VIP in Action Published February 17, 2022
Welcoming Excellence to VIP’s Board of Directors
Philadelphia VIP recently inducted five new members into its Board of Directors. Meet these Philly all-stars!
Dominique B.E. Ward, Esq.
Counsel | Lincoln Financial Group
Dominique B.E. Ward, Esq. is a former Deputy City Solicitor in the Major Tax Unit of the City of Philadelphia Law Department and in-house Counsel at Lincoln Financial Group. Throughout her career, Dominique has been heavily involved in several bar associations and serves her fellow Philadelphians as a member of the City of Philadelphia Labor Standards and Tax Review boards.
As a member of Philadelphia VIP’s Board of Directors, Dominique hopes her experience, commitment, and desire to improve the lives of the city’s most vulnerable residents, will advance VIP’s commitment to ensuring equitable access to legal support and justice for underserved communities.
Willie Pollins, Esq.
Attorney | Pollins Law Firm LLC
After serving as a paralegal for 11 years, Willie Pollins, Esq. became an attorney at a small business litigation firm where he worked for a decade before becoming a solo practitioner. In April 2011, Willie learned about Philadelphia VIP and immediately joined the organization as a volunteer attorney.
Today, he proudly serves on VIP’s Board of Directors where he hopes to bolster recruitment efforts and collaborate with fellow Board members to increase VIP’s visibility and spread awareness about the good work VIP does on behalf of Philadelphia residents.
Donald P. DiCarlo
President, Emerald Family Office & Advisory | Wilmington Trust
Donald P. DiCarlo has practiced law in both the public sector, as a U.S. Army Judge Advocate, and in private practice prior to entering the wealth management industry. For more than 20 years, Donald has also served as an adjunct faculty member at various law schools in Philadelphia.
As a new member of Philadelphia VIP’s Board of Directors, Donald hopes to identify ways to increase collaboration with faith based organizations and encourage volunteer attorneys working in alternative industries, such as financial services, to get involved with VIP’s critical mission.
Phylicia McFaddin, Esq.
Contracting Counsel | Accenture LLP
Phylicia McFaddin, Esq. currently serves as Contracting Counsel for Accenture LLP where she specializes in drafting and negotiating complex commercial deals, and enabling profitable revenue through supporting sales execution. Her legal experience also includes attorney advisor for a hospital system, contract management, compliance, and regulatory advisor for health services and life science companies, and litigation and eDiscovery work for various law firms.
With her fellow VIP Board members, Phylicia hopes to assist with volunteer recruitment efforts and grow community awareness about VIP’s mission in order to attract advocates from various businesses and groups around Philadelphia.
Michael A. Budner, Esq.
Associate | Saltz Mongeluzzi & Bendesky P.C.
Michael Budner is a trial injury attorney whose practice focuses on catastrophic personal injury cases resulting from construction accidents, workplace accidents, electrical accidents, and defective or malfunctioning products. In 2016-2021, Michael was selected by his peers as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, an honor reserved for only the top 2.5 percent of attorneys under 40 years old in Pennsylvania.
In addition to serving on the Board of Directors of Philadelphia VIP, Michael engages in a host of other community and philanthropic organizations, such as the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech and Temple University’s Beasley School of Law Trial Advocacy program.