Monica Welt

Senior Executive Vice President & General Counsel; President, Retail Litigation Center Retail Industry Leaders Association

Last Reviewed: September 26, 2026

Executive Summary

Monica Welt is Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel of the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the Washington-based retail trade association. She is also President of the Retail Litigation Center, RILA’s affiliate that represents retail industry interests in the courts. She took both roles in August 2025, succeeding Deborah White, after more than two decades in retail and private legal practice. Most of that time was spent at Big Lots, where she built the retailer’s first compliance function and became Deputy General Counsel. She joined RILA as a senior staff officer, not its chief executive: RILA is led by President and CEO Brian Dodge.

Career Highlights

• Senior Executive Vice President & General Counsel of RILA and President of the Retail Litigation Center since 6 August 2025, succeeding Deborah White.
• Spent nine years at Big Lots, building its first compliance department and becoming Deputy General Counsel in 2021.
• As Deputy General Counsel, served as Big Lots’ top compliance leader and assistant corporate secretary, leading legal, compliance and corporate governance strategy.
• Also held the title Chief Compliance & Sustainability Officer at Big Lots.
• Practised product liability litigation and risk management at Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, DC, after earlier work at Dewey Ballantine LLP and Wallace King Domike & Branson.
• Serves on the board of the Foundation for Autoimmune Cancer Support.

Professional Journey

Welt began her legal career at Dewey Ballantine LLP, working on trade matters, and then became a litigator at Wallace King Domike & Branson. She moved to Crowell & Moring LLP in Washington, DC, where she practised product liability litigation and risk management.

She then spent nine years at Big Lots, the Ohio-based discount retailer. There she built the company’s first compliance department and rose through the legal function to Deputy General Counsel in 2021. In that role she was the retailer’s top compliance leader and its assistant corporate secretary, leading legal, compliance and corporate governance strategy for a public company that RILA describes as a $6 billion business. She also held the title Chief Compliance & Sustainability Officer.

In June 2025 RILA announced that she would become its next General Counsel and President of the Retail Litigation Center from 6 August 2025, succeeding Deborah White, who had held the role for 12 years. RILA President and CEO Brian Dodge said the knowledge and relationships she brought “after more than two decades in retail and in private practice are truly unique.” RILA now lists her as President of the RLC and Senior Executive Vice President & General Counsel.

Outside RILA, she is a board member of the Foundation for Autoimmune Cancer Support.

Education

No education record was found in any first-party or primary source reviewed.