Lecturer in Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business
I spent more than 14 years in economic policy roles advising senior elected officials, including for a time as the senior White House economic advisor to President George W. Bush. As Deputy Director and then Director of the White House National Economic Council, I coordinated economic policy design and implementation for the President.
The last thirteen months of my time in the White House were by far the most intense, helping advise President Bush on his Administration’s response to the financial crisis.
In addition to that work, here are some of the major Presidential policies that I helped design, enact, and implement:
Before working for President Bush I was an aide to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS). I helped him enact economic legislation (and block other legislation) including the 1997 Balanced Budget Act and President Bush’s 2001 tax cut. I came to Senator Lott’s staff from the Senate Budget Committee staff, where I spent two years as a health and retirement economist working for the Chairman, Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM).
I’ve got a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School and a B.A.S. in Math and Political Science from Stanford.
Chief Legal Officer & EVP Strategy and Corporate Affairs, Purdue Pharma L.P.
Marc Kesselman was appointed General Counsel of Purdue Pharma L.P. in July 2018, with responsibility for Purdue’s legal strategy, corporate governance, compliance, and government affairs. He has since been promoted to Chief Legal Officer and EVP Strategy & Corporate Affairs with added oversight of strategy, business development, human resources, security, and communications. Marc joined Purdue Pharma after the company came under intense scrutiny and is helping to engineer a corporate turnaround. Under Marc's leadership, Purdue has secured initial approval of its plan to emerge as a public-minded company dedicated to abating the opioid crisis, responsibly manufacturing and distributing opioid analgesics, and advancing a robust pipeline of non-opioid medicines with the promise of addressing serious medical conditions.
Prior to joining Purdue Pharma, Marc worked for YUM! Brands, Inc. where he served as Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary & Chief Public Policy Officer. In that role, he oversaw all aspects of legal, compliance, regulatory, government affairs, and sustainability agendas for one of the world’s largest restaurant companies, with more than 45,000 restaurants in 135 countries and territories. Marc joined Yum! from Dean Foods where he held a similar role. Previously, he was Senior Vice President & General Counsel at PepsiCo America’s Foods where he oversaw a wide variety of complex commercial, transactional, litigation, regulatory, and government affairs issues relating to PepsiCo's food businesses in North and South America.
From 2006 through 2008, Marc served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where he advised the Secretary of Agriculture and directed all legal activity for the Department. For the previous three years, he served as Deputy General Counsel in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he handled a variety of regulatory, budgetary and legal policy matters. Marc also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as Senior Counsel in the Office of Legal Policy and as a Trial Attorney in its Civil Division. His work there earned him the John Marshall Award, the Attorney General’s highest recognition for trial of litigation.
Marc currently serves on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Litigation Center, and the Penn Law Alumni Board of Managers. He has previously served as a Public Member of the Administrative Conference of the United States, on the Board of the Dallas Symphony, on the Campaign Cabinet of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and as Chair of the DC Bar Administrative Law Section. He has been named as one of the most influential General Counsel in America by Chambers & Partners, and twice named to the D CEO list of the most influential business leaders in Dallas. In 2023, Marc was named a "Legend in the Law" by the Burton Awards in association with the American Bar Association and the Library of Congress.
Marc holds a JD with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Government magna cum laude from Cornell University.
Partner, Morgan Lewis
A former software engineer with an engineering degree from the California Institute of Technology, William Peterson is a member of the intellectual property practice at Morgan Lewis and regularly argues patent appeals before the US Court of the Appeals for the Federal Circuit. For one of his Federal Circuit appellate victories, he (along with two other Morgan Lewis partners) was recognized as litigator of the week by Law.com.
William is board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Before entering private practice, he served as a law clerk to Judge Edith Jones of the U S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and to Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court. A recent mandamus petition that he briefed and argued to the Fifth Circuit on a novel issue of employment law led to a decision that was recognized by another firm as “one of the most significant Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) appellate decisions in recent years."
William serves as a trustee for the American Inns of Court Foundation. His association with the Inns includes active membership in the Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, receipt of the Temple Bar Scholarship in 2011, and subsequent participation on the Temple Bar Scholar selection committee. William also maintains an active pro bono practice and has represented clients through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program and participated in the Houston Volunteer Prosecutor Program.
William regularly publishes papers and speaks at continuing legal education events. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where he co-teaches “Origins of the Federal Constitution.” He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Lecturer in Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business
I spent more than 14 years in economic policy roles advising senior elected officials, including for a time as the senior White House economic advisor to President George W. Bush. As Deputy Director and then Director of the White House National Economic Council, I coordinated economic policy design and implementation for the President.
The last thirteen months of my time in the White House were by far the most intense, helping advise President Bush on his Administration’s response to the financial crisis.
