Edwin E. Hightower Jr. is senior vice president and chief legal officer, Gevity HR Inc. (NASDAQ: GVHR). He joined Gevity as its corporate counsel in 2002. During his tenure with the company, he has served as the head of Gevity’s internal human resources department and was promoted to the position of vice president and general counsel in 2006. In 2008, Mr. Hightower was named a senior vice president by the board of directors, and in addition to serving as the company’s chief legal officer, he also serves as the chief compliance officer and secretary to the board of directors. Immediately before joining Gevity, Mr. Hightower was a litigating attorney for Carnival Cruise Lines, in Miami, Florida. A resident of Saint Petersburg, Florida, he is a certified mediator and serves on the board of directors of the Florida Association of Professional Employer Organizations (FAPEO). Mr. Hightower obtained his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.