NEWARK, DE, October 06, 2021 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Deborah R. Pierce has been inducted into Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
In her current position, as Senior Vice President & General Counsel for Integrity Staffing Solutions, Inc., headquartered in Newark, Delaware, Ms. Pierce is a direct report to the President and CEO and is a member of the Senior Leadership Team. She has built and leads the in-house legal and labor relations function to support Integrity's rapid business growth. Ms. Pierce partners closely with the human resources professionals and business leaders in developing and implementing: strategic business planning, crisis management response, dispute resolution systems, litigation strategy and management, development of employee relations policies and contract risk management.
Deborah's history of scholastic and professional achievements began early. She attended Principia College and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania. After earning her Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law, she began her career as in-house counsel at E.I. DuPont de Nemours & Company. Ms. Pierce also worked as Senior Counsel - labor and employment law at Continental Airlines, and as Director of Government Compliance at Campbell Soup Company.
Ms. Pierce then accepted an appointment to a Senior Executive Service position with the U.S. Department of Labor. She served as the Regional Solicitor for Region III where she was responsible for the agency enforcement litigation and legal staff covering Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, DC. She was elected was by her Senior Executive Agency peers to Chair of the Regional Executive Council.
Ms. Pierce returned to the private sector as Vice President of Employment Law and Practices at Sears, Roebuck and Company. After Sears, Ms. Pierce became the Director of Employment Practices at Home Depot.
While in Chicago, Ms. Pierce discovered her passion for mediation and other forms of dispute resolution. She mediated cases for the Cook County Circuit Courts through the Chicago Bar Foundation - Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR) and operated her own private mediation practice as P.S. Partners and later as Red Clay Resolution Services. She was recognized by CCR as one of the "Top 25 Most Influential People of CCR's 25 Years of Service."
When she and her husband, Dr. Gary D. Shields, DPT, returned to her hometown of West Chester, Pennsylvania, Ms. Pierce became Executive Vice President - Human Resources and Administration for First National Bank of Chester County. In addition to human resources, she had responsibility for the real estate, facilities management, and legal functions.
Ms. Pierce is licensed to practice law before Pennsylvania State and Federal Courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. Ms. Pierce also has the SPHR and SHRM-SP credentials for senior Human Resource professionals.
Throughout the course of her career, Ms. Pierce is most proud to have handled a case that went before the Supreme Court of the United States, Integrity Staffing Solutions v. Busk and resulted in a unanimous decision in favor of Integrity Staffing and its client, Amazon.com. Also, she launched a dispute resolution program at Integrity which includes an anonymous ethics hot line and a mandatory arbitration program - initiatives which greatly reduced the volume of litigation. Ms. Pierce's accomplishments have been recognized twice by the Philadelphia Business Journal: She was selected as: "Top Corporate Counsel" in 2015 and "Best of the Bar" in 2020. In 2021, Ms. Pierce was awarded a "Top Corporate Counsel Icon Award" from OnConferences.com, an invitation only gathering of some of the world's top Chief Legal Officers.
Ms. Pierce is civically active as a Board member of Home of the Sparrow, a nonprofit organization that prevents homelessness for women by teaching life skills in Chester County, Pennsylvania. She also serves as a pro bono mediator for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission - Philadelphia District Office. Ms. Pierce has frequently presented on a variety of topics at workshops sponsored by organizations such as the Annual General Counsel Conference by American Law Media, Association of Corporate Counsel - Greater Philadelphia Chapter, and the Delaware Society for Human Resource Management (DE-SHRM).
Ms. Pierce describes her leadership style as fair, firm, and fun. She attributes her professional success to her curiosity, to her passion to never stop learning and to the sacrifices by those who opened doors of opportunity previously closed to women of color. She is always challenging herself to find creative solutions to any problem, which has led her to excel in her current position with Integrity Staffing. Looking toward the future, Ms. Pierce plans to keep elevating her skill sets, finding new ways to apply them, and living to "Find the good and praise it" in her journey.
About Marquis Who's Who®
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who's Who in America®, Marquis Who's Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Today, Who's Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the world. Marquis® now publishes many Who's Who titles, including Who's Who in America®, Who's Who in the World®, Who's Who in American Law®, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare®, Who's Who in Science and Engineering®, and Who's Who in Asia®. Marquis® publications may be visited at the official Marquis Who's Who® website at www.marquiswhoswho.com.
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