Rosemary E. Fei
Principal
Principal
Ms. Fei's practice spans the full range of nonprofit and tax-exempt organization legal issues, with emphasis on legislative lobbying and advocacy issues, candidate-related political activities, nonprofit corporate governance (including membership issues), and religious entities.
Ms. Fei has been representing nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations for nearly three and a half decades with A&C. Her practice spans the range of legal issues arising from nonprofit or tax-exempt status, with emphasis on political and lobbying activities, nonprofit corporate governance and internal disputes, and religious organizations. She is a member of the Exempt Organizations Committee, Tax Law Section, American Bar Association; she recently served as its Chair (2021-2023), and previously as a Vice Chair (2017-2021), and as co-Chair of its Subcommittee on Political and Lobbying Organizations and Activities (2009-2017). She currently sits on the board of Possibility Labs (a national incubator for racial and economic justice projects). She has chaired the board of Redefining Progress (a sustainability think tank), and served as a director of CalNonprofits (California’s trade association for charities), The Conservation Campaign (the 501(c)(4) affiliate of The Trust for Public Land), Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, and The Marine Mammal Center. In addition to being a practitioner, Ms. Fei writes and teaches, and has been an expert news commentator in print and broadcast media.
Ms. Fei has guest lectured or taught courses at both the Institute for Nonprofit Organization Management and the Law School of the University of San Francisco, Stanford Law School, and the University of California, Berkeley.
Ms. Fei is admitted to the bar in the state of California and the District of Columbia (inactive).
Before joining Adler & Colvin, Ms. Fei was a general business lawyer at Shartsis, Friese & Ginsberg, San Francisco; a Federal election law compliance officer and budget director for the Dukakis Presidential campaign; and an attorney in the U.S. Department of State.
Co-Presenters:
10:50 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. CT
Austin, Texas
This panel will review key current developments, explore recent trends, and find out what to watch for in 2025.
Co-Panelists:
11:25 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. ET
Washington, D.C.
Sessions (all MT):
Day 1: Wednesday, September 11
Day 2: Thursday, September 12
Colorado Springs, Colorado
This panel–from the perspective of practitioners who regularly advise about them and an officer of a PRI-only DAF–involves an advanced discussion of Program Related Investments. After a brief technical overview, the panel will focus on practical considerations of undertaking PRIs. PRIs are useful in the right circumstances and are becoming increasingly common, but structural impediments within foundation staff exist to their appropriate maximization. The panel will provide strategies and tactics on navigating these impediments.
Co-Panelists:
Misty Burns, Mendrygal Law, PLLC
Aimee Minnich, Impact Foundation
Rosemary Fei, Adler & Colvin`
Moderator: Zac Kester, Charitable Allies
12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. CT
Dallas, Texas
Ensure all your tough questions are answered at the popular “Ask the Experts” panel of leading practitioners.
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET
Co-Panelists:
Washington, D.C.
Moderator: Jill R. Horwitz
(Time TBD)
Los Angeles, California
Most charities know their 501(c)(3) tax status permits them to educate voters on a nonpartisan basis, and engage in limited legislative lobbying, while prohibiting intervention in candidate campaigns for public office entirely. But several activities permitted by federal tax law for charities are nonetheless regulated by federal election law, adding another layer of legal compliance. Charities also need to follow government ethics rules when working with elected and other federal public officials. Gain insight on these intersecting legal frameworks.
4:05 p.m. – 4:50 p.m. CT
Co-Presenter: Ezra Reese, Elias Law Group LLP – Washington, D.C.
Austin, Texas
2:45 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET at the University of DC & Catholic University, Level M1 | Exempt Organizations PM Session 9
Patagonia has been in the news for using a purpose trust and a 501(c)(4) to accomplish the founder’s
philanthropic goals. What exactly is a purpose trust? How does this structure work, and what are its advantages and disadvantages? Is this trending? What are the implications for using private foundations?
Moderator: Robert Wexler, Adler & Colvin
Panelist: Susan Gary, University of Oregon
Chair: Rosemary E. Fei, Adler & Colvin
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. ET
Co-Panelists: David Shevlin, Simpson Tacher, Elinor Ramey, Steptoe & Johnson
Explore the latest in policy and regulation from the US Government in an effort to answer the question: What just happened? You’ll be the first to know about topics like donor-advised fund regulations, end-of-year legislation, and what is Congress likely to do next? What about those expiring incentives for charitable giving, will they be renewed? Meanwhile, the Supreme Court continues to unwind the regulatory powers of the executive branch.
8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. CT
Co-Presenter: Alex Reid, Baker & Hostetler LLP
Panelists:
Crispin Delgado, Public Policy Director, NCG
Steve Barton, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, NCG
Timothy Silard, President, Rosenberg Foundation
Lisa Kawahara, Consultant, Rosenberg Foundation
Tessa Callejo, Senior Program Officer, Power Pathway, San Francisco Foundation
Panel: A View of the Sector
Moderator:
Elizabeth Kingsley, Harmon, Curran, Spielberg & Eisenberg, LLP
Panelists:
Social Welfare Organizations: Better Alternatives to Charities?
New York, NY
Hot Topics to Keep Your Organization Out of Hot Water
Moderator: Rosemary E. Fei
Panelists: Tania Ibañez (Attorney General’s office); Gene Takagi, Elizabeth Bluestein
Los Angeles, CA
Non-profit Options for Structuring Stewardship Organizations
Foundation Advocacy
Co-Presenters: Catherine Livingston, Jones Day
Las Vegas, NV
Pitfalls in Private Foundations
Co-moderator: Bill Choi of RHCC
San Francisco, CA
Co-Hosts: CompassPoint, CalNonprofits and NIAC)
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
Los Angeles, CA
