Over the years, dozens of incredible people have hit the stage at Relativity Fest to celebrate winning an Innovation Award. Stellar Women, AI all-stars, cybersecurity geniuses, customer experience savants, and many more have all accepted their trophies and represented the legal profession with grace, intelligence, and compassion.
This year’s crop of finalists is no different, and we’re thrilled to share their names with you. Keep reading to scroll through the impressive list, and don’t forget to cast your vote for our winners by August 16.
Looking at this year’s list of finalists, we can’t decide what’s more humbling: the incredible community that these folks are such an important part of, which comes together to learn and celebrate at Relativity Fest each year; or the enthusiasm with which their peers nominated them, often across multiple categories, in recognition of just how special it’s become to have an Innovation Award to your name.
Speaking on behalf of all of us at Relativity, it’s a delight and an honor to cast the spotlight on you during our largest annual user conference. We are just endlessly impressed by everything you accomplish each day, and we hope this celebration helps fan the flames of your creativity and excitement year after year as much for you as it does for us.
For those who aren’t familiar with how Innovation Awards nominees, finalists, and winners are selected, we wanted to take a moment to share the process in more detail and invite you to follow along as we wait to see who our winners will be in 2024. Check it out at the end of this article; we hope it inspires you to throw the name of someone you admire in the hat for 2025!
The Innovation Award for Artificial Intelligence
Stephanie Goutos, Lead Practice Innovation Attorney, Gunderson Dettmer
As the lead practice innovation attorney at Gunderson Dettmer, Stephanie is passionate about leveraging AI to improve the way we practice law. Her involvement in co-leading training sessions for chatbot ChatGD was pivotal in equipping the firm with requisite knowledge and skills to best leverage generative AI. Her publications on the responsible use of AI have been cited by leading organizations such as the New York State Bar Association’s AI Task Force and the Sedona Conference. Her commitment to promoting inclusivity and empowering women in this space underscores her belief that diverse leadership is essential for driving ethical and effective AI adoption.
Benjamin Sexton, Vice President of eDiscovery, JND Legal Administration
Ben is a thought leader, Relativity Gold Partner, and significant contributor to the development of Relativity aiR. He and his team have helped lay the groundwork for the adoption of purpose-built AI products and workflows for legal practitioners. With a track record in innovation and a passion for cutting through the noise with real-world findings, Ben hopes to educate people with practical information for making better decisions around AI. Whether engaging in conversations and demos on Relativity aiR or presenting panel discussions on TAR vs. generative AI, Ben provides practical, experience-based insights that make people feel more comfortable with AI.
Sarah Thompson, Chief Product Officer, BlueStar
Sarah Thompson, chief product officer at BlueStar, is a trailblazer in legal technology, leveraging AI to transform the industry through relentless innovation. With over two decades of experience, she creates AI-driven solutions for legal teams that offer real-world value. Sarah’s work developing Siemly, the investigation platform that analyzes employee activity to provide immediate visibility into your Custodian’s activity without collecting any ESI, exemplifies her mission to address common, previously cost-prohibitive, or unsolvable legal problems using AI. She often says, "Not all problems are solvable with AI—yet, but let's give it a shot!"
The Innovation Award for Customer Experience
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Stuart Craft, Managing Director, FTI Consulting
Stu is an innovator, e-discovery leader, and Relativity Master who combines people and technology to solve problems. He is actively testing tools like generative AI to enhance workflows, optimize solutions, and drive innovation in e-discovery and document review. For over a decade, Stu has served clients as a trusted partner who takes time to truly understand their needs, so he can deliver optimal solutions.
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Ari Mandel, Vice President of Discovery Services, Gulfstream Legal Group
Ari is a discovery guru and educator with a knack for creating memorable customer experiences. He can easily grasp a client’s needs to craft solutions that win and goes above and beyond to deliver impressive outcomes. Ari brings high standards, a drive for success, and an enthusiasm for inventing new workflows and products. He is the true crossroads of creativity and results.
Jenna Rooney, Director of Client Services, Arete Incident Response
Jenna brings over a decade of leadership experience in e-discovery project management, consulting, and cybersecurity. As the director of client services at Arete, she leads a global team of professionals responsible for all aspects of data breach matters. She is an emerging technologies expert with extensive experience leading large client engagements in coordination with cross-functional technical and legal teams.
The Innovation Award for Education & Mentorship
Ashish Prasad, Vice President and General Counsel, HaystackID
With 30+ articles, four treatises, and hundreds of seminars, Ashish Prasad has spent 25 years advancing our industry and mentoring others, from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law students to the US Army JAG Corps military. Recognized by Chambers and Partners as an e-discovery expert for six years running, Ashish aims to spend the rest of his career helping other professionals thrive.
Deedra Smith, Managing Director, FTI Technology
Deedra Smith, a managing director within FTI Technology, is an e-discovery expert with 18+ years of experience. She leads the FTI Certification program and, as a Relativity Certified Trainer, conducts annual Relativity 101 and Admin Essentials trainings. A mentor and lifelong learning advocate, Deedra fosters career growth across high performing teams, driving success internally and for clients.
Lindsey Worth, Co-founder and Chief Services Officer, Redgrave Data
As a young litigator, Lindsey taught herself databases; she later learned TAR and analytics on the job. As a co-founder of RD, she brings that hands-on approach to colleagues and supports their pursuit of similar growth opportunities (e.g., involving non-scientists with Relativity aiR experiments). She has also run mentoring programs for Yale Law and the Board of Leading Women in Tech.
