Alyssa Kornacki Gallot, Class of 1984. While in high school, Alyssa excelled in music and foreign languages. She was active in Choirs (including Wisconsin Honors Choir), Student Council, and International Club. She was a Bilingual Award winner for French and Spanish, as well as winning the Eleanor Sink Chapman piano competition. In college, Alyssa was honored for her accomplishments as a pianist at UW Madison, while continuing her studies in languages, especially French. Combining her passions, Alyssa studies piano at the American Conservatory in Fontainbleau, France. Following graduation at UW Madison, Alyssa pursued a law degree from Marquette University, earning her JD in 1993. She practiced law in Milwaukee for several years following law school at Value Merchants and Everything’s A Dollar, Inc! until 1995. From 1995 to 1998, she worked at Catalyst International, Inc. Alyssa now resides in Paris, where she is a partner in the international law firm of Baker and McKenzie SCP (having passed the French Bar Exam in 2004). Her specialty is Mergers and Acquisitions and Private Equity/Venture Capital. Additionally, she is a lecturer at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris on the subject of US Corporations, Mergers, and Acquisitions. She is a member of the Paris branch of the University of Wisconsin Madison Alumni Association, the Women’s Interest Group of the International Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Wisconsin State Bar. She is also involved with her firm’s hiring committee and mentors new attorneys.