SUMMARY OF PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Ms. Cannon is a dynamic corporate attorney specializing in commercial and government contracts, providing valuable work and advice to clients, and technical/scientific staff to maximize revenue and minimize business risks and compliance concerns. Strategic strengths include contract drafting, issue analysis, negotiation, and interpretation, with the ability to creatively support complex contract requirements. Industry experience includes sophisticated technology sales and licensing agreements; and clinical and sponsored research and services agreements. She is a National Contract Management Association (NCMA) Certified Professional Contract Manager, NCMA Certified Federal Contracts Manager, and a member in good standing of the New York State Bar, Registration Number 1916832.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL, NC 7/2015 – 1/2017

Director, Office of Industry Contracting

•Directed a new Office responsible for drafting, reviewing and executing clinical trial agreements and sponsored research agreements, including all related agreements with industry in support of faculty research at UNC-CH

•Direct reports include 10 contract managers, both attorneys and contract professionals supporting and 1 part-time admin

•Agreements include: confidentiality, clinical and non-clinical sponsored research, master services/clinical and stand-alone agreements.

•Developed and managed the implementation of a Contracts Clause Library tool for use in training new contract managers and daily use as a resource of preapproved contract clauses and alternative positions and rationales.

•Increased the efficiency and effectiveness of operations

•Subject matter expert consulting to UNC-CH faculty and staff

• Personally drafted and negotiated complex and strategic contracts with industry partners and multi-party collaborations

• Member of the UNC-CH Research Compliance Steering Committee

• Presenter and session chair at two MAGI Clinical Research Conferences

RTI INTERNATIONAL, Research Triangle Park, NC 10/2012 – 7/2015

Director, Business Partner, Office of Proposal, Project and Procurement Services

Provided legal and strategic business advisory services to senior leadership in assigned business unit

Provided operational leadership, business development, federal and commercial proposal and project risk assessment / mitigation, intellectual property, and organizational conflict of interest support to business unit leadership for a non-profit $750M research institution

Resolved service-level issues (disputes) and served as the escalation point for critical client communications and sensitive or confidential proposal and project issues

Drafted and negotiated leases for third party residents at RTI facilities

Supported the business unit performing due diligence for the divestiture of a business segment to a large publically traded company, working with outside counsel and a large divestiture team

Provided legal support and account management for the closure of RTI’s animal research facility including equipment sales, donations and related transactions.

Developed introduction to commercial contracts training and a curriculum of 4 additional courses

Director, Contracts 12/2008 – 9/2012

Directed the work of grant and contracting officers (attorneys and contract professionals) in the support function of pre-award and post-award contracts to enable the delivery of research services to the federal government and commercial clients for the lab sciences business unit of RTI. This group supported a business unit of 200+ research staff

QUALEX, INC., Durham, NC 8/2008 – 12/2008

Contract Manager [Contractor through Robert Half Associates]

Performed legal services within the business development organization

Drafted contracts for online services fulfillment, and other contracts related to the provision of photo imaging prints and products through traditional and innovative market channels via the Internet

Interacted closely with internal (sales, finance, marketing, legal) groups, and US and Canadian customers

CAMPBELL ALLIANCE GROUP, INC., Raleigh, NC 3/2008 – 7/2008

Corporate Counsel

Negotiated office leases, master service agreements, statements of work, independent contractor agreements, information technology vendor agreements, confidentiality agreements, custom software development agreements, and other agreements

Reviewed proposals, interim deliverables, and final deliverables for several practice areas

BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA, Durham, NC 2005-2008

Director, Corporate Contract Management & Associate Counsel

Responsible for vendor contracting for IT services contracts and general large scale technology and services procurements across the company

Developed a formal supply chain contracts standard operating procedures document, including process flows among internal organizations, and approval requirements

Developed a fast track process to expedite the negotiation, review and approval of contracts below a dollar threshold that met defined criteria reducing risk to the company

Achieved increased production with no increase in staff over three years, improving contract turn-around time with zero personnel turnover

Directed group of 5 contract professionals who drafted, negotiated, processed and maintained all vendor contracts including master services agreements, license agreements, healthcare services, consulting agreements, and confidential information agreements

Handled supply chain contract negotiations for executives based on complexity, sensitivity or other special request (multi-year pharmacy benefits master agreement, commercial & Medicare Part D subcontracts with program providers, confidential consulting agreements, and software license agreements

