MLA Places Ellen Samuels as General Counsel at Community Brands

Hanover, MD (April 13, 2021) — Major, Lindsey & Africa (MLA), the world’s leading legal search firm, today announced the placement of Ellen Samuels as general counsel at Community Brands in Knoxville, Tenn. The search was conducted by Elizabeth Long, managing director in Philadelphia; Robert Graff, partner in Atlanta; and Jonathan Wylie, managing director in Atlanta, all with MLA’s In-House Counsel Recruiting group.

Community Brands is a leading provider of cloud-based software and payment solutions for nearly 120,000 of the world’s leading associations, nonprofits, K-12 private schools and faith-based organizations to thrive and succeed in today’s fast-paced, evolving world.

Ellen will have oversight and management of all legal matters for Community Brands, including legal strategy and leading the legal department.  She will oversee matters related to commercial and customer contracts, technology agreements, software/SaaS agreements, domestic and international business transactions, compliance with regulatory schemes, litigation management, labor and employment, intellectual property and risk management.

“Ellen was the ideal fit for Community Brands’ general counsel role as she has extensive transactional technology and SaaS experience, and is a creative problem-solver who partners with the business to achieve company goals. Not only is Ellen ethical, honest and strategic, but she also possesses an innovative, transparent and supportive executive presence that seamlessly fits with Community Brands’ culture,” said Elizabeth Long.

Ellen joins Community Brands after spending the last 25 years with NCR Corporation, a publicly traded, global technology company, where she most recently served as chief counsel of the banking and product group and the chief procurement counsel. She began her career as an associate at Cohen, Todd, Kite and Stanford in Cincinnati, Ohio.