About the Event

On October 13, join the Northern Virginia Black Attorneys Association, Washington Bar Association, and J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association for a virtual panel discussion about changing practice areas as a government or public sector lawyer. Our diverse panel of professionals will share their experiences and offer tips for those considering a change in practice areas.

The Zoom meeting information will be sent to registrants the week of the event. Register at bit.ly/practicepivot.

About the Panelists

Lauren Belcher
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Regulatory Counsel

Lauren Belcher is a Regulatory Counsel at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the Center for Drug Evaluation Research, Office of Medical Policy, Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP). In OPDP, she is responsible for reviewing prescription drug advertising and labeling submitted by pharmaceutical firms. She previously worked as a Regulatory Counsel in FDA’s Office of Regulations in the Center for Tobacco Products (CTP) where she was responsible for the development, review and clearance of draft regulations, policies, procedures and guidance related to the regulation of tobacco products. She also worked in the Office of Compliance and Enforcement in CTP where she reviewed firms’ regulatory submissions associated with promotion, advertising, and labeling to ensure compliance with applicable federal statutes. In addition to her work at FDA, Lauren honed her legal skills through her work at the Office of Litigation Support in the US Dept of Veterans Affairs and the Disclosure Unit at the US Office of Special Counsel. Lauren is a graduate of George Mason University School of Law where she earned her JD, as well as Howard University, where she earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science. 

Victoria Clark
Federal Aviation Administration
Attorney

Victoria Clark is an attorney with the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of the Chief Counsel, Enforcement Division. Prior to her current role, she founded a law firm in DC where she represented individuals in criminal matters and businesses in civil litigation.  She was a Regional Voter Protection Director with the Biden-Harris campaign and North Carolina Democratic Party. She has also been a judicial law clerk in DC Superior Court.

Victoria earned her BA in Philosophy, magna cum laude, from North Carolina State University in 2011, graduating in three years, and spent a semester at the Universidad de Cantabria in Santander, Spain. She earned her Juris Doctor from Cornell Law School in 2014, and spent a semester at ESADE Law School in Barcelona, Spain. In her free time, Victoria runs a cooking blog, studies languages, and explores local trails with her Cockapoo, Coconut.

Cecilia Ndounda
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Adjudicator

Cecilia Ndounda is a Congolese-American attorney originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. She has been practicing law for close to 10 years, and was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar in April 2012. She began her professional legal career as an (Equal Justice Works) Public Defender Corps Fellow with Orleans Public Defenders Office, in New Orleans, LA. 

Currently, Cecilia works as an adjudicator with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. In her current position, Cecilia adjudicates Title VI complaints of discrimination in programs conducted by USDA, and programs receiving federal financial assistance. Cecilia is a member of the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA), the National Bar Association (NBA), and Blacks in Government (BIG). 

Cecilia earned her JD from Mississippi College Law School, in Jackson, MS and has an L.L.M. from American University in Washington, D.C. 

Maurice Simpson, Jr.
Exelon Generation
State Government Affairs Manager

Maurice Simpson was born and raised in Prince George’s County and is a graduate of Clark Atlanta University and the University of Baltimore School of Law. In his current role as State Government Affairs Manager for Exelon Corporation, Maurice manages advocacy for clean, carbon-free energy policy. Before joining Exelon, he served as a legislative and intergovernmental affairs staff member with the Prince George’s County Council. In this capacity, he provided legal, fiscal and policy research support to the Council. Maurice also previously served as a research assistant at the United States Sentencing Commission where he conducted legislative, legal and social science research on federal sentencing guideline policy. Moreover, Maurice has political experience working on national, state and local political campaigns. In his free time, he volunteers with Doberman Assistance, Rescue and Education, a Maryland-based nonprofit dedicated to rescuing abused and abandoned Dobermans.

Joshuah Turner
Reed Smith LLP
Associate

Joshuah is a member of Reed Smith’s government contracts team. He focuses his practice on litigating pre and post-award bid protests before the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and advising clients at all stages of the procurement lifecycle, from proposal submission to termination. He also advises clients on contract administration disputes and claims arising under the Contract Disputes Act, and represents clients before the Civilian and Armed Services Boards of Contract Appeals. Further, he advises clients on compliance with emerging U.S. cybersecurity laws and regulations, Federal Supply Schedules, the Trade Agreements Act, and the False Claims Act.
In his practice, Joshuah leverages his government contract experience as a former federal government attorney-advisor. Prior to joining the Reed Smith, Joshuah was an attorney-advisor with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) where he advised DOE throughout the procurement lifecycle, successfully defending high-value bid protests before the GAO. Before his time at DOE, he served as an attorney-advisor with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), where he successfully defended bid protests before the GAO and advised DLA on all aspects of government contract related compliance and litigation. Currently, he also serves as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Army Reserves.