DUKE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, Durham, NC 2001-2005

Duke Clinical Research Institute – Manager, Contracts Management

Managed group of 15 who drafted, negotiated, processed and maintained all contracts related to clinical research including master sponsor agreements, subcontracts, clinical research agreements, collaboration agreements, letters of intent, confidential Information agreements, site agreements, data use agreements, and network agreements

Developed a career ladder within the contracts management organization

Developed processes and procedures to expedite time from contract initiation through negotiation and execution

Worked closely with business development on proposal terms and conditions, including site budgets and processes

Worked with project management during the sponsor contract development process to ensure all necessary activities, obligations, and costs were included in the proposal and contract

Handled all contract negotiations for one of the Institute’s largest commercial pharmaceutical sponsors (contracts and subcontracts)

Successfully initiated and completed an RFP for a contract management system to store, administer, report and eventually negotiate all clinical research contracts (e.g., sponsor, site, subcontractor, committees)

Achieved highest performance level rating every year

AMERICAN WIRELESSWEB CORP., Lauderdale by the Sea, FL 2000-2001

President / CEO / Director

Directed all aspects of a small public company providing high-speed wireless broadband Internet service to commercial and residential customers through the sale and closure of the business

ICN, INC., Winter Park, FL 1999-2001

Senior Independent Consultant

Taught executive education courses in high technology procurement, software licensing, and e-commerce at both public seminars (CLE) and on a privately contracted basis to procurement professionals, attorneys and certified purchasing managers and others around the United States

LUCENT TECHNOLOGIES INC., Atlanta, GA 1997-1999

Business Management Vice President

Directly responsible for profitability of graphics design and printing production organization servicing Lucent and customers

Managed a broad range of business, financial and sales support services as primary interface between the BellSouth Customer Team (BSCT), customer business management and marketing

Responsible for overall management of BSCT’s profitability portfolios, sales planning, asset management, switching compliance and sales compensation administration

Managed a high performing team of 80 people

NORTEL NETWORKS 1987-1997

Global Business Director, Motorola iDEN, Richardson, TX

Profit and loss responsibility for Motorola iDEN Account (1997 annual budgeted sales $25M)

Sales exceeded Budget by over 70%

Managed direct and indirect resources to meet total customer requirements (including sales, marketing, engineering, technical support, project management, finance, quality and product line management)

Director, Commercial Marketing, GSM Americas, Richardson, TX

Provided contract management support for GSM Americas sales

Oversaw new business/independent customer(s) marketing

Managed strategy and creation of RFP/RFQ point by point and commercial responses/quotes for new opportunities

Drove budget/revenue assurance to meet/exceed corporate targets;

Developed, promoted and packaged “commercial programs” to maximize order/revenue for existing independent customers

Drove market planning & operations to achieve/exceed $365M annual sales

Performed market demand analysis, filtration and consolidation of market requirements

Developed rolling forecasts to drive manufacturing while minimizing inventory on hand

Established pricing strategies, setting list prices and competitive discount structures

Provided contract management support for GSM Americas sales

Managed staff of 20 professionals

Director, Contract Management & Negotiations, North America, Research Triangle Park, NC

Managed the execution of over 400 contracts annually. Dollar volume of contracts executed on an annual basis averaged over $2 Billion (Awarded 1995 President’s Award of Excellence for Sales Support)

Managed staff of 24 professionals and a budget of $2M

Supported multiple lines of business for the North American customer base

Directed the negotiation and drafting of contracts with strategic accounts including ILECs and IOCs.

Awarded 1995 President’s Award of Excellence for Sales Support

Senior Staff Manager Marketing Programs

Developed and marketed innovative long and short term strategic marketing programs

Resolved regional commercial and product issues, including development and implementation

Exploited market opportunities for revenue

Supported the achievement of budgeted sales targets for the Northeast region of $240M

Staff Manager Contract Negotiations, Research Triangle Park, NC

Negotiated and drafted contracts with strategic accounts with annual business of $200M+

Contracts included multimillion dollar volume sales contracts, nondisclosure, multiparty/special projects and software license agreements

EDUCATION / LICENSES

National Contract Management Association, Washington, DC

Certified Professional Contracts Manager

Certified Federal Contracts Manager

The George Washington University, Washington, DC

Masters Certificate Government Contract Management

Masters Certificate Global Contract Management

The Wharton School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Wharton Executive Development Program

Western New England University School of Law, Springfield, MA

Juris Doctor

The American University, Washington, DC

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Marketing and Business Management

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