Industry Involvement
- Fellow, American Bar Foundation
- Fellow, American College of Real Estate Lawyers (ACREL)
- Member, Advisory Board and Capital Markets Council, Urban Land Institute – Atlanta
- Past chair, Executive Committee, and past member, Advisory Board, Intangible Tax, Opinion, Awards, and Pro Bono Committees, Real Property Law Section, State Bar of Georgia
- Past treasurer, Corporate Counsel Executive Committee, Corporate Counsel Section, State Bar of Georgia
- Member, CREFC Women’s Network
- Member, State Bar of Georgia
- Member, North Carolina State Bar
- Adjunct professor, Emory School of Law – Real Estate Finance
- Founding member, Troutman Pepper Women’s Network
- CREW Leadership Graduate and past member, Commercial Real Estate Women – Atlanta
- Past member, Real Estate Investment Advisory Council – Southeast (REIAC)
- Law clerk for The Late Honorable J. Daniel Mahoney, U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, Milford, Connecticut, 1989-1990
Community Involvement
- Chair, Advisory Board and Executive Committee, Trust for Public Land – Georgia
- Board member, North Carolina Coastal Federation Board of Directors and member, Capital Campaign Committee
- Board member, Ser Familia Board of Directors
- Leadership Atlanta, Class of 2025
- Member, Tocqueville Society Cabinet, United Way of Greater Atlanta
- Advocate, OnBoard
- Member, National Charity League
- Past board member, Georgia Council on Economic Education
- Past board member, Truancy Intervention Project
- Deputy general counsel and assistant corporate secretary, Truist Financial Corporation & SunTrust Banks Inc., 2014-2020
- Shelli has held adjunct professor and guest lecturer positions at several universities, including Emory University School of Law, Georgia State University College of Business and Oglethorpe University
Education
- Emory University’s Goizueta Business School, 2016, Emory Executive Education, Advanced Leadership Program
- Emory University School of Law, J.D., with distinction, 1989, Order of the Coif; executive notes and comments editor, Emory Law Journal
- Duke University, B.A., cum laude, 1986
Bar Admissions
- Georgia
- North Carolina
- Speaker, Troutman Pepper’s 2023 Public Company Seminar, December 7, 2023.
- Moderator, United Way Tocqueville Speaker Series “Will AI Take Your Job … to the Next Level?,” November 8, 2023.
- Speaker, “An Investment in Climate – How the SEC Climate Disclosure Could Accelerate Decarbonization,” TAG Fintech Society and TAG Smart Communities & Sustainability Society Joint Event, February 28, 2023.
- Speaker, Troutman Pepper’s 2022 Public Company Seminar, December 8, 2022.
- Panelist, “Demystifying ESG (Environmental, Social, Governance),” ULI Atlanta, June 2022.
- Panelist, “Commercial Real Estate Development: How ESG Is Driving Industry Trends Today,” ALI CLE Program, May 26, 2022.
- Panelist, “ESG Investments & Securitizations,” Opal’s Marketplace Lending & Alternative Financing Summit, December 8-10, 2021.
- Panelist, “The Future of Fintech, Blockchain, and Digital Currency for Banks,” VACB 44th Annual Convention and Trade Show, October 5, 2021.
- Presenter, “ESG Roadmap: Requirements, Best Practices and Trends,” Bank Board Training Forum, September 13, 2021.
- Moderator, “Environmental, Social, and Governance Trends to Watch in 2021,” Troutman Pepper, June 23, 2021.
- Speaker, “Current Trends in ESG,” Virginia Business Roundtable on Environmental Justice, March 2021.
- Speaker, “SWAPs, Derivatives and the Death of LIBOR: What Have We Gotten Ourselves Into?,” American Bar Association Webinar, January 6, 2021.
- Co-presenter, “Current Trends in ESG,” Troutman Pepper Annual Public Company Seminar, December 2020.
- Moderator, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Through the Corporate Governance Lens,” Society for Corporate Governance Southeastern Chapter Virtual Fall Conference, October 23, 2020.
