Lizanne Thomas

Of Counsel, Jones Day

While her roots are as an M&A lawyer, Lizanne Thomas practises, teaches and lives corporate governance as the head of the firm’s corporate governance team. She is a fellow of the American College of Governance Lawyers. Lizanne participates in about 100 board meetings per year as counsel to a number of public companies. She represents special committees in control and conflict transactions, as well as in internal investigations. Lizanne is experienced in shareholder activism, public and private mergers and acquisitions, and executive compensation. Lizanne served as partner-in-charge of the firm’s Southeast US Region from 2014 to 2022.

Lizanne serves or has served on the boards of directors of four publicly traded companies: Atlantic Capital Bancshares, Inc, American Software, Inc, Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc, and Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. At Krispy Kreme, she co-chaired a special committee charged with investigating a variety of allegations against the company. While she was chair of its governance committee, KKD twice won national corporate governance awards for its shareholder engagement and disclosure, and in 2016 she was named one of the top 100 directors by the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).

Lizanne is a trustee of the Georgia Research Alliance, serving as chair of the audit committee. She is a trustee of Washington & Lee University and The Woodruff Arts Center. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta and is a former Trustee of Furman University and a former director of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce.