Alyssa Harvey Dawson
Alyssa Harvey Dawson is General Counsel, Head of Legal, at Sidewalk Labs. Before joining Sidewalk, Alyssa was a Vice President in Legal at Harman International Industries, the audio and connected car company. While at Harman, Alyssa managed a global team of attorneys, paralegals, and technology specialists and developed the global IP strategy, working closely with Harman’s corporate technology office and business divisions. As part of the IP strategy, she established a revenue-generating business segment focused on deriving additional value from Harman’s many technologies, brands and patents.
Prior to Harman, Alyssa was at Netflix, where she worked with the business and product development teams on putting in place the strategy and complex licensing agreements that put Netflix on every major consumer electronics device. She also developed the IP strategy, focusing on strategic patenting and globalizing the company’s trademarks. Alyssa also worked at Autodesk, where she served as division counsel to multiple business units and lead counsel for sales and operations; led on several important acquisitions for the company; and advised on general corporate law, product marketing, copyright, privacy, open-source matters, and sales and distribution agreements.
Alyssa was in private practice for five years at the law firms of Latham & Watkins and Cooley Godward, and she worked on broadcast and communications deals, practiced before the FCC, did venture capital financings on both the company and VC side, and worked on securities filings for public companies.
Alyssa earned her undergraduate degree with honors from the Honors College at Michigan State University and her law degree from Georgetown University Law Center, where she graduated cum laude and was an editor on the Georgetown Law Journal. Alyssa has served on the Advisory Board for the Women, Influence and Power in Law conference, has played an active role in ChIPs, serves on the Advisory Board for the Quello Center for Telecommunication Management and Law, and is a member of the Michigan State University Honors College Alumni Board.
Born in Gary, Indiana, Alyssa grew up in New Jersey and now lives in Connecticut with her husband and son. She enjoys family bike rides, teaching her son card games, watching him play baseball and soccer, cheering on the Raiders, and getting beat at chess (on occasion) by her son.