Diversity Journal - Diversity Leader 2018-19

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Winter 2018-19

2019 Diversity Leader Awards

2019 LEADERS Inside this issue

More inside

A Framework for Implementing a Diversity and Inclusion Plan I Just Enough Training, Just in Time

Young Voices Provide Hope that Times Are Changing I Leveraging Executive Leadership to Advance D&I

Do you have

PUBLISHER'S COLUMN

Long before they became CEOs, we knew that these were Women Worth Watching.

All Things Diversity & Inclusion FOUNDER/CEO/PUBLISHER

James R. Rector VP OF OPERATIONS

James Gorman DESIGNER

Stephen A. Toth ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Teresa Fausey EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Elena Rector WEBMASTER

David Toth

NAME

COMPANY

YEAR WWW

CEO

General Motors

2011

2013

Lynne Doughtie

KPMG

2015

2015

Ursula Burns

Xerox

2004

2009-2016

Ellen Kullman

DuPont

2004

2009-2015

Mary T. Barra

Marillyn Hewson

Lockheed Martin

2005

2013

Lynn L. Elsenhans

Sunoco

2003

2008-2012

Key Bank

2007

2011

Archer Daniels Midland

2005

2009-2014

Hershey Company

2005

2017

Alliant Energy

2010

2012

Deborah Gillis

Catalyst

2010

2014-2018

Ilene H. Lang

Catalyst

2005

2008-2013

Beth Mooney Patricia Woertz Michele Buck Patricia Kampling

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Profiles in Diversity Journal Gemini Towers #1 • 1991 Crocker Road, Suite 600 • Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: 440.892.0444 • Fax: 440.892.0737 profiles@diversityjournal.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Single issue $14.95 1 year subscription (4 issues) $45.00 2 year subscription (8 issues) $82.50 Canada, 1 year subscription $52.50 Canada, 2 year subscription $97.50 International, 1 year $99.95 International, 2 year $187.50 U.S. funds only. Subscriptions can be ordered at: www.diversityjournal.com or call customer service at 800.573.2867 Copyright © 2019 Rector Inc.

SUBMISSIONS

REPRINTS: profiles@diversityjournal.com EDITORIAL: profiles@diversityjournal.com PHOTOS & ARTWORK: art@diversityjournal.com

FOLLOW US AT:

issuu.com/diversityjournal

in your organization?

If you know a Woman Worth Watching in your organization, please nominate her today at:

womenworthwatching.com The deadline for nominations is April 19, 2019

Profiles in Diversity Journal® is a quarterly magazine dedicated to promoting and advancing diversity and inclusion in the corporate, government, nonprofit, higher education, and military sectors. For more than 21 years, we have helped to stimulate organizational change by showcasing the visionary leadership, innovative programs, and committed individuals that are making it happen.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and may or may not represent the views of the publisher.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Registered in U.S. Patent Office

How do you know if you’re making a difference?

How often do you ask yourself this question? How do we know that our work, and the work of our organizations, is meaningful, and that our personal efforts, and the efforts of our teams, management, suppliers, and customers, are making a positive difference?

And how do we know if we could do more by being more inclusive of all of the people engaged in the process?

As Profiles in Diversity Journal enters year 21, we want to know if our efforts in editing, securing content, printing, interviewing, and awarding companies and individuals for outstanding achievement are making a difference.

We live with this crucial question every day, as we compile the best issues we can.

And from time to time, we receive an encouraging note that enlivens our spirits and motivates us on this exciting journey. For example, just the other day we received this note from Teena Piccione, a Women Worth Watching in 2017 (http://www.womenworthwatching.com/teena-w-piccione/): Hi there.

Just thought I would pass along, as a previous winner and huge supporter, that I as well made it to the C-Suite! CIO and EVP at RTI International!

Thank you, again, for all your support, and keep up the amazing work!

Blessings, Teena Piccione Posted on our website, and on the previous page, is a chart that contains a partial list of former Women Worth Watching winners who have been promoted to the C-Suite. This is a work in progress, as we continue to learn of additional Women Worth Watching who have made it to the C-Suite.

In this issue of PDJ, we are honoring our 2019 Diversity Leaders and the organizations that nominated them. Congratulations to all!

Additionally, we have added a spotlight feature that provides commentary on the current State of Diversity, Inclusion and Human Equity. I believe you will find these commentaries interesting, informative, and encouraging. Going forward, we will include personal commentaries like these in each issue.

Bottom line? I believe we’re making a difference.

Our work is challenging and, often times, fun. Engaging with people is energizing. There are so many innovative ideas that need to be shared. Please join the conversation!

Best, Jim

James R. Rector, Founder and Publisher, and the incredible team at Profiles in Diversity Journal

www.diversityjournal.com

1

PUBLISHER'S COLUMN All Things Diversity & Inclusion FOUNDER/CEO/PUBLISHER

James R. Rector VP OF OPERATIONS

James Gorman DESIGNER

Stephen A. Toth ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Teresa Fausey EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Elena Rector WEBMASTER

David Toth

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Profiles in Diversity Journal Gemini Towers #1 • 1991 Crocker Road, Suite 600 • Westlake, OH 44145 Tel: 440.892.0444 • Fax: 440.892.0737 profiles@diversityjournal.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Single issue $14.95 1 year subscription (4 issues) $45.00 2 year subscription (8 issues) $82.50 Canada, 1 year subscription $52.50 Canada, 2 year subscription $97.50 International, 1 year $99.95 International, 2 year $187.50 U.S. funds only. Subscriptions can be ordered at: www.diversityjournal.com or call customer service at 800.573.2867 Copyright © 2019 Rector Inc.

SUBMISSIONS

REPRINTS: profiles@diversityjournal.com EDITORIAL: profiles@diversityjournal.com PHOTOS & ARTWORK: art@diversityjournal.com

FOLLOW US AT:

issuu.com/diversityjournal

Profiles in Diversity Journal® is a quarterly magazine dedicated to promoting and advancing diversity and inclusion in the corporate, government, nonprofit, higher education, and military sectors. For more than 21 years, we have helped to stimulate organizational change by showcasing the visionary leadership, innovative programs, and committed individuals that are making it happen.

The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and may or may not represent the views of the publisher.

Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited.

Registered in U.S. Patent Office

How do you know if you’re making a difference?

How often do you ask yourself this question? How do we know that our work, and the work of our organizations, is meaningful, and that our personal efforts, and the efforts of our teams, management, suppliers, and customers, are making a positive difference?

And how do we know if we could do more by being more inclusive of all of the people engaged in the process?

As Profiles in Diversity Journal enters year 21, we want to know if our efforts in editing, securing content, printing, interviewing, and awarding companies and individuals for outstanding achievement are making a difference.

We live with this crucial question every day, as we compile the best issues we can.

And from time to time, we receive an encouraging note that enlivens our spirits and motivates us on this exciting journey. For example, just the other day we received this note from Teena Piccione, a Women Worth Watching in 2017 (http://www.womenworthwatching.com/teena-w-piccione/): Hi there.

Just thought I would pass along, as a previous winner and huge supporter, that I as well made it to the C-Suite! CIO and EVP at RTI International!

Thank you, again, for all your support, and keep up the amazing work!

Blessings, Teena Piccione Posted on our website, and on the previous page, is a chart that contains a partial list of former Women Worth Watching winners who have been promoted to the C-Suite. This is a work in progress, as we continue to learn of additional Women Worth Watching who have made it to the C-Suite.

In this issue of PDJ, we are honoring our 2019 Diversity Leaders and the organizations that nominated them. Congratulations to all!

Additionally, we have added a spotlight feature that provides commentary on the current State of Diversity, Inclusion and Human Equity. I believe you will find these commentaries interesting, informative, and encouraging. Going forward, we will include personal commentaries like these in each issue.

Bottom line? I believe we’re making a difference.

Our work is challenging and, often times, fun. Engaging with people is energizing. There are so many innovative ideas that need to be shared. Please join the conversation!

Best, Jim

James R. Rector, Founder and Publisher, and the incredible team at Profiles in Diversity Journal

www.diversityjournal.com

1

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PUBLISHER’S COLUMN EDITOR’S COLUMN DIVERSITY LEADER AWARDS COMMENTARIES NEW IN PRINT PEOPLE ON THE MOVE CORPORATE INDEX

10 TABLE OF CONTENTS

PAGE 8

Diversity Leader Awards 2019 Meet this year’s Diversity Leader Award recipients, and learn what these 24 bright, creative people are doing to transform their workplace cultures and open doors to growth and success for everyone.

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01 07 08 38 61 62 64

IN THIS ISSUE

www.diversityjournal.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 40

A Framework for Implementing a Diversity and Inclusion Plan Understand the importance of discovering your workplace culture, defining your ideal culture, devising a plan for change, and connecting leadership to it.

PAGE 42

Where Do We Go from Here?

Women and Diversity in 2019 According to this author, 2019 is the year to take action and deal with issues facing women at work— from gender parity and pay equity, to boardroom commitments and changing cultures.

PAGE 44

Three Critical Actions that Can Move Diversity and Inclusion to the Next Level Find out how a system approach, increasing leadership competency, and providing a “safe” place to speak out can transform your workplace.

PAGE 46

Just Enough Training, Just in Time If you’ve ever attended one of those all-day diversity training sessions and come away not remembering most of what you were supposed to have learned, you’ll want to read this.

PAGE 47

Diversity and Inclusion in Law Firms: Some Progress, but a Long Way to Go Although law firms know that diversity is a good thing, most have not been very successful at becoming more diverse or inclusive—but that is beginning to change.

PAGE 48

Building Blocks for Closing the Chronic Gender Gap Encouraging women to ask for what they want and eliminating unconscious bias in the workplace can help change the trajectory of their careers and close the gender gap.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 49

Our People Make the Difference— Every One of Them At Walmart, Inclusion is key, and training today’s and tomorrow’s leaders to be inclusive is vitally important. See what this company is doing to ensure that everybody is on board.

PAGE 50

The Human Equity Transformation Trevor Wilson shares with readers the real-life story of his work with Vectren; see how human equity can change a workplace culture and transform a company.

PAGE 52

Young Voices Provide Hope that Times Are Changing This community advocate is encouraged by the passion for and commitment to equality and justice among millennials, and even high school students.

PAGE 53

Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Equity in Business Today Although this author believes businesses have made real progress, she also believes there is much more to do and offers readers several ways to improve D&I at work.

PAGE 54

Challenge the Paradigm by Reaching Out to Diverse Attorneys for Your Bet-the-Company Matters It’s not enough to hire a more diverse group of attorneys; it’s also vital that firm leaders make sure those attorneys get to work on important “bet-the-company” matters.

PAGE 56

Leading by Example: Three Considerations for Creating and Maintaining a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace Discover the three things every organization can and should do to build and foster a more diverse and inclusive workplace.

www.diversityjournal.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 57

Life Beyond the Buzzwords We’re all familiar with the language of diversity and inclusion, but this director of diversity and inclusion insists on going beyond talk—she is all about action.

PAGE 58

The State of Diversity Diversity leaders are at a point that affords them the opportunity to consider how they think about diversity. This author says we’ve been equating diverse with “less than.”

PAGE 60

Leveraging Executive Leadership to Advance Diversity and Inclusion When it comes to advancing diversity and inclusion in the workplace, just how crucial is the involvement of C-suite executives?

PAGE 61

Some of My Friends Are… An In-Depth Look at Cross-Racial Friendships in Today’s World Deborah Plummer's realization that having many cross-racial friendships made her an outlier started her on a journey of discovery; she shares what she learned in her new book, Some of My Friends Are….

PAGE 62

People on the Move Find out what your fellow diversity professionals have been up to—who’s been promoted and who has made the move to a new company.

PAGE 64

Corporate Index 6

EDITOR'S COLUMN

Take the Time to Earn Trust “Earning trust is not easy, nor is it cheap, nor does it happen quickly. Earning trust is hard and demanding work. Trust comes only with genuine effort, never with a lick and a promise.”

– Max De Pree, Leading Without Power: Finding Hope in Serving Community Trust. Perhaps one of the biggest obstacles to transforming a relationship, an organization, or a community is lack of trust. While it is true that earning trust is not easy, it is well worth the effort if we want to succeed together. It is necessary if we hope to move past discrete programs and initiatives and events to true relationship and meaningful cultural change. I think there may be nothing as important, or as powerful, as knowing you can absolutely trust the people with whom you work or live.

For those who lead diversity and inclusion efforts at work, earning and building trust is vital, not just with people who have been underrepresented and marginalize, although earning their trust is important, but with everyone inside and outside the organization, with whom these leaders may interact.

When trust is present, people know—and more important, feel—that those they work with will act transparently and fairly, and that no one will be thrust aside, stifled, or ignored. The presence of trust allows all people to be themselves—to speak freely, advance opinions and ideas, and pursue their goals without fear.

Earning trust is an every day, every-encounter effort. It is person to person. It means treating every individual with equal respect and regard—and doing it again and again until…. It can be hard work. But the result is transformative.

Profiles in Diversity Journal is honored to be part of the conversations around diversity and inclusion. We bring our readers news of D&I advances, insights from those who are passionate about building a more equitable and inclusive workplace, and the goals and aspirations of today’s diversity leaders. We know that the stories and the ideas we share in these pages can help build understanding and trust in workplaces across the nation and around the globe.

This issue of PDJ contains an enlightening essay by Deborah L. Plummer, PhD, vice chancellor of diversity and inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and author of the new book, Some of My Friends Are… The daunting challenges and untapped benefits of cross-racial friendships.

From her first realization that most of us have few, if any, cross-racial friendships, to her in-depth study of the topic, Dr. Plummer takes readers on a fascinating journey.

Thanks for reading.

