by Christina M. Zabat-Fran
On behalf of the Orange County Bar Association, I am pleased to announce that the OCBA has selected Cherrie Tsai as this year’s recipient of its prestigious Harmon G. Scoville Award. Cherrie Tsai exemplifies the very best of our Orange County Bar Association.
About the Harmon G. Scoville Award The honor, named after retired California Court of Appeal Presiding Justice Harmon G. Scoville, who received the first award in 1990, is presented annually to a member of the Orange County legal community whose career exemplifies the highest standards of the legal profession, who is widely known as a champion of the constitutional system of justice and who has made significant contributions to the OCBA and its community.
In the last decade, the OCBA has recognized stand-out members, including: 2022 Richard J. McNeil 2021 John B. Sganga, Jr. 2020 Judge Kirk H. Nakamura 2019 Neil Pedersen 2018 Teresa A. McQueen 2017 John A. Bergen 2016 Roy L. Comer 2015 Claudette D. Kunzman 2014 Suzanne Viau Chamberlain 2013 Pearl G. Mann
Contributions to the Orange County Legal and Business Communities Professionally, over the last two decades, Cherrie has become a seasoned corporate counsel and business leader with deep securities law knowledge who is highly respected by her peers. After earning her bachelor’s degree from University of California, Irvine in 1998, Cherrie earned her juris doctor from Loyola Law School, and her legal career quickly took off from there.
As Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Kaiser Aluminum Corp., she serves as a trusted senior executive and advisor for the 1.1B public company. Kaiser Aluminum is a leading manufacturer of semi-fabricated specialty aluminum products that serves the aerospace, automotive, and general engineering markets.
At Kaiser Aluminum, Cherrie has always been involved in its most significant financing transactions, mergers and acquisitions, governance matters, and ongoing securities law compliance since joining the organization in 2008. Always up for a challenge and demonstrating her acumen by mastering new subjects, Cherrie has taken on increasing roles and varied responsibilities within the legal department.
Beyond her impact driving key corporate and securities legal matters for the company, over the years Cherrie has also worked on projects to implement new compliance procedures across the organization. The projects have been integral to ensuring that compliance procedures are kept up-to-date with the latest and greatest rules and regulations, overall bringing tremendous enhancements to existing compliance programs.
Given the large size of Kaiser Aluminum’s organization, its compliance programs are robust and expansive, and include in-person training, online courses, and regular communication, so making any sort of an impact would be no small feat. Cherrie is known to engage Kaiser’s employees through education, humor, and cautionary, as well as inspirational, tales, and to empower them to be leaders in the company.
Cherrie has been recognized for her exemplary legal work in the OC legal community, including being shortlisted by the Orange County Business Journal for the Orange County General Counsel Awards multiple years in a row.
Service to the OCBA In the legal community, Cherrie has been a longtime loyal and dedicated member of the OCBA and the Orange County Asian American Bar Association, always embodying a servant leader who also champions the significant impact we, as lawyers, can make.
Cherrie joined the OCBA within a year of admission to practice, and has volunteered for the bar throughout her legal career. She attributes the OCBA as her guidepost in the profession, right from the very beginning as a member of the Young Lawyers Division when she was a rising associate.
As an active OCBA member, Cherrie served as President of the Orange County Asian American Bar Association in 2009-2010, and then served on the OCBA Board of Directors for two terms from 2010-2015. In 2018, Cherrie served as Chair of the Corporate Counsel Section after serving as the Section’s Treasurer/Secretary and Chair-Elect, leading the in-house counsel contingency of the bar to great heights.
Most recently, Cherrie has served as Co-Chair of the OCBA Mentoring Committee for multiple years alongside fellow OCBA leader and Co-Chair Eve Brackmann, bringing great energy and thoughtfulness to one of the OCBA’s vital pillars for its membership. Eve can attest firsthand to the collaborative, team-oriented approach to how she leads: “I feel so grateful to have had the opportunity to co-chair the OCBA Mentoring Committee with Cherrie. Her tireless dedication and creativity have made the program successful, even through the pandemic, when we could not meet in person. And she always makes me laugh.”
Throughout her OCBA membership, Cherrie has held numerous other leadership roles, including serving on the Audit Committee, the Civility Task Force, the Community Outreach Committee, and the OCBA’s blue-ribbon Nominating Committee. She has been a longtime member of the Corporate Counsel Section, as well as the Labor & Employment Law Section and the Business & Corporate Law Section.
Perhaps Deirdre Kelly, 2019 OCBA President who worked alongside Cherrie in many OCBA endeavors throughout the years, captures Cherrie’s leadership spirit best: “Cherrie is such an asset to the OCBA. She is always willing to step in and help wherever needed. Her cheerful service is an inspiration to all.”
Messages From OCBA Corporate Counsel Section Chairs Having served alongside Cherrie for the OCBA Corporate Counsel Section, and having witnessed her aptitude for bringing people together, I can attest that Cherrie is a force. She is both well respected and well loved. On behalf of the Past Chairs of the OCBA Corporate Counsel Section, I am honored to share with you a few messages about Cherrie, excerpted from personal letters of support in their own words:
David Goodwin (Associate General Counsel, VAST; OCBA Corporate Counsel Section Chair, 2015): Cherrie has provided tireless support through volunteer service for the OCBA Corporate Counsel Section and countless other endeavors. Cherrie and I worked together most closely when we were both in leadership of the Corporate Counsel Section. She is always the first to offer support for new programs and new ideas to expand participation within the section and to find ways to foster support of the entire OCBA and OC Community through the unique position of inhouse attorneys.
Robert Tennant (Chief Legal Officer, Veros Credit; OCBA Corporate Counsel Section Chair, 2019; Past Member, OCBA Community Outreach Committee and OCBA Finance Committee): I had the privilege of working alongside Cherri in leadership roles for the Corporate Counsel Section of the OCBA during 2017 and 2018. Cherrie was pivotal in moving section objectives forward and ensuring that monthly CLE programming was dynamic and tailored towards the unique needs of in-house lawyers in Orange County.
More importantly, Cherrie has always been communicative and supportive of others, even long after her tenure serving on the section leadership board. Cherrie’s efforts have improved the bond between Orange County’s in-house lawyers, and in turn, the legal community itself.
Faythe Gutierrez (Associate Attorney, PFS Global; OCBA Corporate Counsel Section Chair, 2020): Cherrie was the Secretary of the OCBA Corporate Counsel section when I joined. This was the first section I joined and my introduction to the OCBA legal community. I had the pleasure of benefiting from her leadership in the section for three years and greatly appreciate all the time and work she gives to the OCBA.
There is no better guide or friend in the legal community in Orange County than Cherrie. She is a welcome presence in any room she is in and puts those around her at ease. Cherrie is someone who cares about her community. Whether it’s the excellent guidance and legal knowledge she provides her company, or leading committees and sections with the OCBA, she is committed to bettering every organization she is involved in.
She also encourages others to get involved and grows leadership skills in those around her. Her ability to not only give to the community, but to make others feel like they can and are worthy of contributing as well, is what sets her apart from the rest. Cherrie brings out the best in people. She . . . exemplifies the best of OCBA leadership and community.
Larisa Dinsmoor (OCBA Awards Chair, 2023; OCBA Charitable Fund President, 2022; OCBA President, 2021): Simply put, Cherrie is a leader. She is always approachable and available. She is a hard worker, and yet humble. She always shows up and goes beyond the call of duty. She comes prepared to meetings and volunteers to make things happen.
This is especially exemplified in her leadership of the Corporate Counsel Section where she spearheaded a variety of novel programming and fostered collaboration among its members.
Cherrie has also been an instrumental leader (and moving force) in the Mentoring Committee for several years. She inspires both mentors and mentees by personally connecting people and touching base with everyone to ensure they feel included. I personally witnessed her dedication to fostering new relationships with younger/newer lawyers as a leader for this dynamic and active committee.
Cherrie’s career and volunteerism with the OCBA exemplifies the highest standard of our legal profession. Her numerous contributions to the OCBA and its members speak for themselves.
Moreover, Cherrie is a proven champion of our constitution and system of justice. She continues to foster relationships with new and existing members in the OCBA; to set an example as a dedicated, thoughtful, compassionate, and intelligent leader; and to consistently embody our mission to “Enhance the System of Justice, To Support the Lawyers Who Serve It, and To Assist the Community Served By It.”
SAVE THE DATE
2023 OCBA Volunteer Recognition Reception on November 28 The Scoville award will be presented during the OCBA Volunteer Recognition Reception at the Westin South Coast Plaza on November 28, 2023. Please join me in celebrating Cherrie and congratulating her on this well-deserved spotlight. I look forward to seeing you there.
Christina M. Zabat-Fran serves as General Counsel (N.A.) and Corporate Secretary for LANVIN Group (NYSE: LANV), a global luxury fashion group. She wants to remind you that working hard and believing in yourself never go out of style. Christina served as Past Chair of the OCBA Corporate Counsel Section, and is the 2023 OCBA President-Elect.