LGBT Bar Association offers to its members. The Committee also oversees prospective candidates applying for vacant positions on both the Foundation and Association Boards of the organization.

Members of the Nominations Committee

Chair

Jeff Schimelfenig is the Washington, DC based National Director of Project Management for Kelly Law Registry, a business unit of Kelly Services. He consults law firms and corporate general counsel clients on e-discovery project management and staffing alternatives for data intensive litigation and government investigations. Previously, Jeff was a general practice sole practitioner for over 15 years in Northeastern Pennsylvania with focus on small business and individual clients. He also had numerous years of business experience owning and managing small businesses. He is a graduate of the American University Washington College of Law and of the University of Scranton. He is an active member of the Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia Bars. Jeff is a member of GAYLAW in Washington, DC, including a past Board Member.

Co-Chair

Casey Sprock is a partner with the firm Baldwin & Sutphen, LLP, Syracuse, NY, where he focuses in the areas of Real Estate Law, Estate Planning & Asset Protection, Trust & Estate Administration and Adoptions. A large percentage of his client base is comprised of non-traditional families. He is a graduate of Colgate University (B.A., Honors in Philosophy) and Notre Dame Law School. He is also an adjunct faculty member with three colleges at Syracuse University (the College of Law, the Maxwell School and University College) as well as Colgate University. His teaching and course designs have earned him several awards. He advises the College of Law’s gay/straight alliance (Outlaw) and coaches the group’s Moot Court Team, which competes at UCLA’s Williams Institute’s Annual Sexual Orientation and the Law National Moot Court Competition. In 2006, his team won the competition. Casey also serves on the boards of United Way of Central New York and SAGE Upstate.
Nicole Dogwill is an established litigation partner at Shartsis Friese LLP in San Francisco. She advises and defends leading established and start-up companies, as well as their directors and officers, in complex and class action litigation involving breach of fiduciary duty, securities, fraud, antitrust, unfair competition/business practices, and related contract and tort claims. She has significant experience handling shareholder derivative and direct litigation against directors and officers.  Prior to Shartsis Friese LLP, she was a litigation partner at Winston & Strawn LLP, where she established the firm’s first LGBT affinity group.  Nicole is a 1998 graduate of the Michigan State University College of Law, and a 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan.  She is committed to giving back to the community through civic involvement and representation in pro bono matters.  Nicole lives in San Francisco with her partner and their children.
Jason S. Gibson is an associate with Holland & Knight LLP in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He practices in the area of transactional real estate law – focusing on retail, office, and industrial leasing. Jason has been a member of the LGBT Bar since 2006. He graduated from the University of Miami School of Law after attending Harvard College for undergraduate studies in Economics.
Joseph A. Vallo is Litigation Of Counsel with Greenberg Traurig’s New York and White Plains offices. Joseph focuses his practice on securities arbitration, mediation and litigation and also has wide-ranging experience in retail brokerage compliance in domestic and international markets. Before joining Greenberg Traurig, Joseph served as Senior Vice President and Senior Litigation Counsel for Wachovia Securities, LLC, n.k.a Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC, where he supervised the firm’s major litigations and arbitrations. Previously, he served as the Senior Vice President and Director of Compliance for TD Waterhouse Group, Inc. and the Divisional Compliance Director at Salomon Smith Barney, Inc. where he was also the Director of International Private Client Group Compliance. Joseph is a 1979 graduate of SUNY Cortland and a 1984 graduate of New York Law School. He is admitted to practice in New York and Florida. Joseph also serves as Vice Chair of the SUNY Cortland Foundation Board of Directors. Joseph lives in New York with his partner, Mark and their daughter, Emma.