ATTORNEY
Teresa “Terri” Ellenburg, Esq.
Terri is an employment attorney with over 25 years of experience in employment law, investigations and employee relations at a large law firm, in-house as Assistant General Counsel and as a Senior HR Executive.
Terri started her career with a prestigious federal clerkship, then joined the litigation practice of a large DC law firm and later moved to in-house counsel to focus on employment law with Marriott International, a large global hospitality company, and then Sodexo, a global food services and facilities management company. As in-house counsel, Terri personally conducted investigations, handled litigation and labor arbitrations, as well as managed outside counsel and provided regular advice and counsel on labor and employment issues to her internal clients.
Seeking to address employment issues more proactively, Terri made the decision to use her legal skills and her passion for investigations in an HR capacity to start an internal investigations department within Sodexo. In this role, Terri and her team conducted investigations into claims raising harassment, discrimination, and retaliation.
Eventually Terri’s responsibilities grew as she became a member of Sodexo’s HR Leadership Team and took on the additional role of VP Human Resources for all corporate staff functions and later became the VP Employee Relations and Corporate Policy. She led a team of 55 employee relations and contact center professionals who supported managers through a wide variety of complex employment issues and investigations. Terri’s responsibilities included supervising and coaching her team members on their investigations, personally conducting complex investigations, and ownership of the Company Policy Manual and Employee Handbook.
Education
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
JD
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
BA, Psychology and Drama
Bar Admissions
• Washington, DC