John is an accomplished senior executive and director with extensive leadership, management, strategy and board experience in transformation, crises and growth periods. He is the retired Chief Diversity Officer of Reed Smith, one of the largest global law firms with more than $1.4B in annual revenues, 3,000+ employees in 32 cities globally. He has 30+ years experience as a corporate lawyer with securities, M&A, corporate governance, SEC disclosure and compliance expertise. He recently served as USC’s Interim ASVP for Alumni Relations, leading the organization of 500,000 members through a leadership transition and led the development of their strategic plan.
John achieved Directorship Certification status from the NACD and serves on the Board of Trustees of USC, the largest private employer in Los Angeles and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Jonathan Club in Los Angeles, with approx. $40 million in annual revenue, where he previously served as Chair of the Finance Committee and will become the President of the Jonathan Club in 2025. John is the founder of Cumbre Alta Advisors (www.CumbreAltaAdvisors.com), a consulting firm focused on business and inclusive leadership and coaching for lawyers and business executives.
He served as Global Chair of Reed Smith’s Business & Finance Department, overseeing a $400M division of the $1B+ global firm. He also served as Chair of the U.S. Corporate & Securities Group and Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office. In 2010, John became the first Asian American to serve on the firm’s Executive Committee and Senior Management Team. He is a Past President of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors and past Chair of the USC Gould School of Law Board of Councilors.
John was recognized as one of the nation’s Top 50 Chief Diversity Officers, and received the President’s Award from Ascend Leadership. He was named among the top 500 ”Most Influential People in LA” by the LA Business Journal and has been named ”One of the Nation’s Most Influential Minority Attorneys”.
John is a frequent keynote speaker, panelist and consultant on topics such as inclusive leadership, strategy, DEI and change management.
