Heidi’s practice focuses on providing comprehensive legal support to growing and mature companies, with specialties in technology transactions, digital media, advertising, data, privacy, compliance, complex licensing, risk management, litigation management, and corporate governance. 

 

Heidi comes to Acceleron with over 20 years of in-house and private practice experience. She was previously Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, and Chief Compliance Officer of Cox Media Group, a broadcast media company with 80+ television and radio stations across the United States. As General Counsel, Heidi oversaw all aspects of the legal department for the company and its subsidiaries, CoxReps and Gamut Smart Media, including content, partnerships, first amendment, compliance, advertising and endorsements, data, complex negotiations and transactions, supply chain, litigation ranging from $1,000 to $100M+, corporate governance, and employment and labor matters. She led the company through a ransomware attack, overseeing all legal support, response strategy and insurance mitigation, as well as a Department of Justice investigation, which was ultimately resolved via a negotiated consent decree. Heidi co-led the multi-billion dollar sale of Cox Media Group to Apollo Global Management and continued with the new company after the sale, building a new legal department, working with the Board, supporting the transition and merger with another company, and managing governance of 52 new entities.  

 

Before Cox Media Group, Heidi was Assistant General Counsel at Cox Automotive, where she supported the digital media division, including licensing, product development and strategy, data, advertising, compliance, and vendor agreements. In this role, Heidi negotiated high-stakes agreements with technology and content providers, such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Oracle, and Adobe and drafted advertising and data agreements with all major vehicle manufacturers and dealer groups. She created behavioral data collection, maintenance, use and security policies to support monetization and targeting, and negotiated related agreements with data providers and other data services companies.  Heidi came to Cox Automotive via its purchase of her prior company, Kelley Blue Book. At Kelley Blue Book, Heidi supported licensing transactions, product development, advertising, marketing, data monetization and  human resources.

 

Prior to her work in-house, Heidi was an Associate Attorney at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP representing Fortune 500 clients in litigation and privacy matters. She represented Home Depot and Taco Bell in wage and hour class actions, Juniper Networks’ defense against stock-option back-dating allegations, and AT&T in connection with wiretap cases. 

Education

J.D., U.C.L.A School of Law

B.S., Philosophy

University of California, Irvine

 

Memberships

The State Bar of California

IAB Legal Council

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Other Activities

Director and Officer of RAE Foundation, a non-profit organization supporting education and medical research