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UCLA Health: Teen Girls Facing the Most Adversity Showed the Biggest Gains in Social Connection After SKY Breathing, Study Finds
LOS ANGELES, California, Aug. 19 (TNSjou) -- The UCLA Health issued the following news release:
* * *
Teen girls facing the most adversity showed the biggest gains in social connection after SKY Breathing, study finds
School program combining social-emotional learning with breathwork increased social connectedness among girls carrying the heaviest trauma histories
Key takeaways
* UCLA researchers randomly assigned two Southern California high schools (174 teenage girls in all) to receive the SKY Schools program, one during the study period and one afterward, as a wait-list control.
* Students ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, Aug. 19 (TNSjou) -- The UCLA Health issued the following news release: * * * Teen girls facing the most adversity showed the biggest gains in social connection after SKY Breathing, study finds School program combining social-emotional learning with breathwork increased social connectedness among girls carrying the heaviest trauma histories Key takeaways * UCLA researchers randomly assigned two Southern California high schools (174 teenage girls in all) to receive the SKY Schools program, one during the study period and one afterward, as a wait-list control. * Studentscompleted the four-week SKY Schools curriculum in social-emotional learning and SKY Breathing followed by eight weeks of daily breathing practice, all within existing physical education classes.
* Girls with four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the intervention group reported a 7% increase in social connectedness - a significantly larger gain than lower-ACE participants or students at the wait-list school.
* Because loneliness and social isolation are strongly linked to depression, anxiety, substance misuse and academic failure, the findings suggest that low-cost, school-based approaches may be able to reach the students at highest risk - the group such programs often help least.
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School-based mental health programs face a persistent problem: the students who need help most often benefit least. A new UCLA study found the reverse. Among teenage girls in a program combining structured breathing techniques with social-emotional learning, those who had experienced the highest levels of childhood trauma showed the largest gains in social connectedness, according to findings published in the
Journal of Research on Adolescence
.
The results arrive as young people increasingly report loneliness and turn to technology, rather than to each other, for friendship and emotional support. Girls who have faced significant childhood adversity are already at heightened risk for anxiety, depression, substance misuse and academic failure.
The trial randomly assigned two Southern California high schools to receive the SKY Schools program, developed by the nonprofit International Association for Human Values, either during the study period or after it. The SKY Schools program combines a social-emotional learning curriculum with SKY Breathing, which is short for Sudarshan kriya yoga, a technique that uses specific rhythms of breath to regulate the body's stress response.
The study followed 174 female teenagers with varying levels of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. More than 93% of students at both schools were Latinx, and the two groups were comparable at the outset in levels of childhood adversity and in social connectedness. The wait-list comparison school received the program after the study period ended.
Students in the intervention group completed the four-week SKY Schools curriculum, then practiced the breathing techniques together during their physical education classes every school day for the following eight weeks: about five minutes of short breathing techniques on four days each week and one 25-minute SKY Breathing session on the fifth for a total of 40 sessions. During this time, students in the comparison school completed the assessments on the same timeline without receiving the intervention.
Experiencing four or more ACEs is considered a high level of childhood adversity and is associated with substantially greater risk for mental and physical health problems later in life. Girls in the intervention group who experienced four or more ACEs reported a 7% increase in social connectedness. This was a significantly larger improvement than among peers in the low-ACE intervention group or in the high- and low-ACE wait-list groups.
"What's striking is that the girls who needed help the most benefited the most," said Dara Ghahremani, research professor at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the study's senior author. "These are adolescents who have already faced significant adversity, and we found that a relatively simple, scalable approach combining social-emotional skills training with breathing techniques can help them feel more connected and develop a greater sense of belonging. When students are better able to regulate their own stress, they're better able to connect with the people around them."
"That connectedness matters enormously for protecting mental health during a developmental period when isolation can have lasting consequences," Ghahremani said.
The results point toward something schools can act on now. As districts nationwide search for low-cost, scalable ways to support student wellbeing and amid persistent disparities in mental health access for Latinx communities, the study offers early evidence that breath-based, trauma-informed social-emotional programs may be a promising tool, particularly for the students who need it most.
SKY Schools is offered by the International Association for Human Values, a nonprofit organization. The program provides social-emotional learning for students and educators, centered on SKY Breathing. In addition to breathing techniques, it incorporates stretching and games involving physical activity, alongside training in self-regulation, leadership and conflict management.
The co-lead authors of this study are Nathan Chabin, now a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, and Justine Chen, who will begin the joint doctoral program in clinical psychology at UC San Diego and San Diego State University this fall. Both conducted the work as postgraduate research assistants at UCLA. Additional co-authors include postgraduate research assistants Matthew Abikenari and Maxim Dembow; UCLA senior statistician Prabha Siddarth; distinguished professor Vickie Mays; professor Denise Chavira; and University of Victoria assistant professor Susan Ramsundarsingh.
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View journal here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jora.70228
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Original text here: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/teen-girls-facing-most-adversity-showed-biggest-gains-social
[Category: Medical]
* * *
Teen girls facing the most adversity showed the biggest gains in social connection after SKY Breathing, study finds
School program combining social-emotional learning with breathwork increased social connectedness among girls carrying the heaviest trauma histories
Key takeaways
* UCLA researchers randomly assigned two Southern California high schools (174 teenage girls in all) to receive the SKY Schools program, one during the study period and one afterward, as a wait-list control.
* Students ... Show Full Article LOS ANGELES, California, Aug. 19 (TNSjou) -- The UCLA Health issued the following news release: * * * Teen girls facing the most adversity showed the biggest gains in social connection after SKY Breathing, study finds School program combining social-emotional learning with breathwork increased social connectedness among girls carrying the heaviest trauma histories Key takeaways * UCLA researchers randomly assigned two Southern California high schools (174 teenage girls in all) to receive the SKY Schools program, one during the study period and one afterward, as a wait-list control. * Studentscompleted the four-week SKY Schools curriculum in social-emotional learning and SKY Breathing followed by eight weeks of daily breathing practice, all within existing physical education classes.
* Girls with four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in the intervention group reported a 7% increase in social connectedness - a significantly larger gain than lower-ACE participants or students at the wait-list school.
* Because loneliness and social isolation are strongly linked to depression, anxiety, substance misuse and academic failure, the findings suggest that low-cost, school-based approaches may be able to reach the students at highest risk - the group such programs often help least.
-
School-based mental health programs face a persistent problem: the students who need help most often benefit least. A new UCLA study found the reverse. Among teenage girls in a program combining structured breathing techniques with social-emotional learning, those who had experienced the highest levels of childhood trauma showed the largest gains in social connectedness, according to findings published in the
Journal of Research on Adolescence
.
The results arrive as young people increasingly report loneliness and turn to technology, rather than to each other, for friendship and emotional support. Girls who have faced significant childhood adversity are already at heightened risk for anxiety, depression, substance misuse and academic failure.
The trial randomly assigned two Southern California high schools to receive the SKY Schools program, developed by the nonprofit International Association for Human Values, either during the study period or after it. The SKY Schools program combines a social-emotional learning curriculum with SKY Breathing, which is short for Sudarshan kriya yoga, a technique that uses specific rhythms of breath to regulate the body's stress response.
The study followed 174 female teenagers with varying levels of adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. More than 93% of students at both schools were Latinx, and the two groups were comparable at the outset in levels of childhood adversity and in social connectedness. The wait-list comparison school received the program after the study period ended.
Students in the intervention group completed the four-week SKY Schools curriculum, then practiced the breathing techniques together during their physical education classes every school day for the following eight weeks: about five minutes of short breathing techniques on four days each week and one 25-minute SKY Breathing session on the fifth for a total of 40 sessions. During this time, students in the comparison school completed the assessments on the same timeline without receiving the intervention.
Experiencing four or more ACEs is considered a high level of childhood adversity and is associated with substantially greater risk for mental and physical health problems later in life. Girls in the intervention group who experienced four or more ACEs reported a 7% increase in social connectedness. This was a significantly larger improvement than among peers in the low-ACE intervention group or in the high- and low-ACE wait-list groups.
"What's striking is that the girls who needed help the most benefited the most," said Dara Ghahremani, research professor at UCLA's Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior and the study's senior author. "These are adolescents who have already faced significant adversity, and we found that a relatively simple, scalable approach combining social-emotional skills training with breathing techniques can help them feel more connected and develop a greater sense of belonging. When students are better able to regulate their own stress, they're better able to connect with the people around them."
"That connectedness matters enormously for protecting mental health during a developmental period when isolation can have lasting consequences," Ghahremani said.
The results point toward something schools can act on now. As districts nationwide search for low-cost, scalable ways to support student wellbeing and amid persistent disparities in mental health access for Latinx communities, the study offers early evidence that breath-based, trauma-informed social-emotional programs may be a promising tool, particularly for the students who need it most.
SKY Schools is offered by the International Association for Human Values, a nonprofit organization. The program provides social-emotional learning for students and educators, centered on SKY Breathing. In addition to breathing techniques, it incorporates stretching and games involving physical activity, alongside training in self-regulation, leadership and conflict management.
The co-lead authors of this study are Nathan Chabin, now a postbaccalaureate fellow at the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, and Justine Chen, who will begin the joint doctoral program in clinical psychology at UC San Diego and San Diego State University this fall. Both conducted the work as postgraduate research assistants at UCLA. Additional co-authors include postgraduate research assistants Matthew Abikenari and Maxim Dembow; UCLA senior statistician Prabha Siddarth; distinguished professor Vickie Mays; professor Denise Chavira; and University of Victoria assistant professor Susan Ramsundarsingh.
* * *
View journal here: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jora.70228
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Original text here: https://www.uclahealth.org/news/release/teen-girls-facing-most-adversity-showed-biggest-gains-social
[Category: Medical]
Steptoe Strengthens Investigations Bench With White-Collar and Regulatory Defense Partner Jennifer Loeb
WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 -- Steptoe, a law firm, issued the following news release:
* * *
Steptoe Strengthens Investigations Bench with White-Collar and Regulatory Defense Partner Jennifer Loeb
Steptoe LLP is pleased to announce that Jennifer Loeb has joined the firm's Washington, DC office as a partner in its Investigations, White-Collar Defense & Compliance group.
A former federal prosecutor, Jenn has a nationally recognized practice representing multinational corporations, financial institutions, technology companies, and senior executives in government investigations, regulatory enforcement ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 -- Steptoe, a law firm, issued the following news release: * * * Steptoe Strengthens Investigations Bench with White-Collar and Regulatory Defense Partner Jennifer Loeb Steptoe LLP is pleased to announce that Jennifer Loeb has joined the firm's Washington, DC office as a partner in its Investigations, White-Collar Defense & Compliance group. A former federal prosecutor, Jenn has a nationally recognized practice representing multinational corporations, financial institutions, technology companies, and senior executives in government investigations, regulatory enforcementmatters, internal investigations, and complex civil litigation. Her arrival further strengthens Steptoe's market-leading capabilities in high-stakes investigations and crisis management at a time when companies face increasing scrutiny from federal and state regulators across a broad range of industries.
Jenn has extensive experience leading sensitive and cross-border investigations involving allegations of fraud, corruption, regulatory misconduct, workplace issues, consumer protection concerns, and compliance failures. Her addition expands the firm's Washington, DC investigations bench, enhances its ability to help clients navigate complex regulatory and enforcement risks, and adds significant experience working with state attorneys general and other key enforcement authorities.
Prior to joining Steptoe, Jenn was a partner in private practice. Earlier in her career, she served as a senior Assistant United States Attorney in the specialized sex crimes unit of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, where she tried nearly 50 cases to verdict and argued numerous appeals before the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and the DC Court of Appeals--experience that is particularly important when a client matter moves toward enforcement or litigation.
"Clients today need advisors who can navigate investigations from every angle, including enforcement risk, litigation exposure, reputational considerations, and board-level concerns," said Ryan Poscablo, chair of Steptoe's Investigations, White-Collar Defense & Compliance group. "Jenn brings exceptional judgment, trial experience, and credibility with regulators. Her deep experience in regulatory enforcement matters, including matters involving state attorneys general, strengthens our ability to serve clients facing heightened government scrutiny while further expanding our white-collar and government investigations capabilities in Washington, DC. Her ability to guide clients through their most sensitive matters makes her an outstanding addition to our team and a tremendous asset to our clients."
Jenn brings unique experience to the IWC group. On the regulatory and enforcement side, she has represented clients in matters initiated by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and several state attorneys general. On the compliance and governance side, she has conducted independent investigations for corporate boards and special committees, advised companies on DEI and workforce compliance issues, and counseled clients on matters relating to allegations of sensitive interpersonal workplace misconduct.
"Regulatory enforcement is becoming increasingly complex, with businesses facing simultaneous scrutiny from government agencies, shareholders, customers, and the public," Jenn said. "Steptoe's combination of elite trial talent, deep regulatory experience, and collaborative culture creates a powerful platform for helping clients manage risk, respond to investigations, and solve their most challenging problems. I'm excited to join the firm and work alongside such an exceptional group of lawyers."
Jenn earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
* * *
About Steptoe
In more than 110 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients and innovative thinking before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
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Original text here: https://www.steptoe.com/en/news-publications/steptoe-strengthens-investigations-bench-with-white-collar-and-regulatory-defense-partner-jennifer-loeb.html
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
* * *
Steptoe Strengthens Investigations Bench with White-Collar and Regulatory Defense Partner Jennifer Loeb
Steptoe LLP is pleased to announce that Jennifer Loeb has joined the firm's Washington, DC office as a partner in its Investigations, White-Collar Defense & Compliance group.
A former federal prosecutor, Jenn has a nationally recognized practice representing multinational corporations, financial institutions, technology companies, and senior executives in government investigations, regulatory enforcement ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 19 -- Steptoe, a law firm, issued the following news release: * * * Steptoe Strengthens Investigations Bench with White-Collar and Regulatory Defense Partner Jennifer Loeb Steptoe LLP is pleased to announce that Jennifer Loeb has joined the firm's Washington, DC office as a partner in its Investigations, White-Collar Defense & Compliance group. A former federal prosecutor, Jenn has a nationally recognized practice representing multinational corporations, financial institutions, technology companies, and senior executives in government investigations, regulatory enforcementmatters, internal investigations, and complex civil litigation. Her arrival further strengthens Steptoe's market-leading capabilities in high-stakes investigations and crisis management at a time when companies face increasing scrutiny from federal and state regulators across a broad range of industries.
Jenn has extensive experience leading sensitive and cross-border investigations involving allegations of fraud, corruption, regulatory misconduct, workplace issues, consumer protection concerns, and compliance failures. Her addition expands the firm's Washington, DC investigations bench, enhances its ability to help clients navigate complex regulatory and enforcement risks, and adds significant experience working with state attorneys general and other key enforcement authorities.
Prior to joining Steptoe, Jenn was a partner in private practice. Earlier in her career, she served as a senior Assistant United States Attorney in the specialized sex crimes unit of the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, where she tried nearly 50 cases to verdict and argued numerous appeals before the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit and the DC Court of Appeals--experience that is particularly important when a client matter moves toward enforcement or litigation.
"Clients today need advisors who can navigate investigations from every angle, including enforcement risk, litigation exposure, reputational considerations, and board-level concerns," said Ryan Poscablo, chair of Steptoe's Investigations, White-Collar Defense & Compliance group. "Jenn brings exceptional judgment, trial experience, and credibility with regulators. Her deep experience in regulatory enforcement matters, including matters involving state attorneys general, strengthens our ability to serve clients facing heightened government scrutiny while further expanding our white-collar and government investigations capabilities in Washington, DC. Her ability to guide clients through their most sensitive matters makes her an outstanding addition to our team and a tremendous asset to our clients."
Jenn brings unique experience to the IWC group. On the regulatory and enforcement side, she has represented clients in matters initiated by the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Federal Trade Commission, and several state attorneys general. On the compliance and governance side, she has conducted independent investigations for corporate boards and special committees, advised companies on DEI and workforce compliance issues, and counseled clients on matters relating to allegations of sensitive interpersonal workplace misconduct.
"Regulatory enforcement is becoming increasingly complex, with businesses facing simultaneous scrutiny from government agencies, shareholders, customers, and the public," Jenn said. "Steptoe's combination of elite trial talent, deep regulatory experience, and collaborative culture creates a powerful platform for helping clients manage risk, respond to investigations, and solve their most challenging problems. I'm excited to join the firm and work alongside such an exceptional group of lawyers."
Jenn earned her J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law.
* * *
About Steptoe
In more than 110 years of practice, Steptoe has earned an international reputation for vigorous representation of clients and innovative thinking before governmental agencies, successful advocacy in litigation and arbitration, and creative and practical advice in structuring business transactions. Steptoe has more than 500 lawyers and other professional staff across offices in Beijing, Brussels, Chicago, Hong Kong, Houston, London, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. For more information, visit www.steptoe.com.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.steptoe.com/en/news-publications/steptoe-strengthens-investigations-bench-with-white-collar-and-regulatory-defense-partner-jennifer-loeb.html
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Raymond James Expands Land-Secured Public Finance Capabilities, Hires MBS Capital Markets Bankers
ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, Aug. 19 -- Raymond James Financial issued the following news release:
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Raymond James expands land-secured public finance capabilities, hires MBS Capital Markets bankers
Raymond James is expanding its Public Finance capabilities with the addition of five bankers from MBS Capital Markets, a Florida-based investment bank that specializes in land-secured finance. The addition will strengthen the firm's land-secured business within Public Finance and enhance its ability to serve special district, master-planned community and mixed-use development clients.
The MBS team ... Show Full Article ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, Aug. 19 -- Raymond James Financial issued the following news release: * * * Raymond James expands land-secured public finance capabilities, hires MBS Capital Markets bankers Raymond James is expanding its Public Finance capabilities with the addition of five bankers from MBS Capital Markets, a Florida-based investment bank that specializes in land-secured finance. The addition will strengthen the firm's land-secured business within Public Finance and enhance its ability to serve special district, master-planned community and mixed-use development clients. The MBS teamhas extensive experience in land-secured finance, including deep relationships across Florida and other high-growth markets. In 2011, MBS was established to transition the land-secured finance group from Prager, Sealy & Co., which is credited with establishing the land-secured business in Florida, underwriting over $9.5 billion from 1991 to 2011. Since establishment, MBS has completed more than 600 land-secured finance transactions with an aggregate principal amount of $6.75 billion.
"With several decades of industry experience, the MBS team brings a level of specialization, market knowledge and client commitment that aligns extremely well with our Public Finance business," said Gavin Murrey, executive vice president and head of Public Finance at Raymond James. "Together, we see significant opportunity to expand our land-secured platform by pairing their client and investor relationships and structuring experience with the breadth, resources and distribution capabilities of Raymond James."
Joining Raymond James from MBS are:
* Ed Bulleit, managing director // Tampa, Florida
* Brett Sealy, managing director // Winter Park, Florida
* Sete Zare, director // Nashville, Tennessee
* Sara Zare, director // Nashville, Tennessee
* Kendall Hahn, vice president // Tampa, Florida
MBS is a recognized leader in land-secured finance, and its founders are credited with helping develop the market for non-rated special assessment bonds in Florida. The team also specializes in underwriting tax increment and utility revenue bonds, with experience advising large-scale master-planned communities and mixed-use projects.
"Raymond James provides the scale, resources and culture to help us extend the work we have built in the land-secured market on the foundation my dad, Doug Sealy, laid more than 40 years ago for which we remain humbled and appreciative," said Brett Sealy, managing partner and co-founder of MBS Capital Markets.
"By combining our Florida presence, client relationships and structuring experience with the Raymond James Public Finance platform, we can deliver broader capabilities to our clients and the communities they support," added Ed Bulleit, managing partner and co-founder of MBS Capital Markets.
The MBS team's experience includes underwriting and placing complex financings, supporting innovative structures and maintaining long-term relationships with high-yield institutional investors, alternative lenders, local and national banks. The team has also worked on projects in markets with more limited histories of land-secured bond issuance.
Raymond James has one of the largest public finance practices in the country with more than 200 professionals and 41 locations nationwide. In 2025, the team senior-managed 610 negotiated and competitive issues with a total par value of more than $29 billion. The firm consistently ranks among the top five underwriters of municipal bonds in the United States, according to Bloomberg.
* * *
About Raymond James Financial, Inc.
Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF) is a leading diversified financial services company providing private client group, capital markets, asset management, banking and other services to individuals, corporations and municipalities. Total client assets are $1.92 trillion. Public since 1983, the firm is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RJF. Additional information is available at www.raymondjames.com. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange.
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Original text here: https://www.raymondjames.com/news-and-media/press-releases/2026/08/18/raymond-james-expands-land-secured-public-finance-capabilities-hires-mbs-capital-markets-bankers
[Category: BizFinancial Services]
* * *
Raymond James expands land-secured public finance capabilities, hires MBS Capital Markets bankers
Raymond James is expanding its Public Finance capabilities with the addition of five bankers from MBS Capital Markets, a Florida-based investment bank that specializes in land-secured finance. The addition will strengthen the firm's land-secured business within Public Finance and enhance its ability to serve special district, master-planned community and mixed-use development clients.
The MBS team ... Show Full Article ST. PETERSBURG, Florida, Aug. 19 -- Raymond James Financial issued the following news release: * * * Raymond James expands land-secured public finance capabilities, hires MBS Capital Markets bankers Raymond James is expanding its Public Finance capabilities with the addition of five bankers from MBS Capital Markets, a Florida-based investment bank that specializes in land-secured finance. The addition will strengthen the firm's land-secured business within Public Finance and enhance its ability to serve special district, master-planned community and mixed-use development clients. The MBS teamhas extensive experience in land-secured finance, including deep relationships across Florida and other high-growth markets. In 2011, MBS was established to transition the land-secured finance group from Prager, Sealy & Co., which is credited with establishing the land-secured business in Florida, underwriting over $9.5 billion from 1991 to 2011. Since establishment, MBS has completed more than 600 land-secured finance transactions with an aggregate principal amount of $6.75 billion.
"With several decades of industry experience, the MBS team brings a level of specialization, market knowledge and client commitment that aligns extremely well with our Public Finance business," said Gavin Murrey, executive vice president and head of Public Finance at Raymond James. "Together, we see significant opportunity to expand our land-secured platform by pairing their client and investor relationships and structuring experience with the breadth, resources and distribution capabilities of Raymond James."
Joining Raymond James from MBS are:
* Ed Bulleit, managing director // Tampa, Florida
* Brett Sealy, managing director // Winter Park, Florida
* Sete Zare, director // Nashville, Tennessee
* Sara Zare, director // Nashville, Tennessee
* Kendall Hahn, vice president // Tampa, Florida
MBS is a recognized leader in land-secured finance, and its founders are credited with helping develop the market for non-rated special assessment bonds in Florida. The team also specializes in underwriting tax increment and utility revenue bonds, with experience advising large-scale master-planned communities and mixed-use projects.
"Raymond James provides the scale, resources and culture to help us extend the work we have built in the land-secured market on the foundation my dad, Doug Sealy, laid more than 40 years ago for which we remain humbled and appreciative," said Brett Sealy, managing partner and co-founder of MBS Capital Markets.
"By combining our Florida presence, client relationships and structuring experience with the Raymond James Public Finance platform, we can deliver broader capabilities to our clients and the communities they support," added Ed Bulleit, managing partner and co-founder of MBS Capital Markets.
The MBS team's experience includes underwriting and placing complex financings, supporting innovative structures and maintaining long-term relationships with high-yield institutional investors, alternative lenders, local and national banks. The team has also worked on projects in markets with more limited histories of land-secured bond issuance.
Raymond James has one of the largest public finance practices in the country with more than 200 professionals and 41 locations nationwide. In 2025, the team senior-managed 610 negotiated and competitive issues with a total par value of more than $29 billion. The firm consistently ranks among the top five underwriters of municipal bonds in the United States, according to Bloomberg.
* * *
About Raymond James Financial, Inc.
Raymond James Financial, Inc. (NYSE: RJF) is a leading diversified financial services company providing private client group, capital markets, asset management, banking and other services to individuals, corporations and municipalities. Total client assets are $1.92 trillion. Public since 1983, the firm is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RJF. Additional information is available at www.raymondjames.com. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., member New York Stock Exchange.
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Original text here: https://www.raymondjames.com/news-and-media/press-releases/2026/08/18/raymond-james-expands-land-secured-public-finance-capabilities-hires-mbs-capital-markets-bankers
[Category: BizFinancial Services]
Pega Advances Responsible AI for Customer Engagement With New Capabilities and Strategic Partnership
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Aug. 19 -- Pegasystems, a software company empowering digital transformation, issued the following news release on Aug. 18, 2026:
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Pega Advances Responsible AI for Customer Engagement with New Capabilities and Strategic Partnership
New responsible AI features bring enhanced transparency and governance to AI-powered marketing, while a new partnership with Gryphon unites responsible AI with compliance assurance
WALTHAM, Mass. - Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA), the enterprise AI software company for mission-critical work, today announced new responsible AI advancements ... Show Full Article CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Aug. 19 -- Pegasystems, a software company empowering digital transformation, issued the following news release on Aug. 18, 2026: * * * Pega Advances Responsible AI for Customer Engagement with New Capabilities and Strategic Partnership New responsible AI features bring enhanced transparency and governance to AI-powered marketing, while a new partnership with Gryphon unites responsible AI with compliance assurance WALTHAM, Mass. - Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA), the enterprise AI software company for mission-critical work, today announced new responsible AI advancementsthat accelerate AI-powered customer engagement while reducing risk. The first is the general availability of Pega Customer Engagement Studio(TM), a set of new agentic and automation capabilities within Pega Customer Decision Hub(TM) that enable the rapid design of customer engagement strategies using natural language, embedded best practices, and built-in governance to confidently optimize campaign effectiveness.
Pega also announced a partnership with Gryphon, a leading contact governance platform that provides omnichannel governance, continual auditability, and reach recovery for enterprises across highly regulated industries, including financial services, insurance, healthcare, retail, and communications, to meet TCPA, TRS, DNC, and FDCPA requirements. Together with Pega's newest capabilities, these advancements reinforce that AI speed and responsibility must go hand in hand.
Market Context: Rising Pressure on Responsible AI
As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, businesses are simultaneously expected to operationalize AI and scale customer engagement. According to EY, organizations are struggling to find this balance, noting "Only a third of companies have responsible controls for current AI models despite nearly three-quarters having AI integrated into initiatives across the organization."
Governance should not constrain customer engagement but rather serve as the foundation for safe, sustainable AI adoption. Enterprises that embed transparency and compliance into AI systems can scale with confidence while reducing reputational and regulatory risk.
A Closer Look: Governed AI at Scale
New responsible AI enhancements for Pega Customer Decision Hub help ensure AI-powered marketing is fast, auditable, and accountable. These enhancements are a part of Pega Customer Engagement Studio, a new Customer Decision Hub agentic experience announced at PegaWorld(R) 2026 that unifies Pega and third-party agents so marketers can move from brief to live, personalized actions in minutes.
Benefits include:
* Get campaigns right the first time: Enables users to design campaigns conversationally while the embedded AI assistant captures intent, asks clarifying questions, and generates strategy logic. It also automatically validates against best practices, translates intent into executable rules, and enforces approval workflows with audit history, escalation, and re-approval controls.
* Simplify policy creation and reduce training needs: Helps users build advanced engagement policies for always-on actions without expert training. An AI assistant reuses approved logic, guides policy configuration (eligibility, suitability, applicability, and contact rules), and leverages existing data models to improve consistency and reduce build time.
* Reduce risk with intelligent validation and monitoring: Prevents misconfiguration with an eligibility criteria builder that validates targeting rules, while compliance monitoring detects changes (such as opt-outs) in connected systems and flags issues before execution.
These features complement existing Customer Decision Hub offerings including Customer Profile Viewer for clearer decision transparency and Pega T-Switch(TM) for configurable AI explainability. Additionally, Ethical Bias Check ensures fairness by identifying and mitigating bias before deployment, enabling more responsible, transparent customer engagement. Together, users gain a more responsible approach to their AI usage to get customer engagement right, every time.
Pega and Gryphon: A New Strategic Partnership
Pega is partnering with Gryphon to further advance its responsible AI strategy. Pega Customer Decision Hub governs AI behavior through transparent, unbiased models and clearly defined engagement logic focused on decision quality and fairness, while Gryphon complements this by governing outreach legality as a discrete compliance layer. Together, the partnership introduces two key capabilities for joint clients:
Optimization: While Customer Decision Hub intentionally suppresses audiences based on engagement policies, organizations often over-suppress out of caution. The Gryphon ONE platform recovers audiences by identifying legally valid exemptions and state-specific rules.
Revenue calculator: Gryphon ONE quantifies the financial impact of over-suppression and legal exposure, enabling data-driven executive and sales conversations not natively addressed in Customer Decision Hub.
By combining Customer Decision Hub and Gryphon ONE, organizations can move faster than those retrofitting compliance, creating an end-to-end approach that links responsible decisioning with trusted customer engagement.
Availability
Organizations can visit Pega's Responsible AI page to better understand real-world examples of AI risk within their industries and how to address them. Pega's new agentic capabilities and Pega Customer Engagement Studio are now available at no additional cost to existing Pega Customer Decision Hub clients as part of the Pega Infinity(TM) 26 release.
Quotes & Commentary
"Enterprises can't afford to treat AI governance as an afterthought," said Rob Walker, general manager, 1:1 customer engagement, Pega. "This expansion of our responsible AI capabilities - from our new agentic AI offerings to our partnership with Gryphon - gives our clients the ability to move faster with AI while helping ensure every decision is transparent, compliant, and accountable."
"Pega and Gryphon share a foundational belief: that AI-powered customer engagement must be both intelligent and responsible, all the way through to delivery," said Clay McNaught, CEO, Gryphon. "We're giving our joint customers a clear, trusted path from AI decision to compliant contact."
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Original text here: https://www.pega.com/about/news/press-releases/pega-advances-responsible-ai-customer-engagement-new-capabilities-and
[Category: BizComputer Technology]
* * *
Pega Advances Responsible AI for Customer Engagement with New Capabilities and Strategic Partnership
New responsible AI features bring enhanced transparency and governance to AI-powered marketing, while a new partnership with Gryphon unites responsible AI with compliance assurance
WALTHAM, Mass. - Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA), the enterprise AI software company for mission-critical work, today announced new responsible AI advancements ... Show Full Article CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Aug. 19 -- Pegasystems, a software company empowering digital transformation, issued the following news release on Aug. 18, 2026: * * * Pega Advances Responsible AI for Customer Engagement with New Capabilities and Strategic Partnership New responsible AI features bring enhanced transparency and governance to AI-powered marketing, while a new partnership with Gryphon unites responsible AI with compliance assurance WALTHAM, Mass. - Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA), the enterprise AI software company for mission-critical work, today announced new responsible AI advancementsthat accelerate AI-powered customer engagement while reducing risk. The first is the general availability of Pega Customer Engagement Studio(TM), a set of new agentic and automation capabilities within Pega Customer Decision Hub(TM) that enable the rapid design of customer engagement strategies using natural language, embedded best practices, and built-in governance to confidently optimize campaign effectiveness.
Pega also announced a partnership with Gryphon, a leading contact governance platform that provides omnichannel governance, continual auditability, and reach recovery for enterprises across highly regulated industries, including financial services, insurance, healthcare, retail, and communications, to meet TCPA, TRS, DNC, and FDCPA requirements. Together with Pega's newest capabilities, these advancements reinforce that AI speed and responsibility must go hand in hand.
Market Context: Rising Pressure on Responsible AI
As regulatory scrutiny intensifies, businesses are simultaneously expected to operationalize AI and scale customer engagement. According to EY, organizations are struggling to find this balance, noting "Only a third of companies have responsible controls for current AI models despite nearly three-quarters having AI integrated into initiatives across the organization."
Governance should not constrain customer engagement but rather serve as the foundation for safe, sustainable AI adoption. Enterprises that embed transparency and compliance into AI systems can scale with confidence while reducing reputational and regulatory risk.
A Closer Look: Governed AI at Scale
New responsible AI enhancements for Pega Customer Decision Hub help ensure AI-powered marketing is fast, auditable, and accountable. These enhancements are a part of Pega Customer Engagement Studio, a new Customer Decision Hub agentic experience announced at PegaWorld(R) 2026 that unifies Pega and third-party agents so marketers can move from brief to live, personalized actions in minutes.
Benefits include:
* Get campaigns right the first time: Enables users to design campaigns conversationally while the embedded AI assistant captures intent, asks clarifying questions, and generates strategy logic. It also automatically validates against best practices, translates intent into executable rules, and enforces approval workflows with audit history, escalation, and re-approval controls.
* Simplify policy creation and reduce training needs: Helps users build advanced engagement policies for always-on actions without expert training. An AI assistant reuses approved logic, guides policy configuration (eligibility, suitability, applicability, and contact rules), and leverages existing data models to improve consistency and reduce build time.
* Reduce risk with intelligent validation and monitoring: Prevents misconfiguration with an eligibility criteria builder that validates targeting rules, while compliance monitoring detects changes (such as opt-outs) in connected systems and flags issues before execution.
These features complement existing Customer Decision Hub offerings including Customer Profile Viewer for clearer decision transparency and Pega T-Switch(TM) for configurable AI explainability. Additionally, Ethical Bias Check ensures fairness by identifying and mitigating bias before deployment, enabling more responsible, transparent customer engagement. Together, users gain a more responsible approach to their AI usage to get customer engagement right, every time.
Pega and Gryphon: A New Strategic Partnership
Pega is partnering with Gryphon to further advance its responsible AI strategy. Pega Customer Decision Hub governs AI behavior through transparent, unbiased models and clearly defined engagement logic focused on decision quality and fairness, while Gryphon complements this by governing outreach legality as a discrete compliance layer. Together, the partnership introduces two key capabilities for joint clients:
Optimization: While Customer Decision Hub intentionally suppresses audiences based on engagement policies, organizations often over-suppress out of caution. The Gryphon ONE platform recovers audiences by identifying legally valid exemptions and state-specific rules.
Revenue calculator: Gryphon ONE quantifies the financial impact of over-suppression and legal exposure, enabling data-driven executive and sales conversations not natively addressed in Customer Decision Hub.
By combining Customer Decision Hub and Gryphon ONE, organizations can move faster than those retrofitting compliance, creating an end-to-end approach that links responsible decisioning with trusted customer engagement.
Availability
Organizations can visit Pega's Responsible AI page to better understand real-world examples of AI risk within their industries and how to address them. Pega's new agentic capabilities and Pega Customer Engagement Studio are now available at no additional cost to existing Pega Customer Decision Hub clients as part of the Pega Infinity(TM) 26 release.
Quotes & Commentary
"Enterprises can't afford to treat AI governance as an afterthought," said Rob Walker, general manager, 1:1 customer engagement, Pega. "This expansion of our responsible AI capabilities - from our new agentic AI offerings to our partnership with Gryphon - gives our clients the ability to move faster with AI while helping ensure every decision is transparent, compliant, and accountable."
"Pega and Gryphon share a foundational belief: that AI-powered customer engagement must be both intelligent and responsible, all the way through to delivery," said Clay McNaught, CEO, Gryphon. "We're giving our joint customers a clear, trusted path from AI decision to compliant contact."
* * *
Original text here: https://www.pega.com/about/news/press-releases/pega-advances-responsible-ai-customer-engagement-new-capabilities-and
[Category: BizComputer Technology]
Gartner Says Shared CHRO-CIO Ownership Is Critical for AI Transformation
STAMFORD, Connecticut, Aug. 19 (TNSrep) -- Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company, issued the following Q&A on Aug. 17, 2026, involving Vice President Analyst Mark Whittle:
* * *
Gartner Says Shared CHRO-CIO Ownership Is Critical for AI Transformation
Q&A with Mark Whittle
-
As organizations accelerate AI adoption, work redesign is becoming a shared leadership challenge for HR and IT, and Gartner predicts that by 2029, 30% of organizations will form blended HR-IT teams to accelerate AI enablement.
We spoke with Mark Whittle, VP Analyst, in Gartner's HR practice, ... Show Full Article STAMFORD, Connecticut, Aug. 19 (TNSrep) -- Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company, issued the following Q&A on Aug. 17, 2026, involving Vice President Analyst Mark Whittle: * * * Gartner Says Shared CHRO-CIO Ownership Is Critical for AI Transformation Q&A with Mark Whittle - As organizations accelerate AI adoption, work redesign is becoming a shared leadership challenge for HR and IT, and Gartner predicts that by 2029, 30% of organizations will form blended HR-IT teams to accelerate AI enablement. We spoke with Mark Whittle, VP Analyst, in Gartner's HR practice,about why successful AI transformation depends on intentional partnership between CHROs and CIOs. He shared four immediate actions CHROs should take with their CIOs.
Journalists who would like to speak with Mark regarding this topic can contact mary.baker@gartner.com or gerri.weinberger@gartner.com. Members of the media can reference this material in articles with proper attribution to Gartner.
Q: What does effective shared ownership between the CHRO and CIO look like in practice?
A: Rather than treating AI as a technology deployment first and a workforce issue later, the CHRO and CIO jointly help shape the capabilities, standards and guardrails needed to support the human-machine workplace.
This does not mean most organizations need to restructure or merge HR and IT. Most organizations will continue operating with separate HR and IT functions, but those functions must become more connected around the areas where work, talent and technology overlap.
CHROs and CIOs must intentionally share ownership of priority capabilities such as:
1. AI ethics and governance: Managing the risks, bias, safety concerns, and human impacts that emerge when AI agents interact with people and processes.
2. Skills-based talent management: Crafting a skills-based approach to match evolving work to the right blend of human and AI agent capabilities.
3. Total cost of work analysis: Determining the true cost of work that integrates the cost and value created by both humans and AI agents.
4. Human-agent work and job redesign: Redistributing tasks across teams and functions, reshaping workflows, job structures, task ownership and decision rights.
5. Human-AI performance management: Defining new expectations, measurement approaches, and oversight models for augmented work.
Q: What should CHROs do now to operationalize shared ownership with the CIO?
A: CHROs should move from agreement in principle to clear mechanisms for how HR and IT will make decisions, support business leaders and scale AI-enabled work redesign together.
Gartner recommends CHROs take four immediate actions with the CIO:
1. Agree on shared areas of responsibility and design principles: Identify which capabilities now sit at the intersection of talent and technology and agree on principles to resolve tensions when priorities differ.
2. Build accountability handoffs that empower business leaders and teams: Establish clear boundaries between shared CHRO-CIO responsibilities and business-owned execution. CHROs and CIOs can co-own the practices, standards and platforms that enable business leaders to make faster, safer and more consistent decisions about how AI changes work.
3. Define success based on operational conditions, not just outcomes: Institute measures that assess whether the organization has the conditions required to scale AI effectively.
4. Embed HR and IT expertise within business teams: Bring HR and IT expertise closer to the point where AI-driven work redesign happens, via mechanisms like fusion teams, AI squads or roles that bridge HR and IT, to help business leaders apply standards and guardrails in real time.
Q: What risks do organizations face when HR and IT do not share ownership of AI transformation?
A: As agentic AI moves more work into the space between HR and IT, capabilities such as skills-based talent management, human-AI performance management and human-AI capacity planning no longer fit neatly within either function (see Figure 1).
* * *
Figure 1: Agentic AI Creates Blurry Boundaries Between HR-IT
* * *
This can lead to decisions being made in silos, without adequate human safeguards, regulatory oversight, data protection, ethical accountability, or business alignment.
Organizations can also experience role confusion. CHROs may be left managing workforce consequences from AI deployments they did not help shape, while CIOs may become accidental owners of workforce challenges created by AI.
This can lead to one-sided transformation - HR may prioritize people without enough focus on technology adoption, while IT may prioritize innovation without fully accounting for workforce implications. These challenges can leave organizations stuck between AI experimentation and enterprise-scale impact.
* * *
Additional Insights Available
Gartner clients can read more in the report: Does the CHRO or CIO Own the Redesign of Work for the AI Era? (https://www.gartner.com/document-reader/document/code/852037)
* * *
Gartner is the World Authority on AI
Gartner is an indispensable partner to C-Level executives and technology providers as they implement AI strategies to achieve their mission-critical priorities. The independence and objectivity of Gartner insights provide clients with the confidence to make informed decisions and unlock the full potential of AI. Clients across the C-Level are using Gartner's proprietary AskGartner AI tool to determine how to leverage AI in their business. With more than 2,500 business and technology experts, 6,000 written insights, as well as more than 4,000 AI use cases and case studies, Gartner is the world authority on AI. More information can be found here.
* * *
About the Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo
Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo is where CHROs and their leadership teams gather each year to reimagine their strategies through the lens of Gartner's research-driven insights and expert advice on leadership and learning, employee experience, culture and change, talent acquisition and workforce planning, and HR technology. Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo will be held October 6-8 in London, October 26-28 in Florida, and November 16-17 in Sydney. Follow news and updates from these events on LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.
* * *
About Gartner for HR Leaders
The Gartner HR practice brings together the best relevant content approaches across Gartner to offer individual decision makers strategic business advice on the mission-critical priorities that cut across the HR function. Additional information is available at https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/products/gartner-for-hr. Follow news and updates from the Gartner HR practice on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-08-17-gartner-says-shared-chro-cio-ownership-is-critical-for-ai-transformation
[Category: BizConsulting]
* * *
Gartner Says Shared CHRO-CIO Ownership Is Critical for AI Transformation
Q&A with Mark Whittle
-
As organizations accelerate AI adoption, work redesign is becoming a shared leadership challenge for HR and IT, and Gartner predicts that by 2029, 30% of organizations will form blended HR-IT teams to accelerate AI enablement.
We spoke with Mark Whittle, VP Analyst, in Gartner's HR practice, ... Show Full Article STAMFORD, Connecticut, Aug. 19 (TNSrep) -- Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company, issued the following Q&A on Aug. 17, 2026, involving Vice President Analyst Mark Whittle: * * * Gartner Says Shared CHRO-CIO Ownership Is Critical for AI Transformation Q&A with Mark Whittle - As organizations accelerate AI adoption, work redesign is becoming a shared leadership challenge for HR and IT, and Gartner predicts that by 2029, 30% of organizations will form blended HR-IT teams to accelerate AI enablement. We spoke with Mark Whittle, VP Analyst, in Gartner's HR practice,about why successful AI transformation depends on intentional partnership between CHROs and CIOs. He shared four immediate actions CHROs should take with their CIOs.
Journalists who would like to speak with Mark regarding this topic can contact mary.baker@gartner.com or gerri.weinberger@gartner.com. Members of the media can reference this material in articles with proper attribution to Gartner.
Q: What does effective shared ownership between the CHRO and CIO look like in practice?
A: Rather than treating AI as a technology deployment first and a workforce issue later, the CHRO and CIO jointly help shape the capabilities, standards and guardrails needed to support the human-machine workplace.
This does not mean most organizations need to restructure or merge HR and IT. Most organizations will continue operating with separate HR and IT functions, but those functions must become more connected around the areas where work, talent and technology overlap.
CHROs and CIOs must intentionally share ownership of priority capabilities such as:
1. AI ethics and governance: Managing the risks, bias, safety concerns, and human impacts that emerge when AI agents interact with people and processes.
2. Skills-based talent management: Crafting a skills-based approach to match evolving work to the right blend of human and AI agent capabilities.
3. Total cost of work analysis: Determining the true cost of work that integrates the cost and value created by both humans and AI agents.
4. Human-agent work and job redesign: Redistributing tasks across teams and functions, reshaping workflows, job structures, task ownership and decision rights.
5. Human-AI performance management: Defining new expectations, measurement approaches, and oversight models for augmented work.
Q: What should CHROs do now to operationalize shared ownership with the CIO?
A: CHROs should move from agreement in principle to clear mechanisms for how HR and IT will make decisions, support business leaders and scale AI-enabled work redesign together.
Gartner recommends CHROs take four immediate actions with the CIO:
1. Agree on shared areas of responsibility and design principles: Identify which capabilities now sit at the intersection of talent and technology and agree on principles to resolve tensions when priorities differ.
2. Build accountability handoffs that empower business leaders and teams: Establish clear boundaries between shared CHRO-CIO responsibilities and business-owned execution. CHROs and CIOs can co-own the practices, standards and platforms that enable business leaders to make faster, safer and more consistent decisions about how AI changes work.
3. Define success based on operational conditions, not just outcomes: Institute measures that assess whether the organization has the conditions required to scale AI effectively.
4. Embed HR and IT expertise within business teams: Bring HR and IT expertise closer to the point where AI-driven work redesign happens, via mechanisms like fusion teams, AI squads or roles that bridge HR and IT, to help business leaders apply standards and guardrails in real time.
Q: What risks do organizations face when HR and IT do not share ownership of AI transformation?
A: As agentic AI moves more work into the space between HR and IT, capabilities such as skills-based talent management, human-AI performance management and human-AI capacity planning no longer fit neatly within either function (see Figure 1).
* * *
Figure 1: Agentic AI Creates Blurry Boundaries Between HR-IT
* * *
This can lead to decisions being made in silos, without adequate human safeguards, regulatory oversight, data protection, ethical accountability, or business alignment.
Organizations can also experience role confusion. CHROs may be left managing workforce consequences from AI deployments they did not help shape, while CIOs may become accidental owners of workforce challenges created by AI.
This can lead to one-sided transformation - HR may prioritize people without enough focus on technology adoption, while IT may prioritize innovation without fully accounting for workforce implications. These challenges can leave organizations stuck between AI experimentation and enterprise-scale impact.
* * *
Additional Insights Available
Gartner clients can read more in the report: Does the CHRO or CIO Own the Redesign of Work for the AI Era? (https://www.gartner.com/document-reader/document/code/852037)
* * *
Gartner is the World Authority on AI
Gartner is an indispensable partner to C-Level executives and technology providers as they implement AI strategies to achieve their mission-critical priorities. The independence and objectivity of Gartner insights provide clients with the confidence to make informed decisions and unlock the full potential of AI. Clients across the C-Level are using Gartner's proprietary AskGartner AI tool to determine how to leverage AI in their business. With more than 2,500 business and technology experts, 6,000 written insights, as well as more than 4,000 AI use cases and case studies, Gartner is the world authority on AI. More information can be found here.
* * *
About the Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo
Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo is where CHROs and their leadership teams gather each year to reimagine their strategies through the lens of Gartner's research-driven insights and expert advice on leadership and learning, employee experience, culture and change, talent acquisition and workforce planning, and HR technology. Gartner HR Symposium/Xpo will be held October 6-8 in London, October 26-28 in Florida, and November 16-17 in Sydney. Follow news and updates from these events on LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.
* * *
About Gartner for HR Leaders
The Gartner HR practice brings together the best relevant content approaches across Gartner to offer individual decision makers strategic business advice on the mission-critical priorities that cut across the HR function. Additional information is available at https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/products/gartner-for-hr. Follow news and updates from the Gartner HR practice on X and LinkedIn using #GartnerHR.
* * *
Original text here: https://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2025-08-17-gartner-says-shared-chro-cio-ownership-is-critical-for-ai-transformation
[Category: BizConsulting]
Former Kemper Vice President and Associate General Counsel Baird Allis Rejoins Troutman Pepper Locke as Partner in Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice
ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 19 -- Troutman Pepper, a law firm, issued the following news:
* * *
Former Kemper Vice President and Associate General Counsel Baird Allis Rejoins Troutman Pepper Locke as Partner in Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice
CHICAGO - Baird Allis, former vice president and associate general counsel at Kemper Corporation, has rejoined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner in the firm's Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group in Chicago.
Allis brings more than 15 years of experience in private practice and in-house leadership in the insurance industry. ... Show Full Article ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 19 -- Troutman Pepper, a law firm, issued the following news: * * * Former Kemper Vice President and Associate General Counsel Baird Allis Rejoins Troutman Pepper Locke as Partner in Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice CHICAGO - Baird Allis, former vice president and associate general counsel at Kemper Corporation, has rejoined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner in the firm's Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group in Chicago. Allis brings more than 15 years of experience in private practice and in-house leadership in the insurance industry.He was previously a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke legacy firm Locke Lord. His experience spans the full range of complex transactions, including public company SEC reporting, governance counseling, M&A, financing, divestitures, restructurings, and joint ventures. Allis has represented clients across the insurance, banking, and investment management sectors, including insurance companies, national banks, investment management firms, and family offices.
"Insurance transactional work has seen a substantial uptick in our practice, and these deals bring nuanced complexities that require high-end talent to navigate. Clients are better served by exceptional lawyers like Baird who have sat on every side of the table," said Zachary Lerner, chair of the firm's Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group. "His unique experience as outside counsel, in-house counsel, and as part of the board's inner circle will directly benefit our clients and strengthen our nationally recognized practice."
"Chicago is a hub for the insurance industry, and Baird adds meaningful depth to the strong practice we've built in this market," said Andrea Verney Kerstein, Chicago office managing partner and partner in the Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation Practice Group. "I have worked alongside him before, and his knowledge of this market, firm, and industry is second to none. We are glad to have him back."
"I've watched Troutman Pepper Locke build one of the premier insurance practices in the country, first as a colleague and then as a client," said Allis. "My time in-house showed me what clients look for in outside counsel. There's no better place to put that experience to work than back among colleagues and clients I have known and trusted for years. It is great to be back."
Troutman Pepper Locke's Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice navigates the complex landscape of insurance laws, regulations, and corporate transactions. The team provides strategic counsel to insurance companies, reinsurers, brokers, and other industry stakeholders, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks while facilitating mergers, acquisitions, capital raising, restructurings, and innovative market entries. By combining deep experience with industry insights, Troutman Pepper Locke empowers clients to achieve their business objectives while mitigating risks in a highly regulated sector.
* * *
Troutman Pepper Locke
Troutman Pepper Locke helps clients solve complex legal challenges and achieve their business goals in an ever-changing global economy. With more than 1,600 attorneys in 30+ offices, the firm serves clients in all major industry sectors, with particular depth in energy, financial services, health care and life sciences, insurance and reinsurance, private equity, and real estate. Learn more at troutman.com
* * *
Original text here: https://www.troutman.com/insights/former-kemper-vice-president-and-associate-general-counsel-baird-allis-rejoins-troutman-pepper-locke-as-partner-in-insurance-transactional-and-regulatory-practice/
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
* * *
Former Kemper Vice President and Associate General Counsel Baird Allis Rejoins Troutman Pepper Locke as Partner in Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice
CHICAGO - Baird Allis, former vice president and associate general counsel at Kemper Corporation, has rejoined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner in the firm's Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group in Chicago.
Allis brings more than 15 years of experience in private practice and in-house leadership in the insurance industry. ... Show Full Article ATLANTA, Georgia, Aug. 19 -- Troutman Pepper, a law firm, issued the following news: * * * Former Kemper Vice President and Associate General Counsel Baird Allis Rejoins Troutman Pepper Locke as Partner in Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice CHICAGO - Baird Allis, former vice president and associate general counsel at Kemper Corporation, has rejoined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner in the firm's Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group in Chicago. Allis brings more than 15 years of experience in private practice and in-house leadership in the insurance industry.He was previously a partner at Troutman Pepper Locke legacy firm Locke Lord. His experience spans the full range of complex transactions, including public company SEC reporting, governance counseling, M&A, financing, divestitures, restructurings, and joint ventures. Allis has represented clients across the insurance, banking, and investment management sectors, including insurance companies, national banks, investment management firms, and family offices.
"Insurance transactional work has seen a substantial uptick in our practice, and these deals bring nuanced complexities that require high-end talent to navigate. Clients are better served by exceptional lawyers like Baird who have sat on every side of the table," said Zachary Lerner, chair of the firm's Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice Group. "His unique experience as outside counsel, in-house counsel, and as part of the board's inner circle will directly benefit our clients and strengthen our nationally recognized practice."
"Chicago is a hub for the insurance industry, and Baird adds meaningful depth to the strong practice we've built in this market," said Andrea Verney Kerstein, Chicago office managing partner and partner in the Insurance and Reinsurance Litigation Practice Group. "I have worked alongside him before, and his knowledge of this market, firm, and industry is second to none. We are glad to have him back."
"I've watched Troutman Pepper Locke build one of the premier insurance practices in the country, first as a colleague and then as a client," said Allis. "My time in-house showed me what clients look for in outside counsel. There's no better place to put that experience to work than back among colleagues and clients I have known and trusted for years. It is great to be back."
Troutman Pepper Locke's Insurance Transactional and Regulatory Practice navigates the complex landscape of insurance laws, regulations, and corporate transactions. The team provides strategic counsel to insurance companies, reinsurers, brokers, and other industry stakeholders, ensuring compliance with regulatory frameworks while facilitating mergers, acquisitions, capital raising, restructurings, and innovative market entries. By combining deep experience with industry insights, Troutman Pepper Locke empowers clients to achieve their business objectives while mitigating risks in a highly regulated sector.
* * *
Troutman Pepper Locke
Troutman Pepper Locke helps clients solve complex legal challenges and achieve their business goals in an ever-changing global economy. With more than 1,600 attorneys in 30+ offices, the firm serves clients in all major industry sectors, with particular depth in energy, financial services, health care and life sciences, insurance and reinsurance, private equity, and real estate. Learn more at troutman.com
* * *
Original text here: https://www.troutman.com/insights/former-kemper-vice-president-and-associate-general-counsel-baird-allis-rejoins-troutman-pepper-locke-as-partner-in-insurance-transactional-and-regulatory-practice/
[Category: BizLaw/Legal]
Accenture and Salford City Football Club Announce Partnership to Accelerate a New Era of Reinvention and Growth
NEW YORK, Aug. 19 -- Accenture, a global professional services company, presented the following news release on Aug. 18, 2026:
* * *
Accenture and Salford City Football Club Announce Partnership to Accelerate a New Era of Reinvention and Growth
Collaboration will leverage Accenture's expertise in AI, data, and technology to support the club's local and international growth
-
SALFORD, UK - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Salford City Football Club today announced a strategic partnership that will use technology, data, and digital innovation to accelerate the club's growth and reinvent how the team ... Show Full Article NEW YORK, Aug. 19 -- Accenture, a global professional services company, presented the following news release on Aug. 18, 2026: * * * Accenture and Salford City Football Club Announce Partnership to Accelerate a New Era of Reinvention and Growth Collaboration will leverage Accenture's expertise in AI, data, and technology to support the club's local and international growth - SALFORD, UK - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Salford City Football Club today announced a strategic partnership that will use technology, data, and digital innovation to accelerate the club's growth and reinvent how the teamoperates and is experienced by supporters and partners, both locally and globally.
