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Recognizing excellence across the NELC community, the 2026 Conference celebrated outstanding leaders through its annual awards and recognitions. This year’s honorees were recognized for their professional excellence, community involvement, and commitment to the mission and values of NELC.
Nasim Khansari has been a standout talent since becoming a junior associate in 2018, and she exemplifies what an NELC Outside Counsel Rising Star should be. NELC first came to know Nasim in 2019 as an Academy Fellow, where she approached every session with curiosity, humility, and determination—and immediately applied what she learned in practice. She quickly earned a strong reputation for intellect, work ethic, and judgment, leading to her recruitment to Gibson Dunn.
At Gibson, Nasim became a go-to associate on complex wage-and-hour and employment matters. She elevates every team with sharper strategy and stronger advocacy, taking depositions and counseling clients with poise beyond her years. She also gives back through the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic, mentors junior lawyers, and has been deeply engaged with NELC since 2021—presenting, planning multiple Academies, serving as Academy Co-Chair, and recruiting new members.
Kristina Pham has distinguished herself as a rising leader through rapid career progression, legal excellence, and a deep commitment to mentorship and inclusion. A 2020 NELC Academy alum (Orrick, Silicon Valley), she has remained actively engaged with NELC—organizing cohort programming, serving on the ICAP planning committee, and now co-chairing ICAP.
Over six years at Shipt, Kristina has been promoted three times and earned the trust of senior leadership for tackling novel, complex issues. She currently serves as Chief of Staff across Legal/Government/Public Affairs while leading the employment law team, whose scope and influence have grown under her leadership. Beyond NELC, she has advanced diversity through APABA–Silicon Valley (including scholarship support for first-generation law students) and volunteers as a coach for UC Berkeley Law’s ADR/Negotiations team.
Kristina Pham is a role model of excellence as a lawyer and commitment to the NELC community. Her ready willingness to lift others as her own career flourishes truly exemplifies what it means to be an NELC Rising Star.
With more than four decades of service to the legal profession and a career defined by inclusion, mentorship, and opportunity-building, Littler is proud to nominate Paul E. Bateman for the 2026 NELC Trailblazer Award.
Since joining Littler in 2000, Paul has held key leadership roles and has long been a steady force behind the firm’s inclusion efforts, including helping launch the Inclusion Council and supporting affinity-group communities. In January 2021, he became Littler’s first Chief Inclusion, Equity & Diversity Officer, partnering with firm leadership to embed inclusion into decision-making, strengthen pathways for growth, and advance firmwide initiatives.
Colleagues consistently describe Paul as an even-keeled, strategic, and selfless leader who has mentored and sponsored countless attorneys—especially diverse talent—creating real opportunities and shaping careers across the firm and beyond.
Sheldon Snipe embodies the spirit of Randall Robertson. He joined NELC in its early days and has been an active member for nearly his entire 33-year career, including as one of our longest-serving Board members. This year, he is stepping down to make room for others—after decades of giving NELC his time, insight, and steady leadership.
Every NELC President has relied on Sheldon as an even-keeled, trusted counselor. He has served on the membership, annual conference, bylaws, and in-house advisory committees, and he was an early supporter—and faculty member—of what became the NELC Academy.
Sheldon is also a generous mentor, helping members navigate career transitions, business development, and workplace challenges, and connecting them with opportunities. He recruits new members, Academy Fellows, and ICAP participants, and is known for warmly welcoming new faces at our Annual Conference.
Joseph Centeno is nominated for the Rafael E. Medina General Counsel Award in recognition of extraordinary professional accomplishments and a longstanding commitment to advancing equity in the legal profession. Throughout his career, he has been a steadfast advocate, sponsor, and mentor—intentionally creating space, opportunity, and visibility for diverse attorneys and strengthening the pipeline of diverse labor and employment practitioners.
His service as outside General Counsel to the Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) reflects these values in action: supporting, developing, and empowering talent from historically underrepresented backgrounds to lead. His influence is widely felt through the many attorneys he has guided and championed, including numerous active NELC members who were introduced to NELC through his advocacy.
In addition, he has a long history of leadership and involvement with NAPABA, including serving as President of the national organization representing over 80,000 AANHPI legal professionals.
JT Wilson exemplifies the best in our NELC membership. When asked to mentor, he mentors. When asked to pitch in, he does. When asked to lead, he leads. He does all of this with good humor, graciousness, and a generous spirit of collaboration. JT enthusiastically shares his considerable trial and litigation skills with our members and the Academy Fellows every time he is asked, without fail. He obtains sponsorship dollars for our In-House Career Accelerator Program, and for the past several years he has been on the faculty and planning committee for the Trial Institute jointly produced by NELC and the ABA Labor & Employment section. Members like JT are the fuel for an ever-stronger National Employment Law Council.
Lead Trial Attorney,
Epstein Becker Green, P.C.
JT Wilson exemplifies the best in our NELC membership. When asked to mentor, he mentors. When asked to pitch in, he does. When asked to lead, he leads. He does all of this with good humor, graciousness, and a generous spirit of collaboration. JT enthusiastically shares his considerable trial and litigation skills with our members and the Academy Fellows every time he is asked, without fail. He obtains sponsorship dollars for our In-House Career Accelerator Program, and for the past several years he has been on the faculty and planning committee for the Trial Institute jointly produced by NELC and the ABA Labor & Employment section. Members like JT are the fuel for an ever-stronger National Employment Law Council.
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