- Panelist, “Swaps, Derivatives and the Death of LIBOR,” American College of Real Estate Attorneys (ACREL), October 7, 2020.
- “The Power of the Round Table: Engaging Corporate Boards in M&A Deals,” 15th Annual Southeastern M&A/Private Equity Forum, Atlanta, GA, October 3, 2019.
- Panel Discussion, “Innovation: Embracing the Changes That Are Reshaping the Financial Services Industry,” ACI Women Leaders in Financial Services Law and Compliance, September 10, 2019.
- Event co-chair, moderator, and panelist, Corporate Counsel Institute, State Bar of Georgia, December 2018.
- “Budgets, Bandwidth & Business Process: A Corporate Legal Department’s Guide to Strategic Alignment,” Corporate Legal Department Operations Forum, Thomson Reuters Legal Executive Institute, September 2018.
- Panel Discussion, “Maintaining Momentum: Supporting Female Leaders on Their Journey to the Top,” Emory Alumnae Leadership Circle, June 2018.
- Panel Discussion, “Cybersecurity and Data Privacy – Staying Compliant in Today’s Evolving Market,” ACI Women Leaders in Financial Services Law and Compliance, May 9-11, 2018.
- Panelist, “The Business Case for Diversity,” Counsel On-Call Program benefitting Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta, November 2017.
- Roundtable Discussion, “Construction Relationships Among Lender, Borrower and Third Parties in Construction Loans,” American College of Real Estate Attorneys (ACREL), Fall 2014.
- Co-author, “Georgia Amends Intangible Recording Tax Statute and Expands Loans Exempt from Tax,” Troutman Pepper Locke, June 2025.
- Co-author, “California Law Highlights the Need to Prepare for Climate Disclosures,” Troutman Pepper, October 14, 2024.
- Co-author, “California Adopts Landmark GHG Emissions and Climate Risk Reporting Laws, Eclipsing Anticipated Federal Requirements,” Troutman Pepper, October 13, 2023.
- Co-author, “OCC Targets Large Banks with Persistent Weaknesses,” Troutman Pepper, May 30, 2023.
- Co-author, “ESG at a Tipping Point for Real Estate: Background, Recent Developments, and ESG Trends and Opportunities,” ALI CLE’s The Practical Real Estate Lawyer, November 1, 2022.
- Co-author, “AOCI Losses: What the Big Hit to Banks’ Bond Portfolios Means Going Forward,” Troutman Pepper, September 1, 2022.
- Co-author, “SEC Proposes New Rules to Enhance and Standardize Climate-Related Disclosures,” Troutman Pepper, March 24, 2022.
- Co-author, “ESG Proposals Make Early Waves in the 2022 Proxy Season,” Troutman Pepper, March 10, 2022.
- Co-author, “Gearing Up for Climate Disclosure,” The Banking Law Journal, January 2022.
- Co-author, “Gearing Up for Climate Disclosure,” Troutman Pepper, October 8, 2021.
- Co-author, “SAFE Banking Act of 2021 to Provide Cannabis Industry Access to Financial Services, but Obstacles Remain,” Troutman Pepper, April 28, 2021.
- Co-author, “ESG and Corporate Reporting,” IR Update, Winter 2021.
- Author, “Managing Dueling Agendas in Banking Regulation,” Law360, February 12, 2021.
- Co-author, “Key Considerations for the 2021 Reporting Season,” Troutman Pepper, January 15, 2021.
- Co-author, “Real Estate Caught in ESG Tug of War,“ Law360 Real Estate Authority, April 2, 2025.
- Quoted, “Research Report: A Practical Guide to ESG,” BankDirector.com, December 12, 2022.
- Quoted, “US Banks with Highest Texas Ratios in Q3,” S&P Global Market Intelligence, November 23, 2022.
- Quoted, “‘We Step Up to the Plate:’ How These Women Built Their Careers and Grew Businesses,” Atlanta Business Chronicle, October 12, 2022.
- Quoted, “S in ESG Stands for Supply Chain,” FinOps Report, October 19, 2021.