Valerie Briggs Solomon is a global legal and regulatory expert with significant experience in public policy, external affairs, and scientific engagement. She is based in Winston-Salem, where she serves as Vice President, Scientific & Public Health Affairs, for RAI Services Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds American Inc. In this role, Valerie is responsible for defining and driving the Reynolds scientific engagement strategy across diverse external stakeholders, contextualizing tobacco harm reduction within the U.S. regulatory landscape through engagement with public health experts, healthcare providers, and academic collaborators. Valerie assumed her current role in July 2025, following a three-year international assignment with Reynolds’s parent company, British American Tobacco, first as Head of Legal, Beyond Nicotine, then as Head of Scientific Affairs – Tobacco Harm Reduction. Prior to her assignment, she served as Assistant General Counsel and Vice President – Regulatory, for Reynolds American Inc. from 2019 to 2022. Valerie began her legal career in private practice in Washington, D.C., where she counseled clients in the food, medical device, and pharmaceutical industries on state, federal, and international regulatory compliance. She previously served as vice president for healthcare research at a New York-based investment advisory firm. Valerie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from the American University Washington College of Law