Teresa Fausey Associate Editor, PDJ

www.diversityjournal.com

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The 11th Annual Diversity Leader Awards

Meet the Remarkable People Working to Make Diversity and Inclusion Unremarkable

T

he 24 Diversity Leader Award recipients honored in this issue of PDJ come from myriad fields of endeavor and from locations around the United States and across the globe. They represent the best, brightest, and most committed to diversity, inclusion, and equity in industries such as health care, insurance, law,

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Winter 2018–19

education, food service, mortgage, electronics, computers, retail, and executive search. The one characteristic they all share is an extraordinary passion for fairness, opportunity, and respect—at work and throughout their communities.

These are dedicated, intelligent, and creative leaders you’ll want to know better.

These leaders celebrate diversity as a value that is not only crucial for commercial success, but also central to who they are—as organizations and as individuals. For each of them, diversity isn’t just their job or even an important principle. It is the reason they go to work each day or write books or mentor others or found organizations.

For many, who know the sting

of exclusion and unfair treatment, making diversity a reality is also a personal imperative.

These organizations, and the individual Diversity Leaders we honor here, are changing their workplace cultures in fundamental ways and opening doors at every level for underrepresented people—from removing bias during the recruitment

and hiring process, to providing mentors and training that support professional growth and advancement, to ensuring that the C-Suite and board are open to all. For example, the law firms in this year’s class have overwhelmingly signed on to the Mansfield Rule, which certifies that law firms consider at least 30 percent diverse lawyers for all governance and leadership roles.

So, get to know these extraordinary Diversity Leaders. Learn about and consider their ideas; see how you might use them to help you own organization become more diverse, inclusive, and equitable. We know you’ll be inspired by their passion, their enthusiasm, and their fascinating personal stories.

www.diversityjournal.com

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Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate LLC (Madison, NJ)

Sherry Chris,

President and CEO

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etter Homes and Gardens Real Estate (BHGRE) LLC, a leader in lifestyle real estate, strives to set the standard for ethical conduct in the real estate industry. This commitment is expressed through the company’s core values— Passion, Authenticity, Inclusion, Growth, and Excellence (PAIGE), which provide a foundation for exemplary success: • Passion, to stimulate energy to a higher level of inspiration and emotion • Authenticity, to be exactly what we claim to be • Inclusion, to embrace all people and ideas • Growth, to have increasing influence • Excellence, to consistently exceed expectations

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Winter 2018–19

“

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has built a culture upon a set of stated core values that network members follow in their personal and professional lives.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate has built a culture upon a set of stated core values that network members follow in their personal and professional lives.

This includes participating in several events throughout the year with nonprofits, such as the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals, the Asian Real Estate Association of America, and the National Association of Gay & Lesbian Professionals. BHGRE also raises money for New Story, a nonprofit organization that provides new homes in Ahuachapán, El Salvador.

BHGRE awards professionals across the company’s network annually with the Next PAIGE award. Winners are affiliated Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate independent sales professionals and brokerage staff members under the age of 30 who have successfully demonstrated a commitment

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to excellence at work and through community engagement.

In addition to being an ardent supporter of diversity and inclusion, Sherry Chris, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate’s president and CEO, is well known for the kind of innovative thinking, next-generation consumer insights, and idea sharing that help to move the industry forward. She is a frequent speaker at real estate and technology conferences, and serves on the NAR Real Estate Services and Asian Real Estate Association of America Education Foundation advisory boards. Sherry is also chair of the national board of directors for the nonprofit organization Rebuilding Together and a member of the advisory board for New Story, a certified 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization that builds safe homes and transforms slums into thriving communities in developing countries. PDJ

Roshan N. Rajkumar,

Bowman and Brooke, LLP (Minneapolis, MN)

Partner and Diversity and Inclusion Committee Chair

interviewing at least 40 percent diverse candidates

“

In 2018, the firm initiated Expanding Our Perspectives, a program to connect firm members—attorneys and staff— through speaker presentations with table talk discussions; extended the Affinity Mentor program to all thirteen Bowman and Brooke locations; and received the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity 2018 Top Performer and Compass awards—a recognition given to the Council’s most active member corporations and law firms.

Bowman and Brooke has set as its key goal the retention of all diverse attorneys across all its offices. Other important goals include the following: • When recruiting summer law clerks, lateral attorneys, and lateral practice groups, interviewing at least 50 percent diverse candidates • When recruiting for any open non-attorney position,

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• Re-establishing the Women’s Affinity Group to better connect the firm’s female attorneys (nearly 45 percent of all firm attorneys)

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owman and Brooke, LLP believes the excellence its clients expect is best achieved by building a team of professionals who reflect a broad range of orientations and interests, as well as diverse personal backgrounds. Committed to recruiting, developing, and retaining diverse talent, the firm’s goal is to be a workplace of inclusion and collegiality.

Bowman and Brooke, LLP believes the excellence its clients expect is best achieved by building a team of professionals who reflect a broad range of orientations and interests, as well as diverse personal backgrounds.

• Establish Affinity Attorney Groups across the firm that focus on specific areas of diversity, including veterans/active military, LGBTQ, and mothers • Start conversations across all Bowman and Brooke offices that permit honest, candid discussions about how each employee can feel more included, through the Expanding Our Perspectives program • Create more sponsorship and allyship programs throughout all 13 offices in order to expand inclusion and a realistic pathway for associates to become partners

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In March 2017, firm partner Roshan Rajkumar took over as head of Bowman and Brooke’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee, which comprises 17 members in 13 offices across the United States. He brought new ideas and energy to the Committee and continues to do a remarkable job in this role.

Rajkumar is also involved in the Minnesota Association of Black Lawyers. A strong proponent for law students, and other students, he always makes time to talk with them about the legal profession. PDJ

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Broadlawns Medical Center (Des Moines, IA)

Wayne Ford, Community Advocate

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roadlawns Medical Center serves the most diverse patient population in Iowa—in a given week, more than forty languages may be spoken. In order to relate to such a diverse patient population and cultivate familiarity, understanding, and cultural sensitivity, building a diverse team is vital.

In 2018, the Center established the Broadlawns Local program, which addresses the social determinants of health and the underlying needs of the community. Social determinants of health include access to education, economic stability/employment, access to health care, neighborhood, and social support. Collectively, these social determinants of health have a greater influence on an individual’s overall health and wellness than their genetic code.

Some of the Broadlawns Local initiatives that have been implemented include: • A fresh produce stand and blood pressure screenings

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Winter 2018–19

• Freestanding libraries with books for adults and children at clinic entrances; participation in the KidsFirst reading program • Complimentary health workshops (smoking cessation, diabetes management, healthy aging, breastfeeding and mommy matters, pain management, etc.)

• Baby boxes/baby bags with care essentials and car seats for new mothers and babies • Walk and Talk with a Doc: a weekly one-mile walk with physicians • Free clinics offering wellness visits and immunizations for those without access to insurance and/or with transportation considerations • Participation in community health fairs with blood pressure, depression, diabetic foot, vision, diabetes, bone density, and dental screenings

One of Broadlawns’ most noteworthy initiatives addressing diversity and inclusion has been the implementation of TECH and TEACH. As community advocate for Broadlawns, Wayne Ford helped initiate the TECH and TEACH job training programs aimed at people who have historically faced barriers to employment. Since piloting the job training programs (Training and Education for a Career in Healthcare) for high school seniors and adults in November of 2016, 66 individuals have completed the training, which includes earning a CNA certification. Seventy-five percent of these individuals are now employed at Broadlawns Medical Center.

In 2018, the TEACH program was established as a designated apprenticeship program for the State of Iowa. Conversations are ongoing with the Iowa Workforce Development staff to emulate this program at other medical centers throughout the state. PDJ

Managing Partner

C

“

adwalader Wickersham & Taft is is committed to supporting a richly diverse and truly inclusive environment. Established in 1792, Cadwalader is the oldest Big Law firm, with nearly 400 attorneys representing the world’s leading financial institutions, corporations, and funds. The firm believes that its continued success is directly tied to its ability to attract, retain, and promote the very best talent from all backgrounds, and has established numerous programs to do just that.

Cadwalader’s talent management programs are designed to help diverse and women attorneys at each level—junior, mid-level, and senior—navigate the firm successfully and understand the unwritten rules of success. The goal is to provide career development assistance and develop tomorrow’s leaders. All programs are taught by senior partners, including Managing Partner Pat Quinn. Some examples include:

The Sponsorship Program (Senior-Level): The Sponsorship Program is a nomination-based program for high-performing diverse and women associates and special counsel with at least six years of experience.

Through this program, the protégés

Patrick T. Quinn,

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Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP (New York, NY)

The firm offers management programs designed to help diverse and women attorneys at each level—junior, mid-level, and senior—navigate the firm successfully and understand the unwritten rules of success.

are assigned senior partners to serve as their sponsor for at least one year.

Since the 2013 program launch, ten protégés have been promoted to partner and eleven have been promoted to special counsel. The Sponsorship Program was recognized as a “Best Practice” in the 2016 New York City Bar Diversity Benchmarking Report.

Business Development Boot Camp (Mid-Level): Business Development Boot Camp is designed to teach junior to mid-level women associates business development skills through a series of workshops that culminates with a mock pitch presentation.

Basic Training (Junior-Level): The Career Basic Training Program provides additional professional development skills, such as “Being an Indispensable Junior Associate” and “Networking 101” for diverse second-year associates.

Cadwalader also has a comprehensive program for recruiting diverse

”

summer associates, which includes reaching out to career services offices at law schools and diverse law student organizations. In 2018, the firm hosted an open house for diverse law students, as well as early on-campus callback interviews for diverse applicants. As a result of these efforts, the summer associate class was 77 percent diverse.

In 2018, Cadwalader’s Women’s Leadership Initiative partnered with clients to host its Second Annual Girls in Finance Program for high school students. This “pipeline” program educates young women regarding basic finance and investment concepts and introduces them to women finance professionals, with the goal of encouraging girls to pursue careers in finance (law or business).

With its comprehensive approach to fostering inclusion and nurturing diverse talent at every level, Cadwalader is creating opportunities across the firm. PDJ

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Corning Incorporated (Corning, NY)

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orning succeeds through sustained investment in RD&E, a unique combination of material and process innovation, deep trust-based relationships with customers who are global leaders in their industries, and the world-class talent of its diverse workforce.

“We depend on diversity of ideas, experiences, and perspectives to develop solutions to tough problems, identify opportunities for growth, and unleash new capabilities that make a positive difference in the world,” says Wendell P. Weeks, Corning’s chairman and chief executive officer.

Throughout Corning’s history, women have played a significant role in helping develop the life-changing innovations that have built the company’s legacy. The UP2 Initiative is a catalyst to help build on that legacy and develop the next generation of women leaders at Corning.

Through UP2, the top 200 women of the company each mentor at least two other women, who in turn coach two other women, and so on, creating a powerful multiplier effect. A global initiative, UP2 mentors share lessons learned with women colleagues around

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Winter 2018–19

Chief Diversity Officer

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Monica L. Bankston,

Throughout Corning’s history, women have played a significant role in helping develop the life-changing innovations that have built the company’s legacy. the world through one-on-one communication, conferences, networking events, and online tools such as an internal website and a dedicated group on the Blue Line, Corning’s internal discussion platform.

In 2018, Corning marked the 50th anniversary of its formal Diversity & Inclusion initiative with a twoday conference and celebration.

Senior leadership joined hundreds of employees for the occasion, which was a significant milestone in its corporate history. Corning’s 16 Employee Resource Groups expanded globally, increasing the total number of chapters to 50 worldwide. The Diversity in Leadership initiative continued to increase diverse representation among company leaders.

In 2019, led by Chief Diversity Officer Monica Bankston, Corning will focus on four D&I objectives:

1. Ensure alignment with Corning’s business strategy and future needs 2. Meet the challenges of emerging dimensions of diversity 3. Promote an inclusive work environment 4. Increase Corning’s Diversity & Inclusion brand reputation Each objective has a set of welldefined priorities, action items, tactics, and measures. Corning focuses on identifying diverse emerging talent and creating “stretch opportunities” that will help them grow into tomorrow’s business leaders.

The company is also working to achieve 100 percent pay parity for employees. Having achieved parity in the United States in 2017, Corning is using the same approach to close pay gaps for its global workforce. PDJ

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Council of Chief State School Officers (Washington, DC)

Annie Holmes,

Chief Equity Officer

T

o fully support state members in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Council of Chief State School Officers understands that it must first focus on internal goals in these areas.

The most compelling accomplishment for CCSSO in 2018 was the establishment of the Equity Office with the hiring of the Council’s first chief equity officer. Other notable achievements include the following: • The launch of Aligning Equity for Impact: A 2-year Equity Plan, led by Chief Equity Officer Annie Holmes, to drive the work of the strategic plan through an equity lens by identifying areas for implementation of equity initiatives and strengthening previously implemented work • A climate survey, which provided baseline data that is being used to examine staff programs and measure organization climate for employees • The development of internal definitions for diversity,

“

The development of internal definitions for diversity, equity, and inclusion as they relate to the organization’s stated mission, vision, and strategic plan

equity, and inclusion as they relate to the organization’s stated mission, vision, and strategic plan • The “Aligning Equity for Impact: 2-year Equity Plan” developed by the chief equity officer has three pillars: improving organizational climate for diversity, equity and inclusion; supporting state education agencies; and cultivating relationships with partners in the educational equity field. Within each pillar, there are several objectives for 2019; these include more training for staff, updating policies and procedures by applying an equity lens, seeking joint grant funding with partners, and creating a scorecard state education agencies can use to improve their organizations and educational action for students

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The organization’s new chief equity officer, Annie Holmes, oversees all internal diversity, equity, and initiatives and strategies; leads the Aligning Equity for Impact initiative; and supports state equity initiatives. Holmes has also commissioned an equity committee to continue to drive internal work with an inclusive voice of diverse staff driving change.

Because CCSSO is a nonprofit organization, its greatest challenge to achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion objectives is funding.

Although there has been a great deal of enthusiasm from external partners and members regarding CCSSO’s strategic direction, and staff members are very engaged in the work, limited funding restricts the true impact the Council can make. Chief Equity Officer Holmes has been able to secure some funding to support the work and will continue to identify financial support for the work. PDJ www.diversityjournal.com

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(Philadelphia, PA)

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Cozen O’Connor

Lynnette D. Espy-Williams, Member and Chief Diversity Officer

C

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ozen O’Connor does not need convincing—as a firm and as individuals, we recognize the moral and business imperatives to building a much more diverse legal workforce. Cozen O’Connor is now one of a handful of Am Law-ranked firms with a full-time partner-level chief diversity officer, as well as a shareholder-led Women’s Initiative—both of which have budgets commensurate with the importance of their missions,” says Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Heller. “These efforts are already reaping rewards. Cozen O’Connor is making notable progress with attracting, retaining, and advancing female and minority attorneys. Of course, we still have a long way to go. Moving forward, we are committed to prioritizing diversity when it comes to bringing in new attorneys, divvying up assignments and opportunities, and promoting people to positions of authority within the firm.”

In 2018, Cozen O’Connor hired the firm’s first diversity data analyst to track diversity metrics, analyze data, report statistics, and develop a data-driven affirmative action

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Winter 2018–19

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We are committed to prioritizing diversity when it comes to bringing in new attorneys, divvying up assignments and opportunities, and promoting people to positions of authority within the firm.

plan. The practice also operated a new 1L Diversity Fellowship for first-year law students from underrepresented groups, increased the resources available to the firm’s attorney resource groups, and added an LGBTQ staff resource group.

The firm also appointed its first chief diversity officer, Lynnette D. Espy-Williams.

She has set a number of ambitious goals for 2019, including these: • Host a firm-wide Diverse Attorney Retreat in Philadelphia in February. All self-identified diverse attorneys, Diversity Committee members, and firm management will convene for a two-day conference to facilitate dialogue and reinforce the importance of diversity and inclusion.

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• Develop a formalized mentoring and training program that will serve the firm’s diverse attorneys, since diverse attorneys oftentimes find it difficult to independently identify a sponsor and/or mentor.

• Implement the Mansfield Rule, which requires that 30 percent of candidates for leadership roles, equity partner promotion, or senior lateral positions be women or minorities. This serves the broader goal of ensuring that significantly more leadership and shareholder positions are held by diverse attorneys.

• Explore development of a diverse supplier program to encourage the hiring of businesses owned and operated by women, minorities, LGBTQ, veterans, and disabled persons. PDJ

Dechert LLP (Philadelphia, PA & New York, NY)

Satra Sampson-Arokium, Director–Diversity & Inclusion

• The announcement of Dechert’s membership in the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity; the firm pledged to “use all means available to realize a truly diverse profession” • The design and launch of a diversity dashboard that helps leaders see where things are working effectively, and where more attention is needed • The launch of the Diversity Champions award, recognizing those who have played the biggest role in supporting a diverse and inclusive culture • The rollout of inclusive leadership training at the 2018 Partner Retreat.

Dechert continuously tracks and analyzes diversity data to ensure parity and to remedy any inequities across gender. Some important strategies in this area include: • Application of the Mansfield Rule 2.0 measures whether

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Dechert strives to develop and integrate diversity goals and strategies into all business processes and practices, while building a better, stronger firm. Some recent accomplishments include:

law firms have affirmatively considered women, LGBTQ+ and minority lawyers (at least 30% of the candidate pool) for promotions, senior-level hiring, and significant leadership roles in the firm

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ith 27 Dechert offices worldwide, diversity and inclusion are core components of the firm’s identity, and how it attracts, recruits, and develops people. As an integral part of the firm’s culture and business strategy, D&I shapes personal commitments and guiding principles.

Dechert is continuing to build a culture of open communication and transparency about career development and related feedback and advice. The firm is also strengthening ties with its Talent Development and Practice Group Management teams to develop specific tools and training that will help attorneys succeed.

• Inclusive Leadership Training for partners and managers, occurring every six weeks • Monthly Diversity Dashboard reporting • Partner Leadership Program– customized leadership development engagements for partners focused on collaboration, communication, effectiveness, leadership challenges, and best opportunities for meaningful growth Satra Sampson-Arokium, Dechert’s director of diversity and inclusion, leads the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Plan and Professional Development Initiative. She is tackling two of Dechert’s greatest challenges: • Due to intense competition for diverse legal talent, Dechert’s most significant challenge is

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to retain its best attorneys.

Besides other large, top-tier firms, Dechert competes with other participants in the legal industry (e.g., federal and state governments, and corporate law departments), for top diverse talent.

• In keeping with its Diversity & Inclusion Plan and Professional Development Initiative, Dechert is continuing to build a culture of open communication and transparency about career development and related feedback and advice. The firm is also strengthening ties with its Talent Development and Practice Group Management teams to develop specific tools and training that will help attorneys succeed. PDJ

www.diversityjournal.com

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April Kelly-Drummond,

Head of Diversity, Equality, Inclusion & Multicultural Engagement

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enny’s believes equality is not a policy, it is a value.

Through a variety of programs, the company supports key causes, including requiring a diverse slate of candidates for all staffing, metric- and goal-driven succession planning at every level—from busser to boardroom, identifying and developing high-potential talent, and maintaining a robust mentorship program.

Diversity/Inclusion is intertwined within the company’s overarching strategy to ensure that the work is implemented from the top down. This ensures that leadership takes ownership of Diversity/Inclusion efforts and that their teams are fully involved.

Denny’s defines success in the area of diversity, equality, and inclusion in terms of culture change, not in terms of classes taught, people of color represented in its advertisements, or community outreach events (though, of course, the company keeps track of all those things). It is relatively easy to teach classes

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and hire consultants. Changing the way people think is quite a bit harder; but that is exactly what Denny’s is committed to doing—to fostering shortand long-term changes in the company’s culture, as it continues to emphasize the importance of diversity.

Looking forward to the reminder of 2019, Denny’s has set the following goals for internal and external success: • Worker success is Denny’s success: The company strives to create an environment in which all workers feel valued, with a fair opportunity to succeed. Internal initiatives aim to create a culture in which people are trained appropriately, have the tools to perform well, and have the energy to engage in activities they are passionate about outside work.

• Multicultural Engagement, Community Outreach, and Supplier Diversity initiatives can help Denny’s lead the industry by recognizing and taking advantage of oppor-

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(Spartanburg, SC)

Denny’s Restaurants

tunities provided by demographic and cultural changes.

Led by its head of diversity and multicultural engagement, April KellyDrummond, Denny’s partnered with 12 leading minority nonprofit advocacy organizations in 2018 to extend the reach of its Hungry for Education scholarship program, which combines Denny’s longstanding commitment to help fight childhood hunger with its focus on promoting academic achievement, into local communities across the brand’s key designated marketing areas.

Hungry for Education awards scholarships to multicultural students for their creative and unique ideas regarding how Denny’s can impact childhood hunger in local communities.

Last year, more than 2,600 students submitted applications and $326,725 in scholarship money was awarded to 51 students. PDJ

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Excellus BlueCross BlueShield (Rochester, NY)

Joseph Searles, Director of Diversity Community Engagement

Sady Fischer, Director of Diversity & Inclusion

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t Excellus, we work to ensure a diverse workforce that reflects the communities we serve and an inclusive, respectful, fair, and equitable organization in which all employees feel valued, respected, and safe to be their authentic selves at work.”

In 2018, Directors Joseph Searles and Sady Fischer led several key diversity and inclusion initiatives focused on the following areas: Recruitment: Excellus enhanced and leveraged its Diversity & Inclusion Internship Program; conducted outreach at colleges, universities, and association groups; increased the number of college interns from underrepresented groups to 40 percent; and connected with more high school students to develop tomorrow’s workforce.

Employee Development: The company grew ERG membership, support, and value proposition; championed its Diversity & Inclusion Mentoring Program; and sponsored development programs focused on leadership, transferrable skills, and civic engagement.

Culture: Excellus increased executive leadership engagement and cross-cultural understanding; introduced two new diversity

Excellus can truly define what it means to be diverse and inclusive, how it relates to the company’s profitability, and how everyone is accountable. workshops and trained all company leaders in at least one of them; enriched organizational knowledge of the business case for diversity and inclusion; increased the number of employees that participated in diversity workshops; and increased the number of employees who adopted a published diversity profile in the online corporate directory.

Business Growth: The company partnered with local organizations to help connect uninsured individuals and families to its individual-market insurance products.

Looking forward to 2019, Excellus’s goals and objectives are to: 1. Ensure diversity and inclusion concepts and best practices are central to every activity, from compensation and equitable pay to interviewing, hiring, and onboarding 2. Expand applicant pools to include more candidates from underrepresented groups

3. Increase diversity at all levels of the organization 4. Introduce new diversity education and Increase knowledge of related topics and issues 5. Identify new ways to connect the uninsured to Excellus’s individual market products Creating a diverse and inclusive culture has been a journey for Excellus, and the company is looking forward to continuing to build a culture by learning—continuing to evolve the organization’s collective diversity and inclusion knowledge through formal education, workshops, and authentic conversations the enable leadership and staff members to learn from one another. Through these ongoing efforts, Excellus can truly define what it means to be diverse and inclusive, how it relates to the company’s profitability, and how everyone is accountable. PDJ

www.diversityjournal.com

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Fish & Richardson (national)

Teresa Lavoie, PhD,

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Principal and EMPOWER Chair

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ish & Richardson recognizes that people are one of the firm’s most valuable assets. Diverse backgrounds provide unique perspectives that result in new and better solutions, and having a diverse team that reflects the diversity of the public arena enhances the quality of legal services the firm can provide to clients and sustains its standing as a premier intellectual property law firm. Fish also recognizes the importance of fostering a work environment that values the diversity of experiences, perspectives, capabilities, and talents of each member of the firm, and contributes to a firm fabric and culture of intentional inclusion.

Fish has made a long-term commitment to building and sustaining a diverse and inclusive workforce. The firm has had a formal diversity initiative in place for more than 10 years. The initiative links together a variety of programs that support recruit-

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Fish also recognizes the importance of fostering a work environment that values the diversity of experiences, perspectives, capabilities, and talents of each member of the firm, and contributes to a firm fabric and culture of intentional inclusion.

ment, retention, professional development, and outreach, and is designed to help the firm attract, retain, and advance a diverse legal staff.

In 2017, Fish became one of the first 30 U.S. law firms to adopt the Mansfield Rule, which requires that 30 percent of candidates for any leadership role must be women and attorneys of color. This practice not only builds a leadership pipeline, it is good for diversity and helpful for succession planning.

“From the beginning of my career, I was determined not to build my practice by ‘pulling the ladder up behind me,’” says Teresa Lavoie, a partner who advocates for women and diverse attorneys as a member of Fish’s Compensation Committee and chair of the firm’s EMPOWER initiative. EMPOWER addresses issues unique to women in the legal profession, increases networking and mentoring

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opportunities, and provides tools and resources that position women for success.

As a key driver of Fish’s work to reduce bias in the promotion process, Lavoie works closely with the firm’s diversity chair to participate in the promotion committee process, reviewing materials and participating in committee discussions to ensure candidates are considered on the merits. In 2018, women represented 50 percent of the attorneys promoted to equity principal and 45 percent of the attorneys promoted to non-equity principal.

Lavoie also helped to spearhead changes to Fish’s parental leave policy. The firm added many improvements, including extending paid leave time and adding a phased hours program that gives employees who are primary caregivers significantly more flexibility before and after their parental leave. PDJ

HIGH-IMPACT CAREERS START HERE

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daho National Laboratory promotes a vibrant culture of inclusive diversity that fuels growth and drives innovation. Through strategic collaboration, employees apply skills that significantly contribute to solving the nation’s most critical safety and security challenges. Our employees utilize world-class scientific technology to push the limits of creativity in ways no other entity can. If you want a high-impact career, INL is where you belong. Visit our career website today to find out how to join our team.

inl.gov/careers

www.diversityjournal.com

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Freddie Mac (McLean, VA)

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Jacqueline M. Welch, Senior Vice President–HRDI; and Chief Diversity Officer

Jacqueline Welch, Freddie Mac’s SVP of HRDI and chief diversity officer, sees tackling unconscious bias as an excellent way to increase diversity and inclusion, “Establishing an environment where individuals can identify biases, freely discuss them, and work to address them will help us create a more inclusive environment.”

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reddie Mac gets diversity right. As a minority majority company, almost half of its employees are women.

However, the organization believes that a more inclusive workplace is a must if it is to attract and retain diverse talent, foster innovation, and drive business outcomes.

In 2018, Freddie Mac launched a new board-approved diversity and inclusion strategic plan, defining three pillars to focus its D&I efforts: WORKFORCE DIVERSITY The organization worked to develop and sustain a pipeline of diverse applicants, while promoting an inclusive culture that enables employees to bring their whole selves to work. Much of the work is driven by employee resource groups (ERGs) and division-specific D&I committees. More than 2,500

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employees are active members of ERGs.

readiness of underrepresented high-potential leaders.

Freddie Mac took specific steps to address the potential of pay inequity. Studies show that women and minorities may be disadvantaged by having to report salary history, and the organization has done away with the practice of asking for salary history across the enterprise.

Further, while HR knows the salary history of internal candidates, that information is not shared with hiring managers.

SUPPLIER DIVERSITY Freddie Mac developed qualified diverse suppliers through its Vendor Academy program and by ensuring diverse suppliers are included in the bidding process, which has ultimately increased its diverse spend—18.9 percent of total enterprise spend was with diverse suppliers in 2018.

