Wayne Withers has been engaged in the practice of law since 1965. He started his professional career as a staff attorney at the Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC. In 1968, he joined the law department at Monsanto Co., St. Louis, Missouri. He rapidly advanced in the law department, becoming Assistant General Counsel of Monsanto in 1978 and Vice President and General Counsel of the Monsanto Agricultural Co., a unit of Monsanto Co., in the same year. In 1982, he was made Associate General Counsel of Monsanto in charge of all the lawyers in the operating units.

In 1989, he left Monsanto to accept the position of Senior Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel at Emerson Electric Co. In 2005, Mr. Withers was promoted to Executive Vice President, Secretary and General Counsel. Mr. Withers oversaw  the growth of the Emerson law department at a steady rate while at the same time containing costs and putting in place many new programs. He immediately put in place a new litigation policy and instituted a matrix program of established outside trial lawyers, a new cost control budgeting program which proved very effective in containing cost while at the same time using first-rate outside trial counsel. He substantially increased the use of technology by the Emerson law department. He used the company's intranet to provide legal advice and services to different groups within the company on numerous issues ranging from foreign corrupt practices, import/export law, patent policies and procedures, etc. Mr. Withers instituted an effective product safety program, which put a high premium on product quality to ensure that Emerson's products were as safe as possible. He also put in place many of Emerson's compliance programs and required periodic audits of Emerson's numerous compliance programs to ensure they worked properly.

Mr. Withers is also a member of the Board of Directors of Missouri American Water Company.

Outside his corporate responsibilities, Mr. Withers has been very active in the legal community. He has served as Vice-Chair of the Conference Board's Council for Chief Legal Officers. He has devoted substantial time and effort to the National Center for State Courts, which is a non-profit group devoted exclusively to increasing the efficiency and excellence of the state judicial systems. He has been active in the American Law Institute where he has participated in the development of model state laws. He is also active as a member of the Advisory Committee of the Washington Legal Foundation, a major legal think tank devoted to emerging legal issues.

Mr. Withers is also very active in civic affairs. He has been a Trustee of the Missouri Historical Society since 1995 and served as the Chairman from 2002-2004. As a Trustee of the Missouri Historical Society, he was actively involved in raising $25 million to double the size of the society's museum with a new addition, which serves as an exhibit area for public use.

Publications

• "Regulation/Commercialization of Genetically Engineered Plants," Abstract for Practising Law Institute Seminar on Biotechnology New Developments in Federal Policies and Regulations, October 1988
• "Biotechnology - Ethics, Safety and Regulation," Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, Spring 1987 (with Patricia G. Kenworthy, Attorney - Monsanto Agricultural Company)
• "Biotechnology: Can a New Technology Survive?" St. Louis University Law Journal, Spring 1987 (with Patricia G. Kenworthy, Attorney - Monsanto Agricultural Company)
• "Biotechnology: An Industry Perspective," Kansas Law Review, Spring 1986, Vol. 34, No.3
• "Enforcement Under FIFRA - Civil and Criminal Penalties," Chemical Times & Trends, January 1979

Professional Affiliations

• Member, American Bar Association, Antitrust Law Section
• Member, American Bar Association, Business Law Section, Committee of Corporate General Counsel
• Member, American Bar Association, Litigation Section, Corporate Counsel Committee
• Member, Oklahoma Bar Association
• Member, Missouri Bar Association, Commercial Law Section
• Member, Metropolitan Bar Association of St. Louis, Antitrust and Grievance Committees
• Member, American Law Institute
• Member, American Corporate Counsel Association, St. Louis Chapter
• Member, American Society of Corporate Secretaries
• Member, Association of General Counsel
• Member, Conference Board's Council for Chief Legal Officers
• Member, Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy Studies
• Member, Manufacturers Alliance Law Council I
• Member, Legal Policy Advisory Board, Washington Legal Foundation
• Member, National Center for State Courts, Corporate Counsel Committee and Lawyers Committee
• Member, Supreme Court Historical Society
• Member, Warren E. Berger Society - highest honor by the National Center for State Courts to practicing lawyers
• Former Vice President, Member, Executive Committee and Board of Directors, International Food Biotechnology Council
• Former Board of Trustees, International Life Sciences Institute
• Former Chairman, Member, Law Committee, National Agricultural Chemicals Association
• Former Chairman, Member, Law Committee, Industrial Biotechnology Association
• Former Member, Advisory Panel, Congressional Office of Technology Assessment Re: Biotechnology in a Global Economy: Options for U.S. Strategy
• Former Vice Chairman, Conference Board's Council for Chief Legal Officers
• Listed in Marquis Who's Who in America, Who's Who in U.S. Executives, and Who's Who in American Law

Civic Involvement and Distinctions

• President, Missouri Law Institute
• Board of Trustees and Former Chairman, Missouri Historical Society
• Board of Trustees, Stages St. Louis
• Board of Directors, World Agricultural Forum
• Board of Trustees, Supreme Court Historical Society