In addition to that work, here are some of the major Presidential policies that I helped design, enact, and implement:
Before working for President Bush I was an aide to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS). I helped him enact economic legislation (and block other legislation) including the 1997 Balanced Budget Act and President Bush’s 2001 tax cut. I came to Senator Lott’s staff from the Senate Budget Committee staff, where I spent two years as a health and retirement economist working for the Chairman, Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM).
I’ve got a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School and a B.A.S. in Math and Political Science from Stanford.
Chief Legal Officer & EVP Strategy and Corporate Affairs, Purdue Pharma L.P.
Marc Kesselman was appointed General Counsel of Purdue Pharma L.P. in July 2018, with responsibility for Purdue’s legal strategy, corporate governance, compliance, and government affairs. He has since been promoted to Chief Legal Officer and EVP Strategy & Corporate Affairs with added oversight of strategy, business development, human resources, security, and communications. Marc joined Purdue Pharma after the company came under intense scrutiny and is helping to engineer a corporate turnaround. Under Marc's leadership, Purdue has secured initial approval of its plan to emerge as a public-minded company dedicated to abating the opioid crisis, responsibly manufacturing and distributing opioid analgesics, and advancing a robust pipeline of non-opioid medicines with the promise of addressing serious medical conditions.
Prior to joining Purdue Pharma, Marc worked for YUM! Brands, Inc. where he served as Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary & Chief Public Policy Officer. In that role, he oversaw all aspects of legal, compliance, regulatory, government affairs, and sustainability agendas for one of the world’s largest restaurant companies, with more than 45,000 restaurants in 135 countries and territories. Marc joined Yum! from Dean Foods where he held a similar role. Previously, he was Senior Vice President & General Counsel at PepsiCo America’s Foods where he oversaw a wide variety of complex commercial, transactional, litigation, regulatory, and government affairs issues relating to PepsiCo's food businesses in North and South America.
From 2006 through 2008, Marc served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where he advised the Secretary of Agriculture and directed all legal activity for the Department. For the previous three years, he served as Deputy General Counsel in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he handled a variety of regulatory, budgetary and legal policy matters. Marc also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as Senior Counsel in the Office of Legal Policy and as a Trial Attorney in its Civil Division. His work there earned him the John Marshall Award, the Attorney General’s highest recognition for trial of litigation.
Marc currently serves on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Litigation Center, and the Penn Law Alumni Board of Managers. He has previously served as a Public Member of the Administrative Conference of the United States, on the Board of the Dallas Symphony, on the Campaign Cabinet of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and as Chair of the DC Bar Administrative Law Section. He has been named as one of the most influential General Counsel in America by Chambers & Partners, and twice named to the D CEO list of the most influential business leaders in Dallas. In 2023, Marc was named a "Legend in the Law" by the Burton Awards in association with the American Bar Association and the Library of Congress.
Marc holds a JD with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Government magna cum laude from Cornell University.
Partner, Morgan Lewis
A former software engineer with an engineering degree from the California Institute of Technology, William Peterson is a member of the intellectual property practice at Morgan Lewis and regularly argues patent appeals before the US Court of the Appeals for the Federal Circuit. For one of his Federal Circuit appellate victories, he (along with two other Morgan Lewis partners) was recognized as litigator of the week by Law.com.
William is board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Before entering private practice, he served as a law clerk to Judge Edith Jones of the U S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and to Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court. A recent mandamus petition that he briefed and argued to the Fifth Circuit on a novel issue of employment law led to a decision that was recognized by another firm as “one of the most significant Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) appellate decisions in recent years."
William serves as a trustee for the American Inns of Court Foundation. His association with the Inns includes active membership in the Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, receipt of the Temple Bar Scholarship in 2011, and subsequent participation on the Temple Bar Scholar selection committee. William also maintains an active pro bono practice and has represented clients through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program and participated in the Houston Volunteer Prosecutor Program.
William regularly publishes papers and speaks at continuing legal education events. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where he co-teaches “Origins of the Federal Constitution.” He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Lecturer in Economics, Stanford Graduate School of Business
I spent more than 14 years in economic policy roles advising senior elected officials, including for a time as the senior White House economic advisor to President George W. Bush. As Deputy Director and then Director of the White House National Economic Council, I coordinated economic policy design and implementation for the President.
The last thirteen months of my time in the White House were by far the most intense, helping advise President Bush on his Administration’s response to the financial crisis.
In addition to that work, here are some of the major Presidential policies that I helped design, enact, and implement:
Before working for President Bush I was an aide to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS). I helped him enact economic legislation (and block other legislation) including the 1997 Balanced Budget Act and President Bush’s 2001 tax cut. I came to Senator Lott’s staff from the Senate Budget Committee staff, where I spent two years as a health and retirement economist working for the Chairman, Senator Pete Domenici (R-NM).