Finally, Freddie Mac piloted its first-ever sponsorship program to help high-potential women and women of color navigate the corporate landscape and be positioned for success and growth. This program is the first step toward creating a culture of sponsorship for career development, while increasing the

FINANCIAL TRANSACTIONS The financial transactions pillar, unique to those in the financial services industry, is focused on promoting the use of diverse firms in capital markets transactions. Freddie Mac continues to make progress in providing minority-, women-, and disabled-owned businesses with opportunities to support financial transactions. PDJ

President and CEO

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iversity and inclusion is a primary pillar for HARMAN. Building an inclusive organizational culture that values integrity, respect, diversity, and teamwork above all else has unlocked incredible value for HARMAN—from its ability to hire the best talent and enhance the technologies the company produces, to unlocking innovations and services that improve the lives of millions of customers around the world.

In 2018, the company launched the HARMAN Women’s Network (HWN), an initiative focused on attracting and developing top female talent, and made it a requirement that anyone at the executive level have experience working outside his or her home country for an extended period.

Today, on average, members of the HARMAN management team have worked in three countries.

HARMAN also extended its partnership with the 1,000

Dreams Fund (1DF), a national nonprofit that provides micro-grants to women, through its #NewFaceofTech campaign. The campaign financially supports young women interested in pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). The campaign was launched on International Women’s Day at the first-ever “Full STEAM Ahead” panel discussion. Hosted at HARMAN’s flagship store In New York, the event gathered powerful group leaders from Lincoln Center, Amazon, Becton Dickinson, UNICEF, and USA Today. HARMAN also broadened its partnership with 1DF by powering the BroadcastHER Academy, a campaign that provides support to young women pursuing careers in the video streaming and broadcast industry.

“Upon joining HARMAN as CEO in 2007, I made it a priority to strengthen the corporate culture

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Dinesh Paliwal,

HARMAN (Stamford, CT)

by putting diversity and inclusion at the top of the agenda,” says Dinesh Paliwal. “By establishing a formal diversity and inclusion talent strategy, we diversified HARMAN’s leadership team and global workforce, attracting individuals from a variety of cultural backgrounds, expanding the mix of professional experience, and fostering a climate of inclusiveness, which gave way to new innovative ideas.”

Transitioning to a diverse workplace doesn’t happen overnight, and inclusion doesn’t come easily. People carry preconceived notions—often unintentional or subconscious— about those who may look or sound different, or act differently, from themselves. That is why in 2019, one of Paliwal’s top priorities will be to continue to work hard to engage employees at all levels and make diversity and inclusion part of day-to-day operations. PDJ

www.diversityjournal.com

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President and CEO

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fter the separation of Hewlett Packard Company in 2015, HP increased the number of women at the executive level by four percent. In the years since, that number has continued to rise. At present, almost a third of HP leaders (director and above) are women.

Reversing the underrepresentation of women is a priority for HP. And while 2018 saw improvement in this area, with women in leadership reaching 30 percent and women in technical roles reaching 22 percent, the company is committed to doing even better. In 2019, HP will begin developing a global pipeline of diverse women leaders, using successful leadership programs like Catalyst. Catalyst @ HP is a women’s sponsorship organization that works to advance careers of women within the organization. As of the end of 2018, 250 leaders have participated in Catalyst and 30 percent of those

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participants have been promoted or are in new role.

In addition, the technical contributions of HP women are also on the rise, as evidenced by the number of active patents and submitted innovations. Eight percent of HP active patents were earned by women (as compared to two percent across the industry per Anita Borg Institute research on technical patents from 1980–2010). Eleven percent of HP’s new inventions seeking patents are credited to women in the HP workforce. The company remains committed to establishing opportunities for leadership for women in all functions and at all levels.

A commitment to diversity and inclusion starts at the top, and Dion Weisler, HP president and CEO, is all in. In 2017, he took a pledge on behalf of HP, as part of the CEO Action

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Dion Weisler,

HP Inc. (Palo Alto, CA)

for Diversity & Inclusion. Created

by PwC, the initiative includes more than 100 top CEOs and is the largest CEO-driven business commitment to advance diversity and inclusion at work. The goal is to rally the business community to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace by partnering across organizations and sectors to make a measurable impact in addressing this critical issue.

“Embracing diversity and inclusion is a business imperative for HP,” says Weisler. “We operate on the principle that diversity creates meaningful innovation and improves our company and our products and services. Corporations who prioritize diversity position themselves to better understand the needs and motivations of customers globally, and more fully reflect the markets they serve.” PDJ

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Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP (New York, NY)

Diane Lifton,

Partner, Co-Chair of Life Sciences and Product Liability Practice Groups, and Co-Chair of Committee on Diversity and Inclusion

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t Hughes Hubbard & Reed, diversity starts at the top. Senior partner and member of the firm’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, Candace K. Beinecke, broke through the glass ceiling in 1999, becoming the first woman to chair a major New York law firm.

Today, nearly 40 percent of Hughes Hubbard attorneys are women.

A strategic plan launched ten years ago has resulted in the placement of diverse people in positions of influence. Going forward, a renewed strategic plan continues to focus on ensuring diversity throughout the firm, including at the highest levels of management. Hughes Hubbard recognizes that the ability to attract and retain diverse attorneys is vital to providing the best service to clients, and becoming a better law firm and work environment.

In 2018, Hughes Hubbard focused on recruiting, training, and promoting attorneys of diverse backgrounds. Some of the firm’s significant achievements included

the following: • Increasing the number of diverse attorneys in leadership roles • Expanding its mentoring program • Hiring college interns, as well as law school students and graduates, from its pipeline initiatives • Increasing affinity group activity • Expanding implicit bias training • Including diverse attorneys in developing new client relationships In 2019, Hughes Hubbard will continue to increase the number of diverse attorneys in partnership and leadership roles; expand the firm’s mentoring program to include sponsorship opportunities, and formal incorporation of goal-setting activities; increase the number of opportuni-

ties for diverse attorneys to connect with existing clients and establish new client relationships; and identify additional external opportunities for leadership training for diverse attorneys.

Diane Lifton, co-chair of the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, employs a multifaceted strategy for achieving gender parity in law firm partnerships and management, which includes sponsoring women for career advancing opportunities by helping them develop key skills, acquire relevant experience, and forge client relationships.

Under Lifton’s leadership, the firm continues to pursue diversity initiatives and has seen an increase in activity in the various diverse affinity groups. She has been critical in implementing and executing these initiatives, and is actively involved in promoting women in the law firm setting through her participation in NeXXus and as a leader of the Hughes Hubbard Women’s Roundtable group. PDJ

www.diversityjournal.com

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Jones Walker LLP (New Orleans, LA)

Richard Cortizas,

Partner and Chair of Diversity Committee

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The Houston office is a great example of the firm’s successful diversity efforts: more than 50 percent of the attorneys in that office are women, a rate significantly higher than the Texas State Bar statewide average of 35 percent.

ones Walker LLP strives to encourage and increase diversity across the firm. Its Diversity Committee has adopted the goal of fostering a work environment that welcomes different perspectives, backgrounds and life experiences, and ensures that an individual’s professional growth, experience, or advancement is not limited because of gender, race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, age, disability, or other similar factor.

Over the past several years, Jones Walker has made a conscious effort to build a pipeline of female leaders within the firm. In 2018, after a reorganization of many of its practice groups and teams, the firm promoted a significant number of female attorneys to team leader, chairperson, and office head roles, where they enjoy greater visibility and management responsibilities.

The Houston office is a great

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example of the firm’s successful diversity efforts: more than 50 percent of the attorneys in that office are women, a rate significantly higher than the Texas State Bar statewide average of 35 percent.

In 2018, Jones Walker was successful in ongoing efforts to recruit diverse attorneys. Out of ten new associates hired by the firm this fall, eight were women.

Additionally, many women attorneys from across the firm won awards and accolades in their communities, earning recognition for their accomplishments.

Jones Walker’s Diversity Committee, chaired by partner Richard Cortizas, plays a key role in helping the firm recruit, retain, and advance lawyers and professional staff from diverse backgrounds. In 2019, the Committee will continue to build a pipeline of diverse professional staff, provide mentoring and coaching opportu-

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nities to aid in career advancement, grow D&I-centered professional development programming, and strengthen relationships with community organizations to provide Jones Walker employees opportunities to participate in D&I initiatives, both hosted and sponsored by the firm.

The Committee also plans to foster awareness about diversity efforts internally and externally in order to emphasize the importance of diversity in the firm’s culture; increase external awareness of D&I efforts through social media campaigns to communicate to current clients, future clients, and future employees that D&I is central to the firm’s mission and success; and increase nominations for awards and honors recognizing the firm’s diversity efforts and the achievements of diverse members of the Jones Walker team. PDJ

KPMG LLP (New York, NY)

Michele Meyer-Shipp,

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t KPMG, our commitment to diversity and inclusion is embedded in our values and core to our beliefs. More than a business imperative, diversity and inclusion is a moral imperative that influences everything we do—how we attract and develop next generation leaders, orchestrate the delivery of our work, engage in corporate citizenship and build public trust,” says U.S. Chairman and CEO Lynne Doughtie. “All are essential to sustaining our business and the communities where we live and work. In these transformative times, as businesses embrace new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and robotic process automation, to reinvent themselves, it’s more critical than ever to harness the ingenuity and experiences of everyone in the organization in order to adapt, grow, and thrive.”

In 2018, KPMG made substantial strides in honoring that commitment to inclusion and diversity by doing the following: • Hiring the firm’s first full-time chief diversity officer

• Launching an ongoing dialogue addressing differences across the firm via the “DINE” Model and “Day of Understanding” initiatives • Launching multiple sponsorship and mentorship programs across functions and employee resource groups • Instituting a firm-wide unconscious bias education program • Hosting the Leadership Essential Series program for employee resource groups In 2019, the firm plans to partner with talent acquisition and talent development to proactively source a diverse pool of talent and provide robust development for that talent to ensure advancement and retention; drive the strategic engagement of partners and employees through a firm-wide network of Inclusion Councils and Diversity Networks; continue to raise awareness and insight about inclusion and the multiple dimensions of diversity through a robust offering of education and

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awareness programming; and position the firm externally as a diversity and inclusion thought leader in the marketplace.

KPMG’s Inclusion and Diversity Executive Council (IDEC) comprises members of senior leadership, including its new chief diversity officer, Michele Meyer-Shipp. The Council advises, informs, and helps put into operation KPMG’s inclusion and diversity strategy; recommends I&D priorities to the firm’s management committee; helps embed I&D in KPMG’s business and culture; and helps ensure a consistent employee experience for diverse talent.

To measure progress and drive accountability, the IDEC uses a scorecard that tracks diverse headcount, assignments to/experiences with priority client accounts, highperformance turnover, promotions, and mentoring. It enables leadership to establish and monitor progress against function- and team-specific diversity goals. PDJ www.diversityjournal.com

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Liberty Mutual Insurance (Boston, MA)

Dawn Frazier-Bohnert,

iberty Mutual Insurance is committed to continuous improvement, innovation and excellence,” says Chairman and CEO David H. Long. “By encouraging a broad array of ideas, attracting people of all backgrounds, and fully engaging all employees, we further the kind of company we are committed to being—one where people treat each other with dignity and deliver a consistently exceptional customer experience.”

In 2018, Liberty Mutual expanded diversity and inclusion initiatives across the organization, by taking the following actions: • Working through WE@Liberty, the company’s women and male allies ERG, with the employee benefits team to expand paid parenting leave, short-term disability, and bereavement leave • Promoting Inclusion in Action & Unconscious Bias Awareness, hosting a company-wide event featuring D&I expert Howard Ross, and offering new resources to help employees use the Guidelines for Inclusion to have productive conversations across differences • Continuing gender collaboration work with Men as Allies webinars; building on Gender Collaboration, the company

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Senior Vice President and Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer

We further the kind of company we are committed to being—one where people treat each other with dignity and deliver a consistently exceptional customer experience. launched four Race & Ethnicity Collaboration pilots with key stakeholders to increase awareness of the costs and benefits of race & ethnicity in the workplace • Expanding ERGs outside Boston. The office of Diversity & Inclusion and six ERGs hosted successful membership activation events at Liberty Mutual campuses in Seattle and Plano The CEO and CDIO also participated in CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion closed-door sessions and programs.

Dawn Frazier-Bohnert, Liberty Mutual senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer, explains, “Our job as D&I leaders is to disrupt the historical systemic “-isms” that persist. If we’re not disrupting, we’re perpetuating the status quo and doing more harm than good. However, how we disrupt is also important. We need to act

with positive intent. That is the art of this work.”

Under Frazier-Bohnert’s leadership, the company plans to do even more to advance diversity and inclusion in 2019, including the following: • Continue D&I content integration and embedding work in learning and management curriculum • Continue to expand the ERG/ D&I Council infrastructure • Build on Inclusion in Action learning and practice • Continue the Executive D&I Advisor program • Expand and tailor programs internationally • Build on programming to strengthen understanding and collaboration around gender, generations, race, and the concept of intersectionality PDJ

Dawn Frazier-Bohnert SVP and Global Diversity & Inclusion Officer Liberty Mutual Insurance

2019 Profiles in Diversity Journal Diversity Leader Award Congratulations Dawn on this prestigious honor.

Thank you for your leadership and continued dedication to Liberty Mutual. We appreciate all that you do.

www.diversityjournal.com

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Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP (Los Angeles, CA)

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ith an unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion, MSK brings programming to its attorneys and staff on topics such as implicit bias, the value of diversity, and communication styles. The firm believes that more awareness is the only way diversity and inclusion will be embraced as a way of thinking, not just marketed as a strategic initiative. Breaking down mistrust, stereotyping, biases, and cultural misunderstanding is attained from an organizational commitment by firm leadership.

Despite trends toward a more diverse workplace, barriers continue to limit progress. One challenge/obstacle that firms face is interpersonal miscommunication and conflict. In order for MSK to foster a more diverse workplace, the firm endeavors to ensure that management understands customs and cultural predispositions.

Communication is critical. Leadership must ensure that everyone has access to resources that can help them avoid misinterpretations

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Co-Chairs–Diversity & Inclusion Committee

and create an environment more conducive to open communication by properly identifying and working to eliminate barriers.