The Innovation Award for Inclusion
Dawn Garrison, Senior Manager of Proposal Marketing, Lighthouse
As a passionate advocate for inclusion in e-discovery, Dawn revitalized the Pittsburgh Chapter of Women in eDiscovery and founded the Military and Allies Standing Together (MAST) employee resource group at Lighthouse, where she serves as a senior manager of proposal marketing. She has also championed DEI workshops, promotion of Veterans’ Day, Operation Safe Spaces, and a supplier diversity program at Lighthouse.
Vazantha Meyers, Vice President of Discovery Services, HaystackID
Inspired by her mother, attorney Cora Vaughn, Vazantha “V” Meyers believes in creating opportunities for everyone. She says, “DEIB is just a part of how I move.” V co-launched HaystackID’s DEIB initiatives and helped establish town halls to foster transparency and support for all. V serves on the Board of Blacks United in Legal & Technology and is a member of Women in eDiscovery (WiE).
Michelle Todescato-Chan, Senior Director, FTI Technology
Michelle Todescato-Chan, senior director at FTI Technology, is both an engaged e-discovery professional and an active leader in FTI’s diversity, equity, and inclusion activities. She is committed to promoting and nurturing diverse talent across the global community that she serves. For the last five years, she has been a coach and mentor to young professionals, helping them develop their skills and own their careers.
The Innovation Award for Security
Jed Baxter, Principal in Technology and Operations, Control Risks
As a principal in technology and operations for Control Risks, Jed ensures the adoption and utilization of comprehensive technology, championing innovation every step of the way. His vigilance in staying abreast of emerging threats and evolving standards has equipped his teams to tackle new challenges and instilled confidence in their client base. As an early adopter of hybrid and full cloud environments, Jed crafted standardized processes and implemented comprehensive control sets to ensure compliance. He is known for providing highly effective solutions to the firm and its clients.
Michael Cammack, Vice President of IT and Security, HaystackID
Michael Cammack is a certification pro, from scuba diving to leading HaystackID to achieving the HITRUST Risk-Based, 2-year (r2) Certification. As a believer that people are the greatest data protectors, he ensures every employee understands the importance of being up to date with the cyber landscape. Michael meets with department leaders quarterly to cover cybersecurity, always going the extra mile to embed security into the culture. Beyond his expertise, he aims to elevate talent; his mentee Tiago said, "He's helped me understand the strategic nuances of being a leader."
Jenna Rooney, Director of Client Services, Arete Incident Response
Jenna brings over a decade of leadership experience in e-discovery project management, consulting, and cybersecurity. As the director of client services at Arete, Jenna leads a global team of professionals responsible for all aspects of data breach matters, which under her leadership, has thoughtfully introduced security practices to both stay ahead of trends in attack methods and share insights post-attack to educate clients. She is an emerging technologies expert with extensive experience leading large client engagements in coordination with cross-functional technical and legal teams.
The Innovation Award for Stellar Women
Erica Albertson, Managing Director, FTI Consulting
Erica Albertson, a managing director within FTI Technology, combines years of experience in global, law firm e-discovery management, with her hands-on consulting expertise, to advise clients on disputes and investigations. She is a mentor for women in e-discovery, an advocate for policies that promote gender equality, and a champion for female representation in the legal community. From being the only women in the room to working on entirely female teams, Erica has spent her career paving the way for other women on their e-discovery journey and building a supportive community of women in technology.
Laura Danielson, Vice President, HaystackID
A founding member of Women in eDiscovery's Minneapolis/St. Paul chapter, Laura Danielson has spent over three decades elevating women in legal—including her daughter, Amber, who shared what an honor it is to call Laura a mother and colleague. Laura has had a hand in facilitating educational and networking events on the local, regional, and national levels to build a supportive community for women. She helped establish HaystackID University, which equips emerging talent with training, saying, “I love sharing the knowledge I've incurred over my lifetime of work.”
Stephanie Goutos, Lead Practice Innovation Attorney, Gunderson Dettmer
Stephanie Goutos, lead practice innovation attorney at Gunderson Dettmer, is a passionate advocate for women in legal technology. She founded BOLD Women of Legal Technology to empower women and foster inclusivity. Inspired by Justice Ginsburg’s vision of “when there are nine,” Stephanie advances the legal profession through her numerous roles as a board member, mentor, and contributor to organizations like the Athena Alliance and RAILS, epitomizing the qualities of a stellar leader and advocate in the legal industry.
Bonus Content: How Relativity’s Annual Individual Innovation Awards Come Together
Each of the Innovation Awards’ individual categories are judged independently. Dedicated committees of Relativians with adjacent expertise evaluate nominees based on their nominators’ input and their answers to questionnaires, which are crafted specifically for each award niche.
The timeline of each people-focused award category operates independently, but they all follow the same order of operations:
- During the nomination period, individuals are submitted for each category either by themselves or by a colleague.
- The nominee is contacted by our team at Relativity and asked to fill out their category’s questionnaire.
- The nominee completes and submits their questionnaire to the committee.
- The Relativity committee reviews all questionnaires, discussing each submission and, ultimately, voting on candidates.
- The top three candidates in each category move to the finalist stage.
- The broader community votes to determine our winners.
Our finalists for 2024 represent a diverse group of experts from across the legal profession, and epitomize the innovative, engaging spirit of those we all look up to as we develop our careers and watch this industry grow and evolve.
Cast Your Votes
Now’s the time to vote for our 2024 Innovation Awards winners! You get to help decide who will walk the stage at Relativity Fest in September, and we can’t wait to see those names in lights.
View our individual finalists and vote for each category here.
You can also browse the nominees for our Best Innovation categories and help us choose those winners here.
Then, be sure to save your spot for Relativity Fest to see if your favorites will take home this year’s trophies!
