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Recognizing and honoring Charisse R. Lillie upon her retirement from Comcast Corporation, and for over forty years of dedicated service to the City of Philadelphia.
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WHEREAS, Charisse R. Lillie, a tireless public servant and corporate citizen, will be retiring from Comcast Corporation after twelve years of dedicated service; and
WHEREAS, The Houston, Texas native received her BA in 1973 from Wesleyan University - cum laude; her JD in 1976 from Temple Law School - Dean’s Honor List; and her LLM in 1982 from Yale Law School; and
WHEREAS, Charisse worked as a research assistant to the Honorable A. Leon Higginbotham, Jr. from 1975 to 1976 on his first book, In The Matter of Color. From 1976-1978, Ms. Lillie was a law clerk to the Honorable Clifford Scott Green, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Charisse has extensive legal experience, ranging from Trial Attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Deputy Director of Community Legal Services, Inc., Professor at Villanova Law School, Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, General Counsel to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia, and City Solicitor of the City of Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Charisse’s practice included the representation of employers and management in a wide variety of labor and employment issues, including discrimination, harassment, and other civil rights litigation, at-will litigation, restrictive covenant/trade secret claims, ERISA litigation and litigation before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and state agencies. She defended banks, hospitals, universities, major corporations, the City of Philadelphia, and the federal government in federal and state court and before administrative agencies, and she served as an advisor to clients on diversity and anti-discrimination issues. She frequently lectures regarding divesity, civil rights, employment discrimination, and affirmative action issues; and
WHEREAS, Prior to joining Comcast, Charisse was a partner in the law firm of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP, from January 1992 to February 2005. At Ballard Spahr, she was chair of the Litigation Department from 2002 to 2005, and was a member of the Employment and Labor Law Group of the firm; and
WHEREAS, Charisse joined Comcast in 2005 as Vice President of Human Resources for Comcast Corporation, and Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Comcast Cable. She served as President of the Comcast Foundation from 2011 through 2016, and she currently serves as Fellow and Vice President of Community Investment for Comcast Corporation and as Executive Vice President of the Comcast Foundation; and
WHEREAS, Charisse has been a member of many civic commissions, including the Independent Charter Commission, the Philadelphia Criminal Justice Task Force, the MOVE Commission, and the Philadelphia Election Reform Task Force. She is the former president of the Philadelphia Chapter of the Federal Bar Association and she served on the Board of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority (PICA) from 1993 to 1998. She served as chair of the Board of Governors of the Philadelphia Bar Association in 1995. She served as chair of the American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession from 1999 to 2002 and was a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Federal Judiciary. She is co-chair of the Racial Bias in the Justice System Committee of the Philadelphia Bar Association. She also served on the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Committee on Racial and Gender Bias in the Justice System. She has also received numerous honors from organizations such as the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Philadelphia Business Journal, the Black Women in Sport Foundation, and the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, While Charisse will be retiring from Comcast in January 2017, she will by no means be retiring from her civic engagement in Philadelphia. She will continue to lecture at local universities on diversity, community investment, and corporate social responsibility. She will also maintain her appointments on the boards of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company, the PECO Energy Company, an Exelon Company, the United Way, and the Franklin Institute, as well as continue serving on the PNC Regional Advisory Board; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and honors Charisse R. Lillie upon her retirement from Comcast, and for over forty years of dedicated service to the City of Philadelphia.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Charisse R. Lillie as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
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