International law firm Dorsey & Whitney LLP is pleased to announce that Alison Grigonis, a Senior Attorney in the Firm’s Southern California office, has been appointed as a Delegate to the 2018-2019 US-Japan Leadership Program (USJLP). 

Ms. Grigonis joins a class of 23 new Delegates (8 Japanese and 15 American) and will join 21 returning second year Delegates for the Program’s Nineteenth Annual Conference in Seattle from July 28 – August 4, 2018. The Class of 2018-2019 will convene for their second conference next summer, to be held July 21-28, 2019 in Japan. Delegates will be joined by Fellows (alumni) on the final two days of each conference, creating new and strengthening existing inter-class bonds.

The pool of candidates for seats at the 2018 conference was extremely competitive. In addition to leadership criteria, selections for each class aim to shape the unique delegation of first and second-year participants with a diverse representation of professions, geographic areas and perspectives.

Ms. Grigonis is a member of Dorsey’s Regulatory Affairs practice group. She has a broad range of experience with issues involving the federal government and Native American tribal governments. She uses this unique perspective to advise clients on federal Indian law and policy, gaming, public-private partnerships, project finance, and government relations. Before joining Dorsey, she served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of the Interior providing policy advice to the Office of the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs and senior leadership at Interior on matters involving tribes and their members. Ms. Grigonis also served as Senior Director of Cabinet Affairs at The White House, acting as liaison between President Obama and his Cabinet, coordinating communications, policy and logistics and managing issues that involve multiple federal agencies. Her portfolio included the U.S. Department of Interior, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Social Security Administration, and the Federal Communications Commission.

“I’m honored to receive this appointment,” said Ms. Grigonis. “I look forward to being part of the network of young, talented and diverse American and Japanese leaders and fostering the dialogue between the two countries.”

The purpose of USJLP is to develop a network of communication, friendship and understanding among the next generation of leaders in the U.S. and Japan. The Program aims to foster a continuing dialogue among rising stars in leadership from a variety of backgrounds and professions. It starts this process by bringing together some 20 young leaders, ages 28-42, from each country for two intensive weeklong conferences over two years, with discussions revolving around historical and current issues in bilateral relations, as well as issues reaching beyond our two countries. After eighteen years, the USJLP network boasts 410 members in both countries.