Foley is pleased to announce that Nancy J. Sennett has been selected as a recipient of the 2011 Sacagawea Award. Each year, this prestigious honor recognizes two women who have distinguished themselves through leadership, intelligence, foresight, common sense and adaptability.
Presented by Professional Dimensions, a membership organization that promotes the professional and personal growth of women, the award is determined by a committee of community leaders based on nominees’ significant career accomplishments, commitment to community, support for the advancement of women and embodiment of the trailblazing spirit of Sacagawea.
Ms. Sennett personifies the criteria established for this prominent recognition. Her commitment to the community is astounding, shown not only in her countless hours of pro bono legal services, but also in her volunteer efforts with a wide range of nonprofit organizations. She exhibits leadership in all of her professional endeavors and is well known for her achievements in the legal profession.
A seasoned litigator with over 30 years of experience, Ms. Sennett focuses her practice on all aspects of commercial and business litigation, representing corporations and boards of directors in class action lawsuits, fraud cases, Securities Exchange Commission enforcement actions and Employee Retirement Income Security Act litigation. She also conducts internal investigations for public and private companies. In her most recent trial success, she achieved complete victories in two securities lawsuits, with all claims against her corporate clients and their board members dismissed without appeals. Ms. Sennett has been recognized as a Wisconsin “Super Lawyer” for securities litigation work by Law & Politics Media, Inc. since 2005. She has been selected by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers of America in the field of commercial litigation each year since 2006.
As the first woman to serve on the firm’s Management Committee, Ms. Sennett has contributed to setting strategy and making geographic and practice expansion decisions for the firm. She is also the first female to serve as managing partner of Foley’s Milwaukee office and has done so since 2002. Under her leadership, the firm’s Milwaukee office has been recognized as the Wisconsin Corporate Firm of the Year for the last four years and has repeatedly received the “Top Workplaces Award” from The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and The Business Journal of Milwaukee.
Ms. Sennett also serves as a role model by personally performing pro bono legal work and encouraging others to do the same. She was actively involved in the establishment of the Milwaukee Justice Center at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, which is now staffed by volunteer lawyers who answer questions and assist individuals who otherwise would have no legal guidance. In recognition of the office’s support of this and other pro bono programs backed by Ms. Sennett, the firm’s Milwaukee office was recognized with the Milwaukee Bar Association’s 2010 Pro Bono Publico Award.
In addition to her leadership and commitment to pro bono work, Ms. Sennett is also a distinguished civic and community leader. As co-chair of the Greater Milwaukee Committee’s education committee, she leverages her past experience as a high school English teacher to advocate for education reform for all Milwaukee-area children, especially those with the most difficult backgrounds. Ms. Sennett was also instrumental in founding the Betty Brinn Children’s Museum and After Breast Cancer Diagnosis (ABCD), an organization that provides invaluable resources to breast cancer survivors and their families, and has contributed to its expansion through nearly a decade of board service. As Chair of the Advisory Board of the Medical College of Wisconsin Cardiovascular Center, she has successfully shifted the board’s focus to be more representative of the populations affected by cardiovascular disease and has strengthened the center’s primary fundraising events. Additionally, Ms. Sennett serves on the board of directors for a number of organizations in Milwaukee and Madison, including the Milwaukee Metropolitan Association of Commerce, Junior Achievement, and the Milwaukee Downtown Rotary Club.
Ms. Sennett is devoted to providing leadership in the advancement of women. As a personal and professional mentor, she fosters the development of young attorneys by guiding them to achieve professional success and work/life balance. She makes it a point to provide opportunities to female attorneys on her cases and opens doors for them to get involved in community activities. Thanks to her ongoing efforts, the firm’s female attorneys have received recognitions such as Wisconsin Women in the Law, “40 Under 40” and the Association for Women Lawyers Community Involvement Award.
We sincerely congratulate Ms. Sennett for being chosen as one of this year’s recipients of the Professional Dimensions Sacagawea Award. Her professional leadership and personal accomplishments most certainly embody the trailblazing spirit of Sacagawea.