In 2018, MSK launched several initiatives, including a revamped associate evaluation criteria and review program, maternity/ parental leave policy, part-time program, mentoring program, lateral hiring, and student recruiting (1L Summer Associate Program, Law Fellows Program, Summer Hiring, and sponsored Diversity reception at school and off-site near LA office). The firm also named two diverse female partners, Melanie Figueroa and Emma Luevano, as Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chairs.

In 2019, the firm will endeavor to foster a more diverse workplace and continue to support and expand diversity and inclusion efforts. Led

by Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chairs, Melanie Figueroa, Emma Luevano, and

Greg Olaniran, MSK will pursue its D&I goals by doing the following: • Focusing on retention efforts through leadership training and associate-development training • Focusing on hiring diverse top talent at all levels by fostering a pipeline of diverse candidates • Creating and fostering leadership positions across the firm The firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee co-chairs are involved in many different associations that support diversity and inclusion, including the National Bar Association, the Mexican American Bar Foundation, OneJustice, the Hispanic National Bar Association, the Puerto Rican Bar Association, and the Minority Corporate Counsel Association. PDJ

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Melanie Figueroa, Emma Luevano, and Gregory Olaniran,

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New American Funding (Tustin, CA)

Patty Arvielo, President

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Women make up 57 percent of New American Funding employees, with many holding C-level positions; 43 percent are minorities and 35 percent are millennials.

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hrough New American Funding’s Diversity and Inclusion initiative, the company embraces and values differences, and recognizes that they make people stronger. New American Funding not only makes a serious effort to increase diversity among employees, but also to celebrate differences and make sure diverse voices contribute to ongoing innovations. Women make up 57 percent of New American Funding employees, with many holding C-level positions; 43 percent are minorities and 35 percent are millennials.

In 2018, New American Funding partnered with the National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals to reach 13,000 industry peers across the nation.

Through an NAF Leaders social media campaign and an increase in Spanish language homeownership education videos, New

American Funding’s video garnered more than 250 thousand video views. The company has committed to increasing Hispanic homeownership by lending $25 billion in new mortgages to Hispanic borrowers by 2024.

In 2019, the company hopes to increase new diverse mortgage talent through its Specialized Training Empowering People (STEP) program, a corporate training curriculum designed to prepare people for a career in mortgage banking. STEP is a nationwide program that was developed by New American Funding to equip people for working in every aspect of the industry.

Patty Arvielo, New American Funding president, explains, “We can fill a boardroom with a mosaic of diversity, but unless we have inclusion, that mosaic will be good for appearance only.”

She launched a program called NAFOVATOR that encourages

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employees to submit their ideas online or email them directly to Patty or to her husband and company CEO Rick Arvielo.

“In an industry where women are in the minority, Patty has become a role model by letting her voice be heard and taking the lead,” says Rick Arvielo. “She mentors other women in business, and her natural leadership and commitment to helping women has fueled New American Funding’s success and contributed to her role as an iconic mortgage leader. She has been a forefront leader in diversifying the mortgage industry and a key player in implementing changes to establish a 21st century workforce that’s just as diverse as the communities it serves. At New American Funding, she has created an environment where minorities, millennials, and women have the opportunity to excel on merit.” PDJ

www.diversityjournal.com

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New York Life (New York, NY)

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ew York Life could not have achieved the success we enjoy today were it not for our richly diverse corporate culture,” says CEO Ted Mathas. “Rather than expect employees and agents to adapt themselves to a single way of doing business, everyone is encouraged to bring their own cultural and intellectual perspectives to the table.

“Nor do we pursue a one-size-fitsall approach in the marketplace; our culturally sensitive outreach to customers has established New York Life as The Company of the Community in neighborhoods that reflect the changing face of America. Little wonder that we consider our commitment to diversity to be a fundamental strategic strength.”

In 2018, New York Life continued to focus on cultivating an inclusive culture. Through the theme of #BeYourself, the company offered a series of monthly challenges, educating employees

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Corporate Vice President– Diversity & Inclusion

Monique Y. Murphy,

on the importance of bringing your authentic self to work and encouraging employees to show up as their true selves. The Coming Together program (a courageous conversation series started in 2016) continued with five company-wide conversations that included discussions around #MeToo and Respectful Workplaces, The Myth of the “Model Minority,” Coming Out in Diverse Communities, Latinos in the U.S., and Justice in Action. The company also linked diversity and inclusion to business strategies through town hall presentations and biannual meetings with department leaders.

In 2019, New York Life will expand its unconscious bias training program and scrub job descriptions to eliminate bias.

Understanding that mentorship and sponsorship are critical components of workplace success and knowing that diverse employees tend to have less access to mentors and sponsors,

the company will focus on providing mentorship opportunities for diverse employees through a program co-sponsored by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion and company ERGs. Preparing women and people of color to take on new opportunities is a key focus area for Corporate VP Monique Murphy. By enhancing existing professional development programs and leveraging external partnerships, New York Life provides development opportunities that reach beyond soft skills to the technical skills needed to succeed in leadership roles requiring P&L management.

“Diversity and inclusion should be viewed as not merely a measure of success, but the method of success,” says Murphy. “If we really believe that, then the process is equally as important as the outcomes.” PDJ

Robins Kaplan LLP

Brandon E. Vaughn, Principal

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$:$5'

(Minneapolis, MN)

We are committed to enhancing our diversity at every opportunity, and fostering an inclusive culture that thrives on different ideas, backgrounds, and experiences.

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e serve our clients most effectively when we tackle challenges from diverse perspectives,” explains Chairman Martin R. Lueck. “We are committed to enhancing our diversity at every opportunity, and fostering an inclusive culture that thrives on different ideas, backgrounds, and experiences.”

Robins Kaplan’s Leaders Engaged in the Advancement of Diversity (LEAD) is an ongoing initiative meant to empower firm leaders to take ownership of diversity through training, action-plan development, and regular meetings to hold each other accountable.

Because parity among executive leadership starts by ensuring that attorneys of both genders are given equal opportunities to succeed, LEAD incorporates policies and procedures designed

to ensure that all of the firm’s attorneys are able to find success and advancement, including paid parental leave and eliminating bias in work allocation.

As Diversity Committee co-chair, Brandon Vaughn focuses on improving the firm’s ability to attract, recruit, and retain diverse attorneys. He also encourages open dialogue about issues of racial justice and inclusion, and starts crucial conversations that are ignored in many law firms.

Within the past year, Vaughn successfully increased the firm’s participation in a clerkship program offered by the nonprofit Diverse Attorney Pipeline Program, which seeks to improve the diversity pipeline for women attorneys of color, establish metrics to measure firm diversity

”

efforts, and provide mentoring and career counseling to women, associates of color, and law students. He has also brought together the firm’s attorneys of color and in-house attorneys of color, hosting a dinner at his home to build new connections in the community.

In 2019, Vaughn will step into the additional role of Recruiting Committee chair. In this position, he will carefully adhere to and promote the firm’s policies for considering diverse candidates in the hiring process, including the well-established Rooney Rule, which ensures a diverse slate of candidates is considered for all lateral associate positions. This approach allows the firm to look beyond the traditional lateral-hire sources and leverage diverse networks more effectively. PDJ

www.diversityjournal.com

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Walmart, Inc. (Bentonville, AR)

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A key goal is that corporate leadership will reflect our customer base. Also, all company leaders will be accountable for achieving CDI (Culture, Diversity & Inclusion) goals.

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ender parity in the C-suite and the boardroom is a priority at Walmart, and CEO Doug McMillon set the tone at the top when he made the public parity pledge via Paradigm for Parity and Catalyst CEO Champions for Action. A key goal is that corporate leadership will reflect Walmart’s customer base. Also, all company leaders will be accountable for achieving CDI (Culture, Diversity & Inclusion) goals.

In Walmart’s 2017 CDI report, CEO Doug McMillon explains, “Just as we’re reinventing how we serve customers, we have to examine what we could be doing better in terms of hiring and promoting associates and leaders with diverse backgrounds. What do we need to be doing—both as a company and as individuals—to make everyone feel his or her perspective is valued?

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SVP and Chief Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Officer

Ben Hasan,

Winter 2018–19

”

What do we need to be doing to support the next generation of leaders?”

• Racial Equity Training for corporate officers and community leaders

In keeping with that commitment, the year 2018 was busy for diversity and inclusion at Walmart. Here are some of the highlights:

• Piloting Value Based Decision-Making training

• The launch of MARC (Men Advocating Real Change) Leaders Workshop and program to enlist and engage male leaders to become inclusive leaders • Rollout of Lean In Circles at Walmart to enhance the company’s mentoring program • Development of the Mentoring Matching tool • Devising the Inclusive Leadership Curriculum to educate managers on fostering a culture of inclusiveness, role-modeling inclusive thinking and behavior, and leading a diverse team

As chief culture, diversity and inclusion officer, Ben Hasan, along with his team, is responsible for facilitating the healthy evolution of the company’s culture, the development of behaviors that embrace diversity and inclusion at all levels of the company, and the promotion of the company’s external reputation as a great place to work.

In 2019, the CD&I team, led by Hasan, will collaborate with Centers of Excellence to embed CDI into the talent lifecycle. They will also devise a new system to measure CDI progress and expand inclusive leadership education. PDJ

Building relationships that help build the world Your trust, your future, our commitment MUFG wasn’t built in a day. We’ve spent over 350 years committed to serving businesses and communities by building lasting client relationships that have made us a leading global financial group.

With operations in more than 50 countries, over 1,800 locations, and over 150,000 experienced professionals, MUFG empowers clients with comprehensive financial solutions. Gaining continued success in their industries, our clients are building their futures, one day at a time.

Learn more at mufgamericas.com

MUFG Union Bank, N.A.

A member of MUFG, a global financial group

©2019 Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. All rights reserved. The MUFG logo and name is a service mark of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc., and is used by MUFG Union Bank, N.A., with permission. Member FDIC.

www.diversityjournal.com

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WilsonHCG (Tampa, FL)

Marisol Hughes,

EVP and General Counsel

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t WilsonHCG, diversity and inclusion is not seen as an initiative to be executed.

It’s a mindset, one that must be ingrained and integrated throughout the entire workforce.

Toward this end, the firm empowers its workforce to drive D&I, from the C-Suite to entry-level employees.

The firm believes that having highly diverse people from all over the world—from different backgrounds, cultures, upbringings, disabilities, ethnicities, and genders—is more than a good thing. In fact, it is imperative. WilsonHCG empowers employees through inclusive initiatives. For example, if they are interested in volunteering and learning, the company offers quarterly training on a variety of inclusion topics—most recently, LGBTQ awareness and appreciation.

The year 2018 was momentous for diversity and inclusion awareness at WilsonHCG. The #MeToo movement kept this important topic firmly in the spotlight. It helped raise awareness and create plenty of opportunity to collaborate

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“

WilsonHCG is a diverse group of innovators, coaches, collaborators, and philanthropists, working as a united front to disrupt and transform the talent landscape.

with clients on developing engaging D&I strategies.

WilsonHCG is a diverse group of innovators, coaches, collaborators, and philanthropists, working as a united front to disrupt and transform the talent landscape. Better People, Better Business® isn’t just the company motto. It is the firm’s philosophy and the direct result of people pushing each other to be better—for one another, for clients, and for the larger community. Employing the best people directly correlates with providing the best services.

In 2019, WilsonHCG will be focusing efforts on women in leadership roles and increasing LGBTQ awareness.

CEO John Wilson and Marisol Hughes, EVP and

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general counsel, and others are making D&I central to the company’s strategic vision and a key business objective.

“Diversity and inclusion is about valuing every individual in an organization,” explains Hughes.

“Every person matters and deserves the chance to develop their skills and work in a respectful, inclusive environment.

To encourage individuals at all levels within an organization to contribute ideas freely, WilsonHCG builds its culture on an open and transparent foundation. This is critical not only to maintain an engaged workforce, but to also exceed customer expectations.

People should be able to thrive in the workplace simply by being who they are.” PDJ

The singular power of diversity

At the core of Dechert’s culture is a dedication to seeking and nurturing diverse viewpoints and experiences in order to develop the highest caliber of talent, leadership and service for our clients. We are proud of our achievements in diversity this past year – and eager for the growth and progress 2019 will bring.

Score of 100 in the Human Rights Campaign list of the best law firms for LGBT. Named one of the 2018 Best Law Firms for Women and Top 100 Companies for Women.

Listed on the 2018 Diversity Best Practices Inclusion Index.

Dechert Heroes Affinity Group Named one of the Top 10 Innovations in Diversity by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

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dechert.com/diversity

www.diversityjournal.com

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How Do We Get from Here to There?

16 diversity leaders reflect on the present and the future of D&I

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rofiles in Diversity Journal is pleased and proud to add something new to our magazine. Each issue, beginning with this one, will contain several commentaries on a single issue important to the diversity leaders and organizations that are committed to the success of diversity and inclusion at work and in the larger community. In this issue, an impressive group of diversity leaders have shared their views on the current state of diversity and inclusion and their thoughts regarding how we can all take D&I into a bright and successful future.

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In the following pages, 16 diversity thought leaders share their knowledge, observations, and concerns regarding the present state of D&I, as well as their ideas, plans, and hopes for the future. From presenting a framework for implementing D&I and pondering the progress of women in 2019, to the state of diversity at law firms and closing the gender gap, you’ll discover exciting proposals, critical insights, and visionary initiatives that can take diversity and inclusion in every workplace to a whole new level. You’ll find discussions of how human equity can transform the workplace,

the importance of leveraging executive leadership, how young voices are changing the D&I conversation, and much more.

We invite you to peruse these articles. We’re sure you’ll find valuable nuggets in every commentary that you can use to advance the cause of diversity and inclusion within your own organization.

And, don’t forget to check out PDJ’s next collection of commentaries on another important diversity-related topic in the spring issue of our magazine.

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1) Gregory Olaniran

5) Lor N. Lee

9) Trevor Wilson

13) Judith Michelle Williams

2) Edie Fraser

6) Timothy Downing

10) Wayne Ford

14) Satra Sampson-Arokium

3) Fred Miller

7) Sandra Martinez

11) Marisol Hughes

15) Gary A. Smith

4) Judith Katz

8) Ben Hasan

12) Diane E. Lifton

16) Wanda Brackins

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

A Framework for Implementing a Diversity and Inclusion Plan

By Gregory Olaniran , Partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP (MSK)

I

have practiced law for more than a couple of decades, and have had the privilege of being involved in diversity and inclusion efforts in law firms for almost as long. Over that time, I have witnessed increased awareness of diversity and inclusion issues and moderate improvements within the profession; however, there is so much more that must be accomplished. I offer below an organizational framework for developing a diversity and inclusion program.

My suggested framework is based on my experience in leading comprehensive diversity efforts within a few organizations, and learning through working with leading experts and reading contemporary research. Although the proposed framework assumes an organization that is at the very beginning

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stages of instituting a formal diversity and inclusion program, I realize many are at various stages of developing their programs.

1. Assess who you are culturally.

Few people consider themselves unaware of or insensitive to diversity and inclusion issues, and many equate their subjective, individual experiences with an understanding of populations of people of color, women, the LGBTQ community, and other diverse populations. This sentiment is not uncommon in law firms. Candidly, it is rarely the case that an organization with no formal diversity and inclusion program is as aware of, or as sensitive to, diversity issues as it thinks it is. As the cliché goes,

“You don’t know what you don’t know.”

Therefore, commitment to diversity and inclusion issues requires, first and foremost, an objective self-assessment at the beginning of the journey. That assessment must answer many questions about your organizational culture in the context of diversity and inclusion, including whether who your organization thinks it is culturally squares with who the objective assessment of its culture reveals it to be. Does your organization possess an awareness of and sensitivity to diversity and inclusion issues, and has it implemented policies that have resulted in measurable changes in its culture specific to diversity and inclusion issues? Few, if any,

organizations experience that correspondence. The good news is that a lack of correspondence is (or should be) the catalyst for your organization to begin the journey to achieving who it aspires to be culturally.

2. Define who you aspire to be culturally.

If, like most organizations, your cultural self-assessment does not square with your self-perception, a well-executed self-assessment will provide an array of themes, patterns, and attitudes within the culture of your organization with respect to diversity and inclusion. These revelations present a tremendous opportunity for your organization to define who it aspires to be culturally in the context of diversity and inclusion. Aspirational goals can be both qualitative and quantitative.

Qualitative goals include a commitment to education and awareness, which may include instituting lecture series by subject matter experts, establishing affinity groups, organizing formal mentoring programs, and holding networking events focused on diverse groups. Quantitative goals can include improving your organization’s recruitment, retention, and promotion of diverse talent. This does not mean setting quotas for diverse talent; however, it does mean that the organization must engage in an honest, in-depth analysis to determine what needs to change, such that its processes do not unintentionally, but systematically, exclude diverse talent.

Revelations about your organization from the cultural

self-assessment are not necessarily always negative. In fact, an assessment that reveals a deep loyalty to the organization, mutual respect among colleagues, and an openness to change on the part of leadership, among other things, can provide a solid foundation on which your organization can build its diversity and inclusion program.

not only believe in your organization’s diversity and inclusion goals, they must also communicate their support for the plan across all levels of your organization and participate in related activities regularly. A leader, or leaders, at the organization’s highest levels must be involved in all phases of implementing a diversity and inclusion plan. It is

Organizations pursuing diversity and inclusion goals must be committed to understanding the nuances of existing issues, as well as nascent issues, and adapting accordingly.

3. Define how you wish to reach those cultural ideals.

With aspirational (i.e., bottom-line) goals now defined, and organizational priorities set, your organization must define the infrastructure it needs to implement cultural changes. Formation of a committed diversity and inclusion committee (or a similarly purposed group) is critical to this process. The baseline issues that need to be addressed by the new group include identifying employees whose membership provides a strategic advantage for accomplishing diversity goals; establishing long- and short-term goals, and related timelines; obtaining resources— human and financial—to support the efforts; and identifying the necessary leadership.

4. Connect organizational leadership to those ideals.

Leadership is critical in achieving diversity and inclusion goals. For any diversity and inclusion plan to work, it is imperative that organizational leaders

at these high levels that allocation of resources to diversity and inclusion goals—both financial and human—are determined.

Therefore, the absence of such involvement suggests an organization has not yet prioritized its diversity and inclusion goals or its diversity and inclusion plan.

To close, keep in mind that diversity and inclusion are dynamic and ever evolving. For this reason, organizations pursuing diversity and inclusion goals must be committed to understanding the nuances of existing issues, as well as nascent issues, and adapting accordingly.

PDJ Gregory Olaniran A Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP partner who represents clients in copyright, entertainment, and business litigation matters. Top Rated Intellectual Property Attorney in Washington, DC, Super Lawyers (2016-2018).

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

Where Do We Go from Here?

Women and Diversity in 2019

By Edie Fraser, Managing Director, Diversified Search; CEO, Women Business Collaborative; founder, STEMconnector and MWM

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Women are underrepresented at every level, and women of color are the most underrepresented group of all, lagging behind white men, men of color, and white women. Companies report that they are highly committed to gender diversity. But that commitment has not translated into meaningful progress. The proportion of women at every level in corporate America has hardly changed. Progress isn’t just slow. It’s stalled.

– Women in the Workplace 2018

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hen it comes to women and diversity, 2019 is the year to take the kind of “can do” action that can lead to success, rather than focus on negatives like sexism, racism, egoism, and pessimism. From the private sector to courts and state legislatures, the dearth of women serving in positions of power continues to be a serious concern.

Key Issues The core issue for many of us is ensuring that women are always on the slate of candidates. Remember, less than five percent of CEOs and only 11 to 26 percent of executives are women. For women of color, the numbers are even worse. Black,

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Latina, and Asian women combined hold only three percent of those C-suite positions. And there is not a single African American female CEO among Fortune 500 companies.

Gender Parity & Pay Equity Equity is a rallying cry for most organizations and companies, and they are delivering on that commitment. One hundred CEOs, and counting, have joined Paradigm For Parity® in efforts aimed at increasing equity. Companies are setting strong goals, changing recruiting practices, and reporting results. Catalyst CEO Champions For Change is a group of more than 50 CEOs who are pledging to advance more women to all levels of leadership.

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Boardroom Commitments The organization known as 2020 Women on Boards has led a campaign, and other organizations are setting goals, to ensure that more women join boards of directors. The 30% Club, which has built momentum in a dozen countries, including the United States, has set a goal of filling 30 percent of board seats with women, as have organizations like The Thirty Percent Coalition, Catalyst Board Services, C200, and many others.

Getting more women of color into the C-suite and board seats is also a top priority. Diversity Women has called for 25 percent of all women recruited for boards and executive roles to be women of color. CHROs and

talent officers are setting high goals for recruiting women overall, women in technology, and women of color.

Culture Is Key Many firms cite corporate culture as the top reason women fail to reach senior management. While eliminating unconscious bias and increasing the number of women leaders is important, more is needed.

It is important that men step up and become advocates and sponsors, and that gender stereotypes are rejected.

Culture change must be embraced at every level.

Men Advocating Real Change Boston Consulting Group has this to say regarding the involvement of men in gender diversity, “Worldwide, our data shows that among companies where men are actively involved in gender diversity, 96% report progress. Conversely, among companies where men are not involved, only 30% show progress.” MARC (Men Advocating Real Change), a new initiative from Catalyst, empowers men to recognize inequality and respond through effective partnership across gender. Supported by a $5 million grant from Chevron Corporation, MARC provides participants with leader workshops, peer coaching, an online community, and small group learning opportunities, as well as webinars, articles, a monthly newsletter, and more.

committed to providing about 20 hours of mentoring a year through MWM.

what companies are achieving in this area. Sharing achievements is vital to your organization’s success.

Women & Tech

Celebrating Success

With 70 percent of today’s jobs requiring tech skills, knowledge of AI, data analytics, ecommerce, and social media is becoming critical to career success. Tech training, along with recognition and awards, increases the number of women in tech and builds a pipeline. The Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology, for example, has developed tools and programs designed to help industry, academia, and government recruit, retain, and develop women technology leaders. It also provides tech women a platform from which to share ideas that will result in higher levels of technical innovation.

Providing current and future women leaders with support, encouragement, and recognition is important. For example, C200 is a community of the most successful women in the business world, who provide each other with support and advice. ATHENA International recognizes and honors exceptional women leaders from across the globe.

And Profiles in Diversity Journal’s Women Worth Watching® showcases extraordinary women leaders and celebrates their achievements. PDJ

Mentoring & Sponsorship

Measure & Share Results

Mentoring and sponsorship are indispensible for women who want to build successful careers. Million Women Mentors (MWM) became a go-to movement for women and girls as a result of its mentoring efforts— almost 2.5 million professionals have

Diversity has been proven to have a positive impact on business performance. So it’s important to hold the companies, diversity officers, and executives accountable, and to communicate diversity results. It is also natural for investors to want to know

Edie Fraser Founder and former chairman and CEO of STEMconnector, where she built a one-stop best practices initiative for STEM; and founder and advocate and former CEO of Million Women Mentors, a movement with 2.3 million pledges to mentor.

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

Three Critical Actions that Can Move Diversity and Inclusion to the Next Level

By Judith Katz and Fred Miller, The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group Inc.

A

s we think about the state of diversity and inclusion (and many are calling out equity and accessibility as part of this discussion) and the work ahead, we recognize that we have come far and yet, have so far to go. Our work for more than five decades (starting with our founder Kaleel Jamison in 1970) has always focused on culture change and the understanding that an organization’s key pillars, from policies and practices to leadership and accountability, must all support the creation of a culture of inclusion. We have always positioned diversity not as a “nice thing to have,” but as a business or mission necessity for achieving goals and objectives.

Although much has changed since the ’70s, much change is still needed. The foundational elements and dynamics that create barriers to full inclusion and leveraging differences

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must be addressed at a systemic level. We have identified three critical shifts, as we move to the next stage of this journey: 1. A SYSTEM CHANGE APPROACH Just as organizations are often siloed and fragmented, many organizations have taken a similar approach to diversity and inclusion. Few have invested the time, resources, and effort needed for total system change. For example, many rely on employee resource groups (ERGs) as the key—and sometimes only component—of their D&I strategy. While ERGs are important, they are insufficient to change an organization’s culture and remove organizational barriers. Other organizations focus on increasing representation and talent acquisition (hiring, coaching, development, promotions) but don’t address the changes

needed in the workplace environment to support people who bring different ways of thinking and contributing.

Successful diversity and inclusion work requires a comprehensive strategy tied to the business, with leadership accountabilities and a focus on the workplace, the workforce, and the marketplace.

It requires that leaders develop new competencies and capabilities for leading a more diverse and inclusive organization, and that team members have the skills for partnering to leverage the diversity of experience that each person brings. The result of a systemic approach is an environment where people are able to bring their uniqueness to HOW things get done in service of an organization’s mission and strategies.

2. RAISING THE BAR ON THE DEMONSTRATED COMPETENCIES OF LEADERS: MORE THAN TRAINING The trend in many organizations has been to conduct unconscious bias training as a key strategy (again, sometimes the primary strategy) for increasing an understanding of the barriers that exist and the ways in which that bias impacts various groups. Other organizations are creating greater awareness through training that addresses micro-aggression.

These are important concepts to understand, but such training on its own rarely creates, let alone sustains, the system changes that are necessary. Unfortunately, we have seen these concepts become a crutch, and sometimes a free pass, that allows people to focus on the “we all have biases” message. Instead, self-revelation and effort are needed to eradicate biases and assumptions regarding people different from ourselves that are carried at individual, team, and system levels.

Organizations need a new set of competencies and capabilities.

What does it mean to be an inclusive leader or manager today?

What behaviors should managers and leaders be accountable for and exhibit before they are promoted to their next leadership position? For instance, the ability to recognize and tap into the diverse skills and perspectives of a team, and create an inclusive work environment, should be criteria for promotion.

However, these skills cannot reside in the managerial ranks only. Organizations must also hold individuals accountable for partnering effectively within and

across teams to leverage differences. We need to help organizations, leaders, and team members understand what to do to create a more inclusive environment, rather than focusing on what not to do.

engage, to bring different points of view and share ideas that feel different (especially ideas that aren’t fully formed and need the input and collaboration of others), and to listen to one another as allies.

3. SAFETY IS FOUNDATIONAL: DON’T ASSUME IT, CREATE IT

Starting from a mindset of joining rather than judging others begins to create that place of safety (Katz & Miller, 2013). Proactively identifying what individuals and teams need in order to feel safe, and then working to create that environment, is critical for shifting the culture so that each person feels free to speak up and bring their different perspectives and experiences.

A major impediment to leveraging differences and obtaining higher performance is a work environment that is not safe enough to encourage people to speak up and put forward their unique thoughts and experiences. Foundational to any I&D effort is the ability to create an environment of interaction safety (Miller & Katz, 2018).

As many societies seem to be experiencing greater polarization, it becomes even more important that people feel safe enough within our organizations’ boundaries to lean into discomfort and

There is no magic wand for creating an inclusive environment that leverages differences for organizational success. Like any organizational effort, it takes leadership, focus, investment, and a comprehensive systems change. PDJ

REFERENCES Katz, J. H. and Miller, F.A. (Fall 2013). “Judging others has not worked… so let’s join them,” Leader to Leader. 70, 51-57.

Miller, F.A. and Katz, J.H. (2018). Safe enough to SOAR: Accelerating trust, inclusion and collaboration in the workplace. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

Miller, F.A. and Katz, J.H. (2002). The inclusion breakthrough: Unleashing the real power of diversity. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

Judith Katz Fueled by her passion for addressing systemic barriers, known for her boundless energy and sharp analytical mind, Judith Katz has distinguished herself as a thought leader, practitioner, educator, and strategist for over 40 years.

