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The architect of Williams’ proxy statement is still a little surprised in the direction her career has grown. In September 2025, Williams was nominated for two Corporate Governance Awards from Governance Intelligence for “Best Sustainability Reporting” and “Best Proxy Statement” for a large-cap organization, taking home the prize for the latter. Amanda Thrash, senior counsel and assistant corporate secretary at Williams, spent her early career litigating almost exclusively, so becoming an award-winning governance and securities expert seems anything but a conventional path.
“Amanda does it all well, from nuanced governance and disclosure matters to cutting-edge capital markets transactions. She is calm under pressure, thoughtful and practical, and brings insight and clarity to every challenging situation. It is an honor and privilege to partner with her as outside counsel,” says Robyn Zolman, partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.
But Williams wasn’t Thrash’s first experience in elevating an organization’s proxy statement. At Laredo Petroleum (now Vital Energy), the attorney completely rewrote, reorganized, and redesigned the company’s proxy statement. She helped evolve the document from strictly a compliance statement to a compelling corporate narrative that linked governance practices to business strategy.
“I think companies recognized over time that this was something they were sending out to all of their stockholders, so why didn’t they take the opportunity to tell their story?” Thrash explains. “I’m pretty sure that the proactive stance I took in my previous role contributed to my being hired by Williams.”
Thrash says she’s found her sweet spot in-house. It’s miles away from what she thought she’d be doing, but she urges young lawyers that that is part of the point. If one is open to a new experience, they may be surprised at where they bloom.
In high school, Thrash developed a passion for mock trial and debate. She went on to found a mock trial team at Oklahoma State while pursuing a journalism degree. She also helped coach a high school mock trial team at a local alternative high school. Law school was always in the back of her mind, but she says that the journalistic urge to investigate, to challenge, and to present clearly and concisely still drives her today.
Thrash was obviously drawn to litigation, given her penchant for mock trial. It’s where she’d built out her early expertise in the energy and natural resources arm of law firm Doerner, Saunders, Daniel & Anderson. The attorney says her law firm experience is where she learned a lot of lessons about organization, moving matters ahead, and keeping a lot of plates spinning in the process.
“Securities and corporate governance work never even entered my mind at the time,” Thrash admits. “But I think I realized that by the time a matter gets to litigation, everyone is angry and things have fallen apart. The appeal of going in-house was that maybe you could head off potential issues before they became bigger problems.”
Accumulating Titles
While in private practice, Amanda Thrash was willing to take on a new title: professor. The attorney taught media law at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa for five years prior to going in-house. Will she ever get back in front of a class?
“Never say never,” Thrash says with a smile.
When she eventually went in-house, Thrash found that the company’s small legal team required her to take on tasks she might otherwise not have been comfortable tackling. She still handled litigation and contract work, but eventually she started delving into securities and corporate governance.
How does one become an elite-level practitioner in an area in which they have very little experience?
“I looked around in my organization and thought about where I could be most helpful and where I could make a difference,” Thrash says. “I raised my hand and decided to take on the proxy statement.”
That’s possibly the most lasting message Thrash wants to pass on to the next generation of lawyers. Just raise your hand. The senior counsel says there is always room for someone who is willing to learn something new and take on expanded duties. There will always be a place for someone who believes things can be done better and is willing to be a driver of that mission.
In coming to Williams, Thrash was able to take her previous proxy experience and build on it. Thrash has cultivated a passion for engaging with the company’s shareholders that is always evolving, always dynamic. She clearly relishes that part of her job. And she’s the first to point out that her work getting national recognition is part of a broader team effort.
“I don’t work in a vacuum,” Thrash says. “There is an incredible team here internally as well as externally in helping us design exactly the kind of product we need.”
Thrash also hopes her experience can be of benefit to other lawyers on their own journeys. Her advice about being open to opportunities is complemented by her belief that no matter your role, you can take leadership over your development and growth.
“Try and remember that you are the CEO of your own career,” Thrash affirms. “You do not have to wait for someone to tell you to develop and grow in a direction that interests you. You can look around and make those decisions for yourself.”
As for life outside of work, Thrash admits that she doesn’t really believe in “work-life balance” so much as “work-life harmony.” The attorney says she couldn’t thrive at work if she didn’t have time to spend with her husband and two daughters, but it’s not so much about balancing priorities as it is about creating the kind of life that minimizes the friction between her career and family life.
“ActiveDisclosure improved our reporting and disclosure efforts by making collaboration easier. Using it for our proxy helps us produce a high-quality, visually strong document that represents the company well.”
–Nathaniel Sisitsky, SVP, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
