Therese M. Leone serves as Chief Laboratory Counsel for the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab where she leads a team of dedicated legal and regulatory professionals in the Office of the Laboratory Counsel. Part of her role is to ensure adherence to requirements of the University of California/U.S. Department of Energy contract, and ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulations, and UC/LBNL policies and procedures. In addition, she oversees the Berkeley Lab Export Control compliance function.
Therese previously worked as Deputy Campus Counsel on the UC Berkeley campus from 2012-2021. At UC Berkeley, she advised administrators on a broad range of higher education legal issues, including labor and employment matters, whistleblower, internal audit and other complex investigations, academic policies and discipline, student affairs issues, research misconduct, litigation, workplace violence prevention and intervention, Title IX, Clery, VAWA, disability and CANRA compliance.
From 2002-2008, Therese worked as a labor/employment attorney in the systemwide University of California Office of General Counsel in Oakland. In that role she provided systemwide labor and employment advice/counseling regarding faculty, staff and student employees, and advised on non-discrimination/harassment, affirmative action and Title IX matters. Therese also served as the first Chief Campus Counsel for UC Merced.
From 2008-2012, Ms. Leone was Vice President and General Counsel at Mills College in Oakland, California where she was a member of the College's executive leadership team. In her role she oversaw all legal matters and also was counsel to the Mills Board of Trustees. Ms. Leone previously worked in private practice as a labor and employment litigator.
Therese has served on the NACUA Board of Trustees, and has chaired many NACUA committees, including the Board Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusivity. She is a frequent speaker on many legal and policy issues related to higher education. She is a graduate of University of California, Berkeley (J.D.) and Northwestern University (B.A.).