Principal
Ms. Fei's practice spans the full range of nonprofit and tax-exempt organization legal issues, with emphasis on legislative lobbying and advocacy issues, candidate-related political activities, nonprofit corporate governance (including membership issues), and religious entities.
Ms. Fei is a member of the Exempt Organizations Committee, Tax Law Section, American Bar Association, and currently serves as the Committee’s Vice Chair. From 2009 to 2017, she was Co-Chair of the Committee’s Subcommittee on Political and Lobbying Organizations and Activities, and from 2017 to 2019, served as the Committee’s Chair of Legislative Developments. She is a former director and Chair of the Board of Redefining Progress, and a former director of CalNonprofits (the statewide trade association for charities in California), The Conservation Campaign (the 501(c)(4) affiliate of The Trust for Public Land), Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, and The Marine Mammal Center. Ms. Fei writes and teaches extensively, and has been an expert commentator in numerous published news stories, including broadcast interviews.
Ms. Fei has guest lectured or taught courses at both the Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management and the Law School of the University of San Francisco, Stanford Law School, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Ms. Fei is admitted to the bar in the state of California and the District of Columbia (inactive).
Before joining Adler & Colvin, Ms. Fei was a general business lawyer at Shartsis, Friese & Ginsberg, San Francisco; a Federal election law compliance officer and budget director for the Dukakis Presidential campaign; and an attorney in the U.S. Department of State.
2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET at the University of DC & Catholic University, Level M1 | Exempt Organizations PM Session 9
Patagonia has been in the news for using a purpose trust and a 501(c)(4) to accomplish the founder’s
philanthropic goals. What exactly is a purpose trust? How does this structure work, and what are its advantages and disadvantages? Is this trending? What are the implications for using private foundations?
Moderator: Robert Wexler, Adler & Colvin
Panelist: Susan Gary, University of Oregon
Chair: Rosemary E. Fei, Adler & Colvin
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET
Co-Panelists: David Shevlin, Simpson Tacher, Elinor Ramey, Steptoe & Johnson
Explore the latest in policy and regulation from the US Government in an effort to answer the question: What just happened? You’ll be the first to know about topics like donor-advised fund regulations, end-of-year legislation, and what is Congress likely to do next? What about those expiring incentives for charitable giving, will they be renewed? Meanwhile, the Supreme Court continues to unwind the regulatory powers of the executive branch.
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. CT
Co-Presenter: Alex Reid, Baker & Hostetler LLP
Panelists:
Crispin Delgado, Public Policy Director, NCG
Steve Barton, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, NCG
Timothy Silard, President, Rosenberg Foundation
Lisa Kawahara, Consultant, Rosenberg Foundation
Tessa Callejo, Senior Program Officer, Power Pathway, San Francisco Foundation
Panel: A View of the Sector
Moderator:
Elizabeth Kingsley, Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP
Panelists:
Social Welfare Organizations: Better Alternatives to Charities?
New York, NY
Hot Topics to Keep Your Organization Out of Hot Water
Moderator: Rosemary E. Fei
Panelists: Tania Ibañez (Attorney General’s office); Gene Takagi, Elizabeth Bluestein
Los Angeles, CA
Non-profit Options for Structuring Stewardship Organizations
Foundation Advocacy
Co-Presenters: Catherine Livingston, Jones Day
Las Vegas, NV
Pitfalls in Private Foundations
Co-moderator: Bill Choi of RHCC
San Francisco, CA
Co-Hosts: CompassPoint, CalNonprofits and NIAC)
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA