Board of Directors
Nick Wittenberg
President
Nicholas Wittenberg is an Associate Vice President with Deloitte in the Government & Public Services practice. He works on the implementation of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) into the Federal family for Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and privacy requests, litigation matters, regulatory investigations, in addition to working with state and local partners in implementing legal technology strategies.
Previously he was Detailed to The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) as Senior Legal Counsel. In this role he worked on matters including providing legal advice to The President’s Science Advisor (The Director of The Office) and The U.S. Chief Technology Officer on constitutional law, Executive Orders, pending legislation, international agreements, ethics, fiscal and appropriations law, stakeholder engagement, public-private partnerships, administrative law, environmental law, government contracts, co-sponsorships, and information disclosure related to science and technology policy. Furthermore, he worked on policy matters involving artificial intelligence, data privacy, cybersecurity, lawful access, and end-to-end encryption in relation to Constitutional protections, regulatory frameworks, and Court opinions in navigation of the field.
Monica Harris
Immediate Past President
Monica has over a decade of leadership, consulting, project and product management, and training experience in the eDiscovery industry. She is a crusader for the development and implementation of cross collaborative initiatives inside and outside of organizations that increase connection, productivity, revenue and margin. Besides her tireless work in the eDiscovery business vertical she is also active in the eDiscovery community and is the Assistant Director of the D.C. Chapter of Women in eDiscovery (WIE).
Jake Dixon
Vice President
Jake Dixon is the enterprise Manager of Litigation & Dispute Avoidance for Clark Construction Group, one of the nation’s most experienced and respected general contractors, where he oversees the strategic avoidance of significant disputes and adverse verdicts. As a seasoned legal analyst, Jake uses his unique blend of litigation expertise from different sectors to partner brilliantly with internal leadership and outside counsel. As a skilled negotiator, he works constantly to effectively mitigate risks and drive outcomes towards optimal and cost-effective resolutions. Prior to his role at Clark, Jake worked in various positions across the legal & insurance industries, directly negotiating claims involving members of the public in various settings. He resides in Fairfax, Virginia with his wife, Zoe, and their ferocious Yorkie, Simba.
Elliot Nierman
Secretary
Elliot Nierman, CEDS has 18 years of experience leading the design and implementation of technology solutions and addressing challenges with the analysis, processing, and review of unstructured data as part of the eDiscovery lifecycle. Elliot currently serves as the Vice President of Engineering, Processing for Reveal-Brainspace where he has oversight of the development activities surrounding processing within Reveal’s industry-leading, AI-powered platform while contributing to the product vision and roadmap. Previously, Elliot served as Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder at Mindseye Solutions until their acquisition by Reveal in 2019. In addition, held software engineering positions at Williams & Connolly LLP and OnSite eDiscovery. He holds numerous industry Engineering and eDiscovery certifications. Elliot received his Bachelor of Science in computer science from George Washington University and is pursuing a Master of Professional Studies in Technology Management with a focus on Lean and Agile Practices from Georgetown University.
Marta Paravano
Treasurer
Charles Graham
Public Relations & Marketing
Charles Graham has been working in E-Discovery since 2018 and received his CEDS certification in 2020. Currently Charles is employed at the Department of Justice on FOIA and E-Discovery support. Charles believes that ACEDS continues to play a pivotal role in elevating the E-Discovery field.
Alton Wilder
Membership
Alton has more than a decade of experience managing all phases of the e-discovery lifecycle, including antitrust, bankruptcy, employment, environmental, and product liability matters, as well as government contracts and investigations. Having worked with many federal and state agencies, corporate clients, and law firms, he has prepared custom solutions to meet to the needs of the most challenging discovery matters. He has managed internal teams and client relationships and has forged strong partnerships with both colleagues and clients. Alton consults with attorneys on e-discovery matters by recommending technology solutions and techniques to target relevant data, creating streamlined, defensible, managed document reviews and conserving client costs. He brings a consultative approach to provide creative and often outside-the-box solutions to meet the needs of clients.
Kenya Parish-Dixon
Director at Large
Kenya Parrish-Dixon is an expert in information governance, cybersecurity and eDiscovery. She is the General Counsel and the Chief Operating Officer for Empire Technologies Risk Management Group, a Cybersecurity, Information Governance, and eDiscovery company. Kenya was instrumental in the development of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Data Steward Program. Before joining ETRM Group, she was the Director of White House Information Governance. Until 2018, Kenya was a supervisory attorney at the Federal Trade Commission. Kenya entered government work at the FDIC. Prior to entering the eDiscovery and cybersecurity fields, Kenya practiced law as a litigator at Epstein Becker & Green and McDermott Will & Emery. She also worked at Lockheed Martin. Kenya is barred in the District of Columbia, holds the NARA Certificate of Federal Records Management, and is CEDS certified. Kenya frequently writes and speaks on the topics of information governance, cybersecurity and eDiscovery. She serves on the boards of directors of ACEDS, Cybersecurity Law & Strategy, ACC’s Data Steward Program Working Group, and Women, Influence & Power in Law. Kenya received her law degree from The College of William & Mary, in Williamsburg, VA.
James Perkins
Director at Large
James Perkins brings over 20 years of experience in the eDiscovery industry. As Chief Client Officer of Innovative Driven, he leads by example through his relentless pursuit of client satisfaction and operational excellence while encouraging continued learning and professional development. In his dedication to providing exceptional customer service to Innovative Driven’s clients, Perkins recognizes that no two companies or matters are the same. By prioritizing and understanding the needs and requirements of each matter and client, he can develop and deliver efficient, cost-effective solutions across the company. Perkins has developed and maintained many long-standing client relationships over the past 15 years and has been vital in the growth of the company as one of the top litigation support and eDiscovery providers in the industry.
Julian Ackert
Director at Large
Mr. Julian Ackert, a Managing Director at iDiscovery Solutions (iDS) in Washington DC, has over 20 years of consulting and project management experience in the technology and litigation industries. He has extensive experience with forensic data collection, computer forensic analysis, creating and implementing preservation and collection strategies, managing electronic data processing and review endeavors, analyzing complex transactional data systems, and working with large multi-national corporations to establish and develop methodologies and best practices for litigation preparedness. Mr. Ackert has written expert reports and provided testimony on the forensic preservation, acquisition, and analysis of electronic information. Additionally, he has worked on several international projects involving complex data privacy, collection, and review challenges.
Jonathan McKee
Director at Large
Maxwell Shea
Director at Large