The Citizens League in Minneapolis recently honored Sharon Sayles Belton for her leadership and long-standing commitment to public service.

Sayles Belton is the Government Partnerships & Alliances Lead for Thomson Reuters, and in her role she draws from decades of leadership in civic engagement.

She was the first woman and first person of color elected as mayor of Minneapolis, serving from 1994 to 2001. Prior to becoming mayor, she served on the Minneapolis City Council for 10 years.

Also, she co-founded the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter in 1976, which was the third domestic violence shelter in the country. Another of her many accomplishments was helping to establish the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

Her recognition came during the Citizens League’s annual Civic Celebration on Oct. 10.

A nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, the Citizens League works to empower people to engage in civic life and public policy. Their annual event brings together people from diverse backgrounds, political parties and ideologies to recognize civic leadership in Minnesota.

This year’s celebration also honored former U.S. Senator David Durenberger. Watch a video highlighting the honorees and their work.

“Advocating for a shared agenda that advances the common good is at the heart of my service to the public,” said Sayles Belton. “We get the best public policy outcomes when we are inclusive, respectful and open to listening to perspectives of everyone.”

Several Thomson Reuters colleagues joined Sayles Belton to celebrate and to congratulate her for being honored for a lifelong dedication to public service.

[Pictured left to right: Donna Gies, Ismael Hassan, Tim Radaich, Michele Engdahl, Keyla Duran, Sharon Sayles Belton, Charles Bradley, Marisa Marek and Erica Kairis.] 

This is a guest post from Sharon Sayles Belton, vice president of Government Partnerships & Alliances for Thomson Reuters.

Thomson Reuters strives to be a good neighbor in the communities where our employees live and work, including supporting charitable efforts our employees are engaged in.

One example is our partnership with Wilderness Inquiry, a nonprofit that leads outdoor trips and adventures for urban youth, families and people with disabilities. We’ve been most actively involved with Wilderness Inquiry’s Canoemobile program, which transforms our waterways into opportunities for youth to learn more about our natural resources, science, geography and to have some fun outdoors.

Our support of the nonprofit was sparked by Legal Professionals’ Chief Financial Officer Paul Fischer, who serves on Wilderness Inquiry’s board of directors, and his passion for their work. Thomson Reuters employees recently participated in Canoemobile events in three cities – Minneapolis-St. Paul, Toronto and Washington, D.C.

Steve Rubley, president of the Government segment for Thomson Reuters, led a Canoemobile team on the Potomac River in D.C. in late October. “It was such a joy to watch the students overcome their fears and bravely paddle their canoes down the Potomac River. For many it was their very first time on the river or in a canoe,” he said.

Not only are we raising funds for a worthwhile program, we’re connecting with other local businesses, law firms and our government partners. Building relationships through charitable partnerships strengthens our ties with employees, community members and area businesses. It’s a holistic approach to supporting the communities and contributing to the quality of life where our employees live and work.

In addition, as signatories to the United Nations Global Compact, Thomson Reuters is committed to integrating responsible business practices. Our commitment includes working to support quality education and building sustainable cities and communities. Our partnership with Wilderness Inquiry plays a key role in helping us meet these sustainable-development goals.

We look forward to continuing to support Wilderness Inquiry’s important work in our communities and to expanding our involvement to other Thomson Reuters locations.

This week the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum hosted a panel of thought leaders from law enforcement and civic organizations to discuss the evolution and challenges of anti-bias programs, as well as solutions for meeting the need for enhanced training regimens in police academies.

Sharon Sayles-Belton, Thomson Reuters vice president of Partnerships and Alliances, was the panel’s keynote speaker, sharing her perspective on anti-bias policing training. She drew from her experience as the mayor of Minneapolis from 1994 to 2002 and her earlier roles serving on the Minneapolis City Council and working for the Minnesota Department of Corrections both as a parole officer and as the assistant director of the state program for victims of sexual assault.

Thomson Reuters, which sponsored the panel along with Target, was involved as part of the company’s support of rebuilding efforts in Minneapolis and St. Paul following the tragic death of George Floyd.

The panel was developed in response to states nationwide looking to mandate that officers complete anti-bias training as part of sweeping police legislation. Anti-bias programs have been part of officer training in many jurisdictions, yet their effectiveness has been questioned by independent studies, news outlets and police organizations.

Booker Hodges, assistant commissioner of Law Enforcement for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, served as moderator. Panelists included:

• Dwayne Crawford, executive director, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)
• Patrick Yoes, national president, National Fraternal Order of Police
• Tracie Keesee, co-founder and senior vice president of Justice Initiatives, Center for Policing Equity
• Fabienne Brooks, chief (retired), and Guillermo Lopez, co-directors of the Law Enforcement Division, National Coalition Building Institute

Panelists noted more work is needed to understand the problem and efforts are needed to build consensus on approaches to anti-bias training that can lead to meaningful changes in officer behavior and peaceful resolutions to potentially violent confrontations.

Sayles-Belton said, “My experience at the Department of Corrections gives me confidence that we can as cities, states and a nation, improve and restore the trust between our communities and the police. It must start with an acceptance that bias, including racial bias, has been embedded in our institutions. It is not just a problem in policing. The focus of the public’s outrage is that police bias can result in immediate loss of life by lethal means.”

Watch a recording of Sayles-Belton’s keynote and the panel discussion on CSPAN.

Yesterday, I had the honor of presenting the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) inaugural Lifetime Liberty Achievement Award.

As part of our longstanding commitment to promoting diversity in the law, Thomson Reuters has sponsored the TIPS Liberty Achievement Award – which recognizes attorneys and judges who are exemplary role models promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession – since its inception in 2008.

This year, TIPS established a new Lifetime Liberty Achievement Award that seeks to recognize and celebrate those who have demonstrated persistent and enduring leadership over the course of their careers.

The ongoing events in Minneapolis and across the United States over the past few months have shown us that initiatives that promote diversity and inclusion, whether in the legal profession or across all aspects of our society, remain as important as ever.

A more diverse and inclusive legal profession can only help us in achieving justice, fairness and transparency in the application of the law, and ultimately, a judicial system that works for everyone.

I was delighted to present the award (virtually, of course) to The Honorable Judge Bernice B. Donald, and there could not have been a more worthy recipient who better embodies the values of the award – she is an inspiration and role model to us all and I am proud to call her my friend.

Judge Donald’s professional resume is seriously impressive. She has served as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit since 2011. She previously served on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee in 1995. Her other appointments include to the Judicial Conference Advisory Committee on Bankruptcy Rules, and an indefinite term on the Judicial Branch Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States.

However, Judge Donald has had to break down glass ceilings throughout her career. She was the first African American woman to serve as a judge in the state of Tennessee, the first African American woman in the history of the United States to serve as a bankruptcy judge, and the first African American President of the American Bar Foundation.

She has also been a long-time advocate and champion of civil rights and inclusion. She served as co-chair of the TIPS Diversity and Inclusion Committee, chair of the ABA Commission on Opportunities for Minorities in the Profession, and chair of the Memphis Diversity Institute.

She is a past president of the National Association of Women Judges, and many of her colleagues and peers from the NAWJ were able to join us for the celebration.

She has previously been honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Memphis, the Martin Luther King Community Service Award, the Memphis Bar Foundation Benjamin Hooks Award, the ABA Commission on Women – Margaret Brent Award, and recognition by the ABA’s Women Trailblazer’s Project.

Judge Donald is known throughout the profession as a gracious, humble person, and always willing to spend time with younger colleagues to impart her knowledge, wisdom and experience, and most importantly, help advance their careers.

She is a truly remarkable woman, and I could not have been more pleased to present her with her award.

This guest post was authored by Sharon Sayles Belton, vice president of Partnerships & Alliances for Thomson Reuters.

This week, CityPages featured an in-depth look at the Lake Street neighborhood in Minneapolis, among the areas hardest hit by the civil unrest following the tragic death of George Floyd. CityPages reporter Susan Du explored the history of the diverse neighborhood – with its reputation as “an incubator of immigrant dreams” – as well as rebuilding efforts under way there.

Sharon Sayles Belton, vice president of Partnerships and Alliances at Thomson Reuters, was among those CityPages interviewed for perspective on what’s happening along Lake Street. Her involvement with the neighborhood includes her experience as the mayor of Minneapolis from 1994 to 2002 and an earlier role serving on the Minneapolis City Council. CityPages noted: “Former mayor Sharon Sayles Belton watched decades of transformation shaken in a single week.”

Sayles Belton now champions Lake Street in her role at Thomson Reuters, which was among the local companies that committed to support rebuilding efforts in Minneapolis and St. Paul communities. In June, Thomson Reuters pledged a $1 million investment to help rebuild in North Minneapolis, the Lake Street area and the University Avenue corridor in St. Paul as well as doubled the volunteer hours for employees to support rebuilding efforts.

Part of the company’s support has included awarding grants to organizations working to end racism and social injustices in these three neighborhoods. Sayles Belton has helped lead the Thomson Reuters team responsible for reviewing applications and administering the funds.

