Debra Sabatini Hennelly helps executives and boards create cultures of integrity and inclusion, which are essential to the resilience of organizations and their people. She uses stakeholder- focused frameworks for managing compliance, ethical and ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) risks and opportunities and helps integrate them into operations and culture. She also coaches legal and compliance professionals, helping them lead effectively and develop strategies for personal resilience.
Debbie is an adjunct professor in Fordham University School of Law’s Program on Corporate Ethics and Compliance. She has also served as adjunct faculty for BP, facilitating small-group workshops in ethical leadership, as well as leading interactive learning for other organizations with their employees, managers, senior executives and board directors.
For more than 25 years, Debbie has been creating innovative approaches to managing compliance and fostering ethical leadership—from boardrooms to break rooms—with organizations ranging from small entities to some of the largest multinationals. Her expertise is rooted in her multi-disciplinary background in engineering and law, cultivated through her decades of corporate leadership roles and consulting experience. Her passions for learning, teaching and "connecting the dots” fuel her ability to inspire authenticity, engagement, and accountability.
Debbie founded Resiliti in 2004 (originally, as Compliance & Ethics Solutions), to provide ethical leadership and compliance consulting, training, and culture assessment. Debbie and her talented Resiliti colleagues offer a comprehensive suite of services, including holistic risk management, ESG strategies, culture mapping, and experiential learning. They help bring to life organizational values and build cultures of integrity that support the perspectives and dignity of each individual in a team and across an organization.
Debbie speaks frequently at conferences (SCCE, ECI, NSCP, PLI, NACD, others) and writes on several platforms. She is also the author of the book, “Presence in Chaos – 365 Mindful Moments" (For more information: www.presenceinchaos.com)
Earlier in her career, Debbie practiced environmental law with two major law firms in Washington, DC, and New Jersey. Before practicing law, she was a civil and environmental engineer, supervising construction for Exxon.
Debbie earned her B.S.E. in Civil/Environmental Engineering from Duke University and her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.