Frederick A. Miller CEO and Lead Strategist of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. He specializes in developing workforce utilization strategies that accelerate results to deliver higher individual, team, and organizational performance.

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

Just Enough Training, Just in Time

By Lor N. Lee, Mayo Clinic

A

fter wrapping up a diversity and inclusion session recently, I was approached by one of the participants who said, “You know we are still dealing with many of the same issues as we did in the 1950s and 1960s.”

I answered, “Yes, we are.”

That exchange was more than ten years ago. Fast forward to today, and many organizations across the nation are increasing their focus on diversity and inclusion. Talk to leaders in any industry, and they will say that diversity and inclusion has become a major focus. If that is true, why is it so hard to execute and truly “weave diversity and inclusion into the fabric of the culture”?

It’s not because of a lack of intellect. Many organizations know we need to do better. D&I practitioners have made the business case time and time again in corporate conference rooms across America, arguing that diversity leads to increases in revenue, employee engagement, and innovation. My guess is that many of you have created and delivered “the business case” presentation many times to a group of heads nodding in agreement, but only to see marginal results.

So why is it that we are still dealing with many of the same issues we dealt with more than half a century ago? It’s because our systems haven’t adapted to the context in which we live and operate. Yes, we have seen our workforces grow much more diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and generations. But let me ask you this: Did we intentionally set out to create that change OR did that change happen to us?

Diversity is happening and will

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continue to happen. We need to decide how we are going to expedite that change within our organizations by changing the way we recruit and whom we identify as potential candidates, and by broadening our pools.

The real task at hand is creating a place for inclusion to thrive. To create an environment where all people are respected, can bring their whole selves to work, and can contribute to their fullest potential.

To do this, many organizations have turned to training. Topics such as unconscious bias, microinequities, and privilege are all hot topics. But what we need today is “just enough training, just in time.”

We tend to inundate people with too much training, because we think this work is so important.

When was the last time you were able to remember everything you learned in a day-long workshop and apply it to your work? We need to be able to take all those important concepts we want people to learn and break them up so people can get enough of what they need just in time to make appropriate behavior changes.

And training by itself is not enough. Part of our work today is to build both human connections and community. This work has always been about people. Creating spaces for people to feel safe, build trust with others, and forge bonds at work. We can do that by designing experiences that bring people together to connect and find intersectionality. Ways that are accessible to anyone, regardless of where they are on their inclusion journey, will help people understand that we each have a role to play. Through these experiences, we can start to break down biases

and help people appreciate both the differences and similarities we all bring.

Just enough training, just in time, coupled with creating ways to find intersectionality, will begin to change our systems. The final piece of the puzzle takes more courage from the top. As more women, people of color, younger generations, LGBTI individuals, veterans, people with variable abilities, and others start to change the look of organizations, issues once considered “nice to haves” will be “must haves” if we want to continue to recruit and retain the best talent. Topics such as flexibility, parental leave, growth and development, advancement of underrepresented individuals in leadership roles, transgender benefits, and pay equity are going to be crucial issues for us to champion.

If we can collectively deliver just enough training, just in time, create intersectionality, and start to address these “must have” issues across our respective industries, we can look back 50 years from now and say that we are no longer dealing with the issues we dealt with in 2019. PDJ

Lor N. Lee Administrator/ Director Of Diversity and Inclusion at Mayo Clinic.

He has over 18 years of experience in leadership positions with responsiblities for the development and implementation of diversity, inclusion and cultural competence initiatives.

– COMMENTARY –

Diversity and Inclusion in Law Firms: Some Progress, but a Long Way to Go

By Timothy Downing, Ulmer & Berne LLP

A

t a time when the country is extremely divided, a broad and inclusive approach to diversity can actually bring people together. By working together, acknowledging and embracing the differences that all people have, and focusing on the various strengths we all bring to the table, diversity is a way to find common values and goals that can lead to less division going forward.

In the context of law firms, diversity and inclusion are also good for business. Diversity and inclusion lead to better decisions—with the input of more diverse points of view—and provide a greater variety of personalities and a more interesting and enjoyable work environment.

A diverse workforce also allows a law firm to expand its client base by appealing to a greater number of potential clients.

Although law firms have generally expressed the desire to promote diversity and inclusion, many have not been very successful at actually becoming diverse and inclusive places to work.

While this situation is improving, most firms continue to struggle with diversity and inclusion, especially at the management level.

Clients today, especially larger, publicly traded clients, are demanding firms change if they want to remain on “approved counsel” lists. These clients value diversity and inclusion for altruistic reasons, knowing that diversity enriches the work environment

and encourages growth through exposure to new ideas. They have also seen the impact that diverse and inclusive teams have on their bottom lines.

About 10 years ago, clients started asking their law firms to look more like the communities and companies they serve. In response, many firms tried to promote diversity and inclusion by, for example, creating diversity and inclusion committees.

The committees were tasked with promoting diversity and inclusion, and in many cases, made real, positive impacts. However, the committees were often ineffective because they lacked the authority and influence to affect change. Even when a committee was able to recruit diverse candidates, training and retaining these candidates was beyond the committee’s scope. These firms often did not do enough to help diverse lawyers advance and thrive.

Clients took notice and began demanding that firms do more in order to continue to receive work.

Cutting-edge firms have recognized this problem and made promoting diversity and inclusion a top priority. To stay ahead of the curve, they have begun to do something that companies started doing years ago—appointing chief diversity officers (CDOs).

CDOs play a critically important role at law firms, as they are tasked with not only ensuring that diverse lawyers are recruited and hired, but also that they are

properly mentored and provided opportunities to work on significant matters, so they can advance. CDOs are also tasked with developing, implementing, and supporting policies, programs, processes, and initiatives that can be used to educate both employees and clients regarding diversity and inclusion best practices.

Finally, law firms have begun appointing CDOs because, like the companies that hire them, they are businesses that need to generate significant revenue and profits. They have read the studies that talk about the impact a diverse and inclusive workforce has, not only in creating an environment where employees can reach their full potential, but also on generating revenues. And virtually all of them have reached the same conclusion—having diverse and inclusive teams in the workplace creates the best outcomes and generates the most revenue and profits. So expect to see more firms hiring or appointing CDOs in the future. PDJ

Timothy Downing Chief Diversity Officer of Ulmer & Berne LLP. He helps to increase the firm’s internal and external diversity and inclusion programming and community involvement, while overseeing its implementation and execution.

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

Building Blocks for Closing the Chronic Gender Gap

By Sandra Martinez, Vice President, Global Talent Management and Diversity, at HARMAN

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or decades, the workforce ecosystem has recognized the link between company financial performance and diversity—that gender-diverse organizations have a competitive edge. However, while the global conversation around ethnic and gender equality intensifies, significant gender inequality persists in the workforce.

With women representing 34 percent of HARMAN’s workforce, the company understands the importance of diversity.

We are cognizant of the fact that we still have more work to do to support women in leadership and technology roles; however, we are confident that we’re heading in the right direction.

Here are a two important ways that companies can support and encourage the retention and upward mobility of future female leaders.

1. Encourage Women to Speak Up Academic studies from the University of Cambridge reveal that women are less likely than men to speak up in public. There are many reasons why women are hesitant to offer their perspectives. However, organizations should recognize this and alleviate their fears by enacting policies and taking actions that encourage women to speak up.

Creating an awareness of the lack of female voices, ideas, and insights at every level of business and society is a first step.

In order for companies to close the Gender Say Gap, they must combine that awareness with an actionable approach. At HARMAN, we’ve adopted a framework that not only recognizes the gap at every stage of a woman’s career, but also applies best practices to help rectify the current situation: • Entry Level: Young women typically seek purpose-driven environments and look to role models to help them achieve

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success. To attract more women, organizations should showcase successful women in the company, have a strong presence in schools and at career fairs, and promote success stories in traditional media and social channels.

• Early Career: At this stage of their careers, most individuals are buried in work; even the women themselves are likely unaware that a gender gap exists.

To correct this notion, companies should provide coaching and development programs that will help these women gain confidence and offer female-friendly feedback that affirms their strengths.

• Mid-Career: At this stage, women with families may face the career-vs.-family dilemma. Further, many reject higher-level roles because they underestimate their capabilities, while their male peers are ramping up their pursuit of career advancement. To overcome the challenges, organizations should expose women to role models who have successfully navigated the complexities of work and life. Leaders should also encourage women professionals to be their authentic selves and assure them that non-alpha styles can also succeed in the company.

• Senior Level: At the senior level, women have the professional skills to be leaders; however, many women continue to activate someone else’s vision.

Women need to have and pursue their own visions, without the fear that they may be too bold or not good enough. To overcome these challenges, leadership must allow women to step out of the daily routine and give them the opportunity to formulate strategic visions for their teams and the company.

2. Overcome Unconscious Bias We all carry unintentional notions about others who may not sound, act, or look like us. Because these biases can stymie recruiting, promotion, hiring, and retention efforts, it is critical that human resources professionals educate executives, managers, and the broader workforce. At HARMAN, we teach our managers about the existence of unconscious bias and equip them with the tools for spotting troublesome situations.

Additionally, we incorporate feedback from many stakeholders across the company through the HARMAN Women’s Network, an employee business resource group focused on attracting, developing, and listening to women team members.

Every company has an opportunity, even an obligation, to dramatically shift the trajectory of women entering their industry.

It starts with management cultivating an environment in which all employees feel empowered to catalyze bold ideas and be their authentic selves. Achieving greater equality is a business imperative for every company in every sector—and the benefits will spread far beyond. And let’s not forget, diversity is not a problem to be solved—it is a journey that we all need to walk together.

PDJ

Sandra Martinez Vice president of global talent management and diversity. She is working to develop, prioritize and implement effective diversity and inclusion practices throughout Harman.

– COMMENTARY –

Our People Make the Difference—Every One of Them

By Ben Hasan, SVP and Chief Culture, Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Walmart, Inc.

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echnology is changing how we live, work, and shop at an unprecedented pace, and our customers have high expectations. In addition to finding great items at great prices, people today also expect the shopping experience to be easy, enjoyable, and fast. To better serve them, we have to be innovative and agile, and we need a diverse workforce that is representative of those customers.

We need diverse associates—associates with unique styles, experiences, identities, abilities, ideas, and opinions—to help us stay out in front.

We have to lead in talent. Throughout Walmart’s history, our associates have been the key to our success, and it will remain that way in the future.

Walmart must be a place where associates feel welcomed, comfortable, and safe in bringing their authentic selves to work each day, and are where they are engaged and empowered by inclusive leaders to be high performers. Walmart often ranks near the top of diversity and inclusion reports, and generally, we outpace our industry. But that doesn’t mean we’re in a position to call it good and pat ourselves on the back. We’re on a journey to improve—and we still have a lot of road ahead of us. We have to challenge ourselves to do better, when it comes to championing inclusion.

Just as we’re reinventing how we serve customers, we have to examine what we could be doing better in terms of hiring and promoting associates and leaders with diverse backgrounds.

Attracting this kind of talent isn’t enough. If we don’t create the kind of inclusive environment in which new ideas can thrive—where associates with differing viewpoints have the courage to speak up, and leaders

have the courage to listen and act— we’ll never realize the full ROI that can come from our diversity. We’re winning today, in large part, because of technological innovations like online grocery and in-store pickup towers, which are removing friction from the system and making shopping easier for busy families. These innovations wouldn’t be possible without an inclusive culture that champions new ideas and collaboration. Notice that each of these technologies has eCommerce origins, yet are executed in our physical stores.

We’re winning today because we’re playing as a team—technologists and operators alike are recognizing the role each plays in fulfilling our purpose of saving people money so they can live better.

We are accomplishing this by focusing on cultivating inclusive leaders who are equipped with the necessary tools to lead in a diverse and changing world. These next-generation leaders must develop and demonstrate an ever-evolving set of characteristics to achieve both business results and personal career growth. One skill all our leaders—today and tomorrow—will need is inclusive leadership. Inclusive leaders are committed, curious, courageous, cognizant of bias, culturally intelligent, and collaborative. These attributes are critical if we are to drive innovation through inclusion. Such leaders also display the ability to not only embrace individual differences, but to also leverage them for competitive advantage.

To develop Inclusive Leadership at Walmart, we provide our associates with several opportunities to participate in a variety of trainings.

Last year, we began working with the Racial Equity Institute (REI) in order to benefit from its training

on recognizing, understanding, and addressing systemic racial inequity.

We also recently kicked off our Driving Dialogue series by encouraging leaders to take their teams to see the film The Hate U Give. We hosted screenings across our campuses and, following the film, leaders engaged associates in a healthy dialogue about the film and its social implications.

Our goal is that these leadership-led events will inspire meaningful conversations about identifying and mitigating bias, and fostering greater inclusion in the workplace. We sometimes have to engage in uncomfortable and difficult conversations in order to gain greater understanding and sustainable, systemic change.

Our people make the difference— and that means all of our people. No matter who you are, you have a place at Walmart. We want everyone to be a part of how we are changing retail, and we are committed to creating inclusive environments in every store and in every part of our business.

More than ever, Walmart will provide opportunity—a place where all associates can build their dreams and grow. If we use our curiosity to our advantage and continue to increase our inclusiveness, we have a bright future ahead. PDJ

Ben Hasan Senior vice president and chief culture, diversity and inclusion officer for Walmart Inc. He is responsible for the continued development of the evolution of the company’s culture, the development of behaviors that embrace diversity and inclusion at all levels of the company. www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

The Human Equity Transformation

By Trevor Wilson, CEO, TWI Inc.

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stage.” I used the article to introduce the new human capital paradigm human equity—the next step in the evolution beyond diversity and inclusion.

In the first article, I called for an evolution of the diversity discussion. To quote myself, “It’s time for a change. The diversity industry has hit a wall and is poised to evolve to the next

The second article was 10 years later—canvassing a smaller group, since some of the pioneers had passed their expiry date.