To date, Thomson Reuters has awarded grants totaling $925,000 to 17 organizations in the following focus areas:

• Rebuilding MSP Communities: African American Leadership Forum, Lake Street Council, West Broadway Business and Area Coalition, Nexus Community Partners
• Anti-Racism Education: Bryant Neighborhood Organization and Central Area Neighborhood Development Organization (BNO & CANDO), Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity, Urban League Twin Cities
• Access to Justice/Rule of Law: LegalCORPS, League of Women Voters Minneapolis, Minnesota Justice Research Center, Roy Wilkins Center for Human Relations and Social Justice, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement (NOBLE)
• Basic Needs: Division of Indian Work, Hallie Q Brown Community Center, Inc., Keystone Community Services, Sabathani Community Center, YWCA Minneapolis

“These organizations are on the ground doing significant work with those affected by racial and social injustices,” Sayles Belton said. “There’s still much to be done, but their collective efforts are making an impact, and Thomson Reuters is honored to support their important work. We are grateful for their leadership because they know how hard it has been to move forward, but they are committed to rebuilding our communities and coming back even stronger.”

For more on how Thomson Reuters is serving local communities, click here.

Last week, the Star Tribune shared how the Red Cross is in need of volunteers to support communities in crisis as wildfires overwhelm the West Coast and hurricanes pound the South. Among the volunteers interviewed was Julie Buerkle, a technology delivery manager for Thomson Reuters.

Buerkle is currently in Florida using her paid vacation time to help with the Hurricane Sally cleanup. The Star Tribune explained: “Buerkle will likely spend the next two weeks sleeping in hotel rooms or on cots inside a church and then working the day alongside retirees, nurses and other volunteers. She started volunteering with the Red Cross in 2016 and usually goes on one deployment a year. In July, she flew to San Antonio to help with Hurricane Hanna damage, staffing a warehouse to distribute cleanup supplies.”

The article noted Buerkle received four paid days off to volunteer from Thomson Reuters, which she used for her Texas trip. Thomson Reuters doubled the volunteer hours for employees in 2020, following the tragic death of George Floyd, and pledged a $1 million investment to support rebuilding efforts in Minneapolis and St. Paul communities. It’s part of the ongoing Thomson Reuters community giving and employee volunteer program, which enables employees to take paid time-off each year to volunteer.

Between June and August, Thomson Reuters employees contributed more than 12,900 volunteer hours globally, including more than 6,500 hours in Minneapolis and St. Paul at organizations like the Sabathani Community Center, where employees, including CEO Steve Hasker, cleaned rooms, painted and helped reorganize and restock the food shelf in July. In August, employees partnered with law firm Fish & Richardson to provide more than 400 families with groceries and other essentials at the YWCA Minneapolis-Midtown. More recently, Thomson Reuters employees volunteered at last week’s National Voter Registration Day events and at a house build with Habitat for Humanity.

For more on how Thomson Reuters is serving communities, click here.

Sharon Sayles Belton, vice president of Partnerships and Alliances at Thomson Reuters, was honored in Minnesota Lawyer’s 2020 Attorneys of the Year ceremony yesterday.

She was recognized for her outstanding service to the profession as part of an annual event – held virtually this year – that honors attorneys for their work in procuring a successful result in an important case or business transaction, leadership in professional associations, participating in newsworthy events in the legal community, performing significant public services or excellence in providing in-house legal services.

Sayles Belton’s recognition highlights her work to champion rebuild efforts in the Minneapolis and St. Paul neighborhoods hardest hit by the civil unrest following the tragic death of George Floyd. Thomson Reuters is among the local companies supporting rebuilding efforts – including a $1 million investment to help rebuild in North Minneapolis, the Lake Street area and the University Avenue corridor in St. Paul – and Sayles Belton’s leadership is central to the company’s initiatives.

Part of the company’s support included doubling the volunteer hours for employees in 2020 and awarding grants to organizations working to end racism and social injustices in these three neighborhoods. Sayles Belton helped lead the Thomson Reuters team responsible for reviewing applications and administering the funds.

Sayles Belton’s leadership also included serving as the keynote speaker for a National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum panel in August, sharing her perspective on anti-bias policing training. She drew from her experience as the mayor of Minneapolis from 1994 to 2002 and her earlier roles serving on the Minneapolis City Council and working for the Minnesota Department of Corrections both as a parole officer and as the assistant director of the state program for victims of sexual assault.

In addition, Sayles Belton has been involved with a team of Thomson Reuters employees volunteering to help the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives promote its mission of equity in the administration of justice and stronger relationships between law enforcement and communities.