Under the terms of the multi-year deal, Accenture will leverage its digital expertise to create a new technology-driven growth model for Salford City FC with innovative solutions and data-driven strategies. The goal is not only to elevate Salford City's internal operations and fan experiences, but also strengthen supporter engagement, expand the club's global reach, and create a scalable platform for long-term growth.
The partnership reflects a shared belief in the power of technology to help organizations move faster, connect more deeply with audiences, and unlock new opportunities. Across Salford City's men's and women's teams, data, technology and AI will be used to identify new capabilities to improve operations, support commercial growth and build a foundation for ongoing scalability. Externally, work will focus on the digital streaming experience, supporting the club's expansion through fan platforms and digitally led engagement, and identifying new markets to accelerate international growth.
The Accenture logo features on the back of all Salford City playing shirts from the start of the 2026 - 27 season, including Men's First Team, Lionesses and Academy Teams.
This agreement further expands Accenture's growing portfolio of technology-led sports partnerships, such as WTA tennis, NFL football, and The R & A golf; using technology, data and AI to help these organizations modernize operations, deepen fan relationships, and create new growth opportunities.
Amy Gnagy, Global Client Account Lead at Accenture said "The most exciting partnerships start with a shared ambition. Salford City FC has never been afraid to challenge conventions and that's exactly what drew us to the club. Together, we're bringing the power of data, technology and innovation to help unlock new opportunities for growth, strengthen connections with supporters and build for the future."
Built on ambition, community, and a willingness to challenge convention, Salford City has earned a reputation for its confidence in embracing new technologies and nurturing the talent to implement it. This collaboration represents an opportunity to pair its strong local identity with a global audience; using innovation to reach new supporters, strengthen the club's foundations and create sustainable momentum for the future.
Janey Whiteside, Partner and Chief Growth Officer at Consello, a Co-Owner of Salford City FC said "This support from Accenture marks another statement partnership for Salford City. Accenture's innovative approach to technology will elevate how we deliver our digital fan engagement - for the local community and fans around the world.
"We have bold plans for the growth of this football club and it's a privilege to partner with an organization that shares our ambition. We are truly excited to see how this partnership grows, as well as seeing the Accenture name displayed proudly across the back of our teams' shirts."
* * *
About Accenture
Accenture helps the world's leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
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About Salford City
Salford City Football Club was founded in 1940 and currently competes in Sky Bet League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The Club was thrust into international recognition in 2014 after investment by members of Manchester United's "Class of '92" - Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. Four promotions in five years saw Salford reach the Football League in 2019 for the first time in its history. May 2025 saw the Club enter a new era when a new ownership group - led by Sir David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Club Co-Chairs Lord Mervyn Davies and Declan Kelly - completed a takeover. A Members group of owners comprising leading businesspeople and companies from across the globe now provides unrivalled expertise on and off field, with a mission "to be the best small club in the world". Salford City also operates a women's team, Salford City Lionesses, and an academy with teams from Under-9s through to Under-18s to nurture the next generation of talent.
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URL: Salford City
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Original text here: https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2026/accenture-and-salford-city-football-club-announce-partnership-to-accelerate-a-new-era-of-reinvention-and-growth
[Category: BizConsulting]
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Accenture and Salford City Football Club Announce Partnership to Accelerate a New Era of Reinvention and Growth
Collaboration will leverage Accenture's expertise in AI, data, and technology to support the club's local and international growth
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SALFORD, UK - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Salford City Football Club today announced a strategic partnership that will use technology, data, and digital innovation to accelerate the club's growth and reinvent how the team ... Show Full Article NEW YORK, Aug. 19 -- Accenture, a global professional services company, presented the following news release on Aug. 18, 2026: * * * Accenture and Salford City Football Club Announce Partnership to Accelerate a New Era of Reinvention and Growth Collaboration will leverage Accenture's expertise in AI, data, and technology to support the club's local and international growth - SALFORD, UK - Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Salford City Football Club today announced a strategic partnership that will use technology, data, and digital innovation to accelerate the club's growth and reinvent how the teamoperates and is experienced by supporters and partners, both locally and globally.
Under the terms of the multi-year deal, Accenture will leverage its digital expertise to create a new technology-driven growth model for Salford City FC with innovative solutions and data-driven strategies. The goal is not only to elevate Salford City's internal operations and fan experiences, but also strengthen supporter engagement, expand the club's global reach, and create a scalable platform for long-term growth.
The partnership reflects a shared belief in the power of technology to help organizations move faster, connect more deeply with audiences, and unlock new opportunities. Across Salford City's men's and women's teams, data, technology and AI will be used to identify new capabilities to improve operations, support commercial growth and build a foundation for ongoing scalability. Externally, work will focus on the digital streaming experience, supporting the club's expansion through fan platforms and digitally led engagement, and identifying new markets to accelerate international growth.
The Accenture logo features on the back of all Salford City playing shirts from the start of the 2026 - 27 season, including Men's First Team, Lionesses and Academy Teams.
This agreement further expands Accenture's growing portfolio of technology-led sports partnerships, such as WTA tennis, NFL football, and The R & A golf; using technology, data and AI to help these organizations modernize operations, deepen fan relationships, and create new growth opportunities.
Amy Gnagy, Global Client Account Lead at Accenture said "The most exciting partnerships start with a shared ambition. Salford City FC has never been afraid to challenge conventions and that's exactly what drew us to the club. Together, we're bringing the power of data, technology and innovation to help unlock new opportunities for growth, strengthen connections with supporters and build for the future."
Built on ambition, community, and a willingness to challenge convention, Salford City has earned a reputation for its confidence in embracing new technologies and nurturing the talent to implement it. This collaboration represents an opportunity to pair its strong local identity with a global audience; using innovation to reach new supporters, strengthen the club's foundations and create sustainable momentum for the future.
Janey Whiteside, Partner and Chief Growth Officer at Consello, a Co-Owner of Salford City FC said "This support from Accenture marks another statement partnership for Salford City. Accenture's innovative approach to technology will elevate how we deliver our digital fan engagement - for the local community and fans around the world.
"We have bold plans for the growth of this football club and it's a privilege to partner with an organization that shares our ambition. We are truly excited to see how this partnership grows, as well as seeing the Accenture name displayed proudly across the back of our teams' shirts."
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About Accenture
Accenture helps the world's leading enterprises reinvent by building their digital core and unleashing the power of AI to create value at speed for organizations across industries. Our strategy is to be the reinvention partner of choice for our clients and lead in the safe, widespread adoption of AI, and to be the most client-focused, AI-enabled, great place to work in the world. We bring together the talent of our approximately 799,000 people with proprietary assets and platforms, deep process and industry expertise, and leading ecosystem relationships to deliver end-to-end solutions and measurable outcomes at scale. Through our Reinvention Services, we offer broad expertise across Cybersecurity, Digital Core, Finance, Industry and Enterprise, Song, Supply Chain and Engineering, and Talent, with advanced capabilities in AI and Data, Industry and Process, and Technology. We serve approximately 9,000 clients and generated approximately $70 billion in FY25 revenue. Visit us at accenture.com.
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About Salford City
Salford City Football Club was founded in 1940 and currently competes in Sky Bet League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The Club was thrust into international recognition in 2014 after investment by members of Manchester United's "Class of '92" - Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville, Phil Neville and Paul Scholes. Four promotions in five years saw Salford reach the Football League in 2019 for the first time in its history. May 2025 saw the Club enter a new era when a new ownership group - led by Sir David Beckham, Gary Neville, and Club Co-Chairs Lord Mervyn Davies and Declan Kelly - completed a takeover. A Members group of owners comprising leading businesspeople and companies from across the globe now provides unrivalled expertise on and off field, with a mission "to be the best small club in the world". Salford City also operates a women's team, Salford City Lionesses, and an academy with teams from Under-9s through to Under-18s to nurture the next generation of talent.
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URL: Salford City
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Original text here: https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/2026/accenture-and-salford-city-football-club-announce-partnership-to-accelerate-a-new-era-of-reinvention-and-growth
[Category: BizConsulting]