Valeria I. Obi

Valeria Obi currently serves as Corporate Counsel for WilsonHCG where she is responsible for providing legal advice to the company’s internal stakeholders and senior leadership on various issues; handling employment law matters; managing the formation of international entities; overseeing data privacy and compliance matters; drafting, reviewing, and negotiating commercial contracts and agreements; and overseeing diversity, equity & inclusion initiatives. Prior to that, for 7 years she served as Staff Counsel for the country’s largest third-party debt buyer, Midland Credit Management, Inc. where she litigated debt collection matters. She received her Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University and her Juris Doctor from Stetson University College of Law. Outside of the office, Valeria is heavily involved in community activities.

Valeria is the current President of the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter National Bar Association, the statewide bar association for Black attorneys in Florida. She sits on the Board of Governors for the National Bar Association, the country’s largest organization for Black attorneys and sits on the Florida Bar Board of Governors. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Hillsborough County Bar Association and is a Vice Chair for the Florida Bar’s Standing Committee on Diversity & Inclusion. Valeria is the Past President of the George Edgecomb Bar Association and serves on the Florida Bar’s Small Claims Rules Committee. She is also a member of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and is an active member of the St. Petersburg Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Previously, Valeria was also selected as a fellow for The Florida Bar’s William Reece Smith, Jr. Leadership Academy, Class VI and graduated in 2019. She also serves on Florida State University’s Black Alumni Board as a Regional Representative for the Southwest Florida Region and she serves on the Black Law Students Association Alumni Advisory Board for Stetson University College of Law.

Valeria has also received special recognition for her extensive bar service including the George Edgecomb Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer’s Award in 2015 and their President’s Award in 2017. She was also selected as a 2017 Notable Nole, a recognition program honoring young Florida State University alumni under the age of 35. She received the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award in 2017 as well as their Top Corporate Counsel Award in 2021. She was also named a Top 10 Under 40 by Tampa Magazines in 2021 and received the 2022 Florida Bar Young Lawyer’s Division’s Most Productive Young Lawyer’s Award.