“Sharon’s commitment to the community throughout her career has been profound, and we are especially proud of her work last year,” said Paul Fischer, interim president for the Legal Professionals business of Thomson Reuters. “Sharon’s leadership in fighting systemic racism and her work to help rebuild neighborhoods following the death of George Floyd while in police custody, were important to our community and to us at Thomson Reuters.”

“I’m honored by Minnesota Lawyer’s recognition and grateful for the awareness it brings to continuing efforts to help heal our community,” Sayles Belton said. “I extend my sincere thanks to everyone who has supported the rebuilding efforts and contributed to organizations working to end racism and social injustices. We still have a long road ahead of us, but I’m proud of Thomson Reuters and my colleagues for their commitment to helping make our communities stronger.”

Read more about Sayles Belton’s work and her award in Minnesota Lawyer.

The events last summer following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police shook the city of Minneapolis to its core.  Days of riots and unrest destroyed scores of business, particularly in the Lake Street area, where rebuilding is still taking place.  Many parts of the community have pulled together to assist with the rebuilding as well as tackle the broader community issues that also in the wake of the George Floyd killing even more than one year later.

Sharon Sayles-Belton, vice president of alliances and partnerships at Thomson Reuters and former mayor of Minneapolis, and Rick Anderson, senior principal and former COO at Fish & Richardson discuss where things stand – more than one year later – in that most affected area of Minneapolis that was really Ground Zero for the events of last year, as well as in the broader community, and on the broader issues of racism and policing that are still being grappled with in Minneapolis and beyond.

To listen, click on the built-in player below (to download and listen later, click here)

Thomson Reuters recently released the first broad, in-depth accounting of the evolving field of cannabis law with Cannabis Law Deskbook, published in partnership with the Attorney General Alliance (AGA). It provides a roadmap for navigating the patchwork of federal, state and local laws governing the U.S. and Canadian cannabis and hemp markets.

Austin Bernstein is co-managing editor of Cannabis Law Deskbook, director of the AGA Cannabis Project, and assistant attorney general of Colorado. He explained how states have been at the forefront of experimenting with adult-use and medical cannabis programs.

Bernstein noted that since 2012, when Colorado and Washington created the world’s first adult-use cannabis markets, the pace of reform has quickened. Today’s cannabis markets reflect a multi-billion-dollar industry operating within a patchwork system of state and local laws.

“We wrote Cannabis Law Deskbook to help lawyers, policy makers, law enforcement officials and market participants navigate the complexities presented by the current state of cannabis legalization,” said Bernstein. “There is so much to consider when creating new regulations and policy, enforcing them or navigating the legal system where it comes to cannabis law, so we hand-picked the most experienced public sector attorneys and regulators from over a dozen state and local jurisdictions across the country as our contributing authors. Their analysis is objective and nonpartisan.”

The authors include leading subject matter experts in cannabis law and policy. They guide readers through the structure and function of a complex regulatory landscape, examining the impacts of various types of legislation and regulation, including regulatory structure, public health considerations, testing and tracking of cannabis, market incentives, illicit activity, and investigations and enforcement.

“We heard from many of our customers that navigating and understanding the various types of policy that have been effective in this nascent field of law is cumbersome and challenging,” said Sharon Sayles Belton, vice president of Partnerships and Alliances, Thomson Reuters. “From conflicts between federal and state laws, to compliance and tracking, to social equity programs, to confusion with laws covering cultivation of hemp, this book provides insight into every aspect of cannabis law.”

Learn more and purchase Cannabis Law Deskbook here.

A two-part podcast will feature state attorneys general as well as contributing authors to Cannabis Law Deskbook discussing the complexities of cannabis law and policy on Nov. 23. Recently published by Thomson Reuters in partnership with the Attorney General Alliance (AGA), Cannabis Law Deskbook provides a roadmap for navigating the patchwork of federal, state, and local laws governing the U.S. and Canadian cannabis and hemp markets.

AGA Executive Director Karen White and Sharon Sayles Belton, vice president of Partnerships and Alliances, Thomson Reuters, will kick off the podcast, which will be moderated by Cannabis Law Deskbook co-managing editor Austin Bernstein. The first half will feature a bipartisan discussion with two state attorneys general – Mark Brnovich (Arizona) and Thomas “T.J.” Donovan (Vermont) – sharing best practices on implementing cannabis laws. They’ll discuss the need for clarity and collaboration within this field of law.

The second half of the podcast will be a conversation with contributing authors and public sector subject matter experts. Panelists will discuss the creation of Cannabis Law Deskbook and how it adds value to the bar.

Register for the podcast, which will be on Nov. 23 from 2-3:30 p.m. EST.

Learn more and purchase Cannabis Law Deskbook here.