I’ve got a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School and a B.A.S. in Math and Political Science from Stanford.
Chief Legal Officer & EVP Strategy and Corporate Affairs, Purdue Pharma L.P.
Marc Kesselman was appointed General Counsel of Purdue Pharma L.P. in July 2018, with responsibility for Purdue’s legal strategy, corporate governance, compliance, and government affairs. He has since been promoted to Chief Legal Officer and EVP Strategy & Corporate Affairs with added oversight of strategy, business development, human resources, security, and communications. Marc joined Purdue Pharma after the company came under intense scrutiny and is helping to engineer a corporate turnaround. Under Marc's leadership, Purdue has secured initial approval of its plan to emerge as a public-minded company dedicated to abating the opioid crisis, responsibly manufacturing and distributing opioid analgesics, and advancing a robust pipeline of non-opioid medicines with the promise of addressing serious medical conditions.
Prior to joining Purdue Pharma, Marc worked for YUM! Brands, Inc. where he served as Chief Legal Officer, Corporate Secretary & Chief Public Policy Officer. In that role, he oversaw all aspects of legal, compliance, regulatory, government affairs, and sustainability agendas for one of the world’s largest restaurant companies, with more than 45,000 restaurants in 135 countries and territories. Marc joined Yum! from Dean Foods where he held a similar role. Previously, he was Senior Vice President & General Counsel at PepsiCo America’s Foods where he oversaw a wide variety of complex commercial, transactional, litigation, regulatory, and government affairs issues relating to PepsiCo's food businesses in North and South America.
From 2006 through 2008, Marc served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), where he advised the Secretary of Agriculture and directed all legal activity for the Department. For the previous three years, he served as Deputy General Counsel in the White House Office of Management and Budget, where he handled a variety of regulatory, budgetary and legal policy matters. Marc also worked at the U.S. Department of Justice as Senior Counsel in the Office of Legal Policy and as a Trial Attorney in its Civil Division. His work there earned him the John Marshall Award, the Attorney General’s highest recognition for trial of litigation.
Marc currently serves on the Board of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Litigation Center, and the Penn Law Alumni Board of Managers. He has previously served as a Public Member of the Administrative Conference of the United States, on the Board of the Dallas Symphony, on the Campaign Cabinet of the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, and as Chair of the DC Bar Administrative Law Section. He has been named as one of the most influential General Counsel in America by Chambers & Partners, and twice named to the D CEO list of the most influential business leaders in Dallas. In 2023, Marc was named a "Legend in the Law" by the Burton Awards in association with the American Bar Association and the Library of Congress.
Marc holds a JD with honors from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in Government magna cum laude from Cornell University.
Partner, Morgan Lewis
A former software engineer with an engineering degree from the California Institute of Technology, William Peterson is a member of the intellectual property practice at Morgan Lewis and regularly argues patent appeals before the US Court of the Appeals for the Federal Circuit. For one of his Federal Circuit appellate victories, he (along with two other Morgan Lewis partners) was recognized as litigator of the week by Law.com.
William is board certified in civil appellate law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Before entering private practice, he served as a law clerk to Judge Edith Jones of the U S Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and to Justice Clarence Thomas of the Supreme Court. A recent mandamus petition that he briefed and argued to the Fifth Circuit on a novel issue of employment law led to a decision that was recognized by another firm as “one of the most significant Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) appellate decisions in recent years."
William serves as a trustee for the American Inns of Court Foundation. His association with the Inns includes active membership in the Garland R. Walker American Inn of Court, receipt of the Temple Bar Scholarship in 2011, and subsequent participation on the Temple Bar Scholar selection committee. William also maintains an active pro bono practice and has represented clients through the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program and participated in the Houston Volunteer Prosecutor Program.
William regularly publishes papers and speaks at continuing legal education events. He also serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Houston Law Center, where he co-teaches “Origins of the Federal Constitution.” He is a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law.
Topics
2015 Texas Chapters Conference Recap
The Texan contingent of the Federalist Society met for the 2015 Texas Chapters Conference on...
Interview: The 2008 Financial Crisis
Keith Hennessey, Marc Kesselman, William Peterson
On September 19, 2015, The Federalist Society hosted the 2015 Texas Chapters Conference at the George...
Interview: The 2008 Financial Crisis
Keith Hennessey, Marc Kesselman, William Peterson
On September 19, 2015, The Federalist Society hosted the 2015 Texas Chapters Conference at the George...
Interview: The 2008 Financial Crisis
2015 Texas Chapters Conference
Dallas, TX