Ogletree Deakins, one of the largest labor and employment law firms representing management, is pleased to announce that the firm’s equity shareholders have voted Liz Washko as the firm’s Managing Shareholder-Elect and Diana Nehro as a member of the Board of Directors. Washko will assume the role of Managing Shareholder following the firm’s next Shareholders Meeting in January 2024, succeeding Matt Keen, who has served in the role since 2016. She will be the firm’s sixth Managing Shareholder and the first woman to serve in the role.

“I am deeply honored to be chosen by my colleagues to follow Matt Keen as the next Managing Shareholder of Ogletree Deakins beginning next year,” said Washko. “Since I joined the firm as an associate more than two decades ago, I have witnessed firsthand the firm’s exponential growth and steadfast commitment to upholding our core values. I have big shoes to fill and look forward to working closely with Matt over the next year as he prepares to hand over the reins.”

Washko has practiced in Ogletree Deakins’ Nashville office since 2000 and has held virtually every leadership role within the firm. She is currently one of the firm’s two Managing Directors and has served on the Board of Directors since 2021. Washko was a member of Ogletree Deakins’ Compensation Committee from 2017-2021 and was office managing shareholder of the firm’s Nashville office from 2010-2018. She co-founded Ogletree Deakins’ Pay Equity Practice Group in 2016, which she continues to co-chair.

“Liz has excelled in every leadership role she has held throughout her career, developing the confidence of everyone across the firm. She serves as a constant example of our Client Pledge and has the innate ability to communicate with full consideration and empathy,” said Matt Keen. “I have worked closely with and relied on Liz for many years, particularly over the past few years during her tenure as Managing Director and Board Member. I look forward to supporting her in this new role.”

Washko is a member of the American Health Lawyers’ Association and previously served as chair of the organization’s Labor and Employment practice group. She is also a member of the Labor Standards Legislation Subcommittee of the American Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section. Washko earned both her J.D. and B.A. from Rutgers University.

Nehro replaces Marifrances Morrison, who returns full time to her business immigration practice. Nehro joined Ogletree Deakins in 2011 and is currently a shareholder in the firm’s New York City office. As chair of the Cross-Border Practice Group since 2019, Nehro leads a growing team of U.S.-based attorneys who are uniquely experienced in employment-law matters worldwide, including advising clients on all areas of managing a local workforce. She also partners closely with Ogletree Deakins’ offices in Mexico City, London, Toronto, Montréal, Berlin, and Paris to provide a full array of cross-border legal services to global clients.

“Diana has been a trusted and respected leader at the firm for several years as the chair of our Cross-Border Practice Group,” said Keen. “She will make an excellent addition to our Board of Directors.”

Nehro was listed in the 2023 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® and was named a Thomson Reuters “Stand-out Lawyer”. She earned her J.D. from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Colby College.