It was a couple of years after I had published a book on human equity, The Human Equity Advantage: Beyond Diversity to Talent Optimization. The book identified Human Equity as the first management paradigm approached from a positive psychology perspective. It was based on the research of talent masters conducted over a decade, starting with the extensive Gallup database. The article highlighted the

his is the third time PDJ has asked me to write a “where to from here” article, looking at the current state of diversity, inclusion, and human equity. The first article was in 2007, where the writers were dubbed “pioneers of diversity.” I remember thinking that the word pioneer was probably a polite euphemism for the word old. Nonetheless, I was deeply honored to be included among thought leaders and giants like Roosevelt Thomas, Jr., Merlin Pope, and Elsie Cross.

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top five lessons we had learned about the need to move beyond the group-based focus of diversity and inclusion toward the individual focus of human equity.

So let me pick up where I left off.

In 2014, my team was offered an opportunity to undertake a transformation in Human Equity at Vectren Corporation, a 1,900-employee, regulated utility company located in Evansville, Indiana. Then CEO Carl Chapman noted that the company was an “unlikely poster child for human equity management.”

Vectren was a company in the classic throes of diversity fatigue, with years of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts behind them, but little in the way of measurable outcomes to

demonstrate the success of their work or prove the promise of equity. They needed, and they wanted, a different way.

Perhaps the realities of diversity fatigue provided the context necessary for transformation.

Working together, we brought all of the global lessons we had learned in Human Equity to Vectren. We insisted upon, and received, many things, which we held were the essential raw materials needed for transformation. These included the full commitment of the C-level; executive-level champions with significant reputational capital to actively shepherd work in four key “pillars” of the program, including those pertaining to talent attraction and retention, and leadership development; the integration of the Human Equity plan into the overall business plan of the company; a strong and vibrant task force—90 people strong—to create a Human Equity movement within every facet of the company and outside it, even to include suppliers and customers; a switch in thinking from the group focus of Equal Opportunity to the individual focus of Human Equity; and a willingness to set up an experiment in real time to prove, once and for all, that equitable leadership practices would amplify employee engagement which, in turn, would increase the stock price of the corporation and drive significant shareholder value.

In four short years, diversity fatigue was replaced with Human Equity vigor. Scores measuring

equitable leadership soared.

Employee engagement metrics increased by 20 percent to their highest levels ever. Employee attrition declined and customer satisfaction improved. The company’s stock price set new records and soared 100 percent, from $36 in 2014 to $72 in 2018, resulting in Vectren being acquired by Centre Point Energy for $6 billion.

The vernacular changed from diversity management as a special program to Human Equity as a corporate imperative. And executive management recognized that Human Equity principles were a primary driver of business success.

Author Jim Collins, in his seminal work, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, introduced the idea of “BHAGs”—Big Hairy Audacious Goals—goals so clear, compelling, catalytic, and emotive that they have the power to remarkably transform.

With Vectren, we decoded the genome of total executive commitment. It’s about embracing the power of BHAGs and speaking the language of catalytic business transformation. It’s about saying—and, of course, proving—that intelligent investments in Human Equity can materially raise a stock price and unlock millions, or even tens of millions, in untapped shareholder value in the same way that investments in disruptive technology or groundbreaking business processes can.

It’s about moving past the value proposition that DEI efforts will enhance the proximal outcomes

of employee engagement or workforce representation, to the value proposition that Human Equity can actually grow a business even in the most demanding and competitive industries.

As DEI and Human Equity practitioners, we must think and speak more like those who occupy the C-suite. We must set audacious and compelling expectations that our work will produce significant dividends, with the willingness to be held accountable for those expectations.

We must see our inherent role as one of creating the conditions for all people to express and exploit their unique superpowers, so that they contribute to building great, visionary companies. And we must embrace, once and for all, the solemn task of acting as business developers, not just of equity practitioners. When we achieve and activate these things, we will finally earn our rightful place at the business transformation table.

Editor’s Note: The full Vectren Corporation Human Equity case study appeared in the 2018 fall issue of Profiles in Diversity Journal. PDJ

Trevor Wilson Global Human Equity™ Strategist, Toronto, ON. He is a dynamic speaker, a visionary thought leader and a global diversity and Human Equity™ strategist.

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

Young Voices Provide Hope that Times Are Changing

“

By Wayne Ford, Community Advocate

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ith the noteworthy events that have happened recently in Virginia, Hollywood, and Washington DC related to women’s rights, black rights, and human sensitivity in all respects, the tone of conversations and the future direction of our country is rooted in Washington D.C. Over the past generations, the environment in Washington has been very divisive. For all Americans, this is a teachable moment. In the history of our country, this is the moment when all equity points have come center stage at the same time.

Martin Luther King said, “We must learn how to live together…or perish as fools.” A century earlier, President Abraham Lincoln said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” These words ring truer today than when these revered leaders spoke them.

As Americans, we cannot miss the opportunity we have at this critical moment in time to recognize the value and significance of one another. Humanity in all its forms and variations comprises humans. Our leadership needs to capture this opportunity to unify our citizens, regardless of race, gender, or beliefs.

We are all prejudiced in some form or fashion. Each one of us needs to make mindful decisions

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We must learn how to live together…or perish as fools.

– Martin Luther King

regarding how we view the world and approach our interactions with one another. This is a pivotal point and time for diversity and inclusion.

Millennials, and members of Generation X and Y, have seen enough discord that they are beginning to lay the foundation for making the world color and gender blind. After the horrific shooting at a Florida high school, the young people who witnessed the politicizing of the gun control issue that resulted in the deaths of their classmates and friends reached a point when they had heard enough from adults. They chose to represent themselves and coordinated a trip to Washington to be heard. They made it clear that their voices will again be heard through the ballot boxes come election time. After the tragic killing in Ferguson, Missouri, the Black Lives Matter movement was established. Their efforts have made it clear that young black people of today think much differently than the ones that marched and protested years ago. These young voices

provide hope that times are changing.

”

Specific to the workplace and how it will evolve, there is no doubt in my mind that one day there will be no need for equity awards or for having these types of conversations regarding inclusiveness. I truly believe that equity from all perspectives will become a common denominator for future generations. It is time to let the younger generations elevate our expectations for how to lead and cultivate mutual respect for one another. With their vision for the future, we are poised to move beyond stereotypes and discrimination. We need to treat all humans as humans. PDJ Wayne Ford

A pioneering Iowa elected official and nonprofit leader who has dedicated his life to improving the lives of Iowa’s diverse population. An Iowa State Representative from 1996 to 2010.

– COMMENTARY –

Diversity, Inclusion, and Human Equity in Business Today

By Marisol Hughes, WilsonHCG

A

wareness of diversity and inclusion, and the importance of equity, in business is no longer an issue. The #MeToo movement in 2018 highlighted the severity of gender discrimination and harassment that some female workers still face. However, despite this increased awareness, the creation of a truly inclusive environment is something that many businesses still need to work on.

Attaining a diverse workforce can be accomplished by reaching a certain representative number, but inclusion is about the feeling people get when they are in the workplace. It’s about fostering an environment of dignity and respect, regardless of differences, rather than emphasizing individual characteristics. Businesses need to welcome all, not just ensure they’ve hit a quota. It truly is the company culture and can’t be faked.

Diversity, inclusion, and human equity must become a mindset—not merely an initiative. To be effective, these ideas must be ingrained across the entire workforce. Leadership teams are aware that environments with increased diversity are vital in order for every individual to grow and thrive. However, many companies are still struggling to fully implement inclusive cultures. The only way to fix this is to ensure that change comes from the top down and is driven by cultural mentoring and training.

Workplaces are more like communities now largely due to changes

in demographics. For example, mixed generation workplaces are now the norm. Gen-Z and millennials (those between 18 and 35 years of age) are working with baby boomers (individuals born between 1945 and 1965), and all have experiences unique to their generations. The key here is that the generations are working together, rather than simply alongside each other. They are sharing knowledge and experience, and there’s no longer a feeling of “them” and “us.” This means businesses truly are allowing individuals to thrive.

Another way to make workplaces more inclusive is to offer flexible working practices. Women are 22 percent more likely than men to cite flexible work arrangements as a very important factor when considering a job, and those aged between 36 and 45 are the most likely to do so, according to LinkedIn’s latest Global Talent Trends report. It’s not just about working moms either.

Flexible working practices benefit all types of people, including those caring for elderly or ill relatives, military spouses, and people living in rural areas.

Companies need to create inclusive, equal, positive, and sustainable environments that inspire talent to flourish, regardless of age, gender, education, disability, religious beliefs, race, or social background.

Unconscious bias is, however, fast becoming an issue because of the rise of intelligent technology in talent

acquisition. Much of the technology used in talent acquisition claims to reduce unconscious bias, but this is simply not the case. For example, artificial intelligence (AI) is supposed to think and act as we do—and that’s the problem. Intelligent systems can, and do, adopt human prejudices.

It’s taken a long time to achieve the current state of diversity and inclusion in the workplace (and there’s still plenty more to do), it would be a shame if all the progress that has been made over the last few years were to be diluted or lost. HR leaders need to educate recruitment teams about unconscious bias and the destructive impact it can have, as well as the importance of constantly validating results to identify the presence of bias in the process. Continuing to build an awareness of bias in recruiting and hiring is essential, as is educating our leaders about its inevitable presence in human nature. PDJ

Marisol Hughes Diversity Leader, Executive Vice President, and General Counsel at WilsonHCG. She assists in the navigation of mergers and acquisitions, overseeing compliance and corporate governance to supporting foreign market entry and expansion.

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

Challenge the Paradigm by Reaching Out to Diverse Attorneys for Your Bet-the-Company Matters

By Diane E. Lifton, Hughes Hubbard and Reed

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fter law school, I joined a big firm in New York City and quickly discovered the love of my professional life: product liability, the perfect combination of science and law. Product liability, though, resembled the Wild West, so much so, that when I joined my second firm six years later, everyone referred to the experienced trial attorneys that made up the product liability practice as “the Cowboys.”

Needless to say, the promotion of women was not one of their priorities, and there were virtually no people of color at any level. I saw two paths—walk away from private practice altogether, or stay, fight my way to partnership, and take on the inequities in opportunity and in leadership. I decided to stay and fight, beginning with joining my

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then-firm’s hiring committee and focusing on building as diverse a summer program and fall class as possible.

In 2000, when I joined Gibbons PC as a partner in the litigation department, I became a member of the existing (and very active) Women’s Initiative, ultimately becoming part of its Executive Council. Through that experience, I began to understand the critical role that affinity groups could play in the advancement of diverse attorneys. As a first-time partner, I also began to see the association between the “origination” of new client relationships and the law firm power construct.

When I joined Hughes Hubbard & Reed in 2008, I became involved in the Women’s Roundtable, eventually serving as a co-chair.

Our programs, have addressed many topics over the years, including setting and achieving professional goals, business generation, sexism in the profession, financial health, and the expectations of our clients.

In 2015, I became a co-chair of the firm’s Committee on Diversity and Inclusion, which we expanded through the addition of associates and counsel throughout the firm. We created a Mentoring Task Force to provide oversight and accountability to our mentoring program to provide associates with additional support in their advancement at the firm. Our Asian, Latino, Black, and LGBTQ Attorney Affinity Groups have expanded, and recently were joined by an Interfaith Attorney Affinity Group. Our 2018 summer

program and incoming fall class are 35 percent diverse.

Still, in 2017, nearly twenty years after my journey into the world of diversity and inclusion initiatives began, a Vault/MCCA Law Firm Diversity Survey Report concluded that the profession had stalled, with women making up only about 20 percent of equity partners, people of color 3 percent or less, with even fewer equity partners self-identifying as LGBTQ. (2017 Law Firm Diversity Survey Report, available at https://www.mcca. com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ Women-Leaders-in-the-Law.pdf) (last visited on Feb. 22, 2019).

In January 2019, more than 170 general counsels and chief legal officers wrote an “Open Letter to Law Firm Partners,” demanding that firms hire, retain, and promote diverse associates to “reflect the diversity of the legal community and the companies and the customers we serve” or risk losing their in-house clients’ business. (“GCs’ Open Letter To Firms Serves As Ultimatum On Diversity,” Law360,” https://www. law360.com/articles/1122640/ gcs-open-letter-to-firms-serves-asultimatum-on-diversity) (last visited Feb. 24, 2019).

The future of diversity and inclusion in law firms lies with some of the same fundamentals firms put in place in the 2000s— building a pipeline of diverse associates, providing opportunities for their growth and advancement, and supporting our clients with talented diverse teams. But we need more. We need a revolution in the way we think about the objective, a shift in the paradigm so that diverse attorneys become leaders with the power to shape the future of private practice both in corporations and at firms.

First, the bet-your-company litigation and deal work has to come directly from in-house counsel to diverse attorneys, because having clients that generate revenue will always be central to having power in the business of law. Company boards of directors and CEOs must become more diverse, and they, along with their in-house legal teams, have to call and email diverse lawyers and give them their “bet-the-company” matters, or we will continue to lose ground.

Don Prophete and Nathaniel Lampley, Jr., two Black men who are law firm equity partners and trial lawyers, wrote compellingly of their frustration with pronouncements like those set forth in the “Open Letter” in light of the silence of their phones, despite their many accomplishments. D. Prophete, “A Black Partner Responds to GCs on Law Firm Diversity,” The American Lawyer (Jan. 30, 2019) (available at https://www.law.com/ americanlawyer/2019/01/30/ablack-partner-responds-to-gcs-onlaw-firm-diversity/) (last visited Feb. 24, 2019); N. Lampley Jr., “The Diversity Discussion: Big Law Partner Shares His Experiences to Help Change the Norm,” Law.com (Feb. 2, 2019) (available at https://www. law.com/corpcounsel/2019/02/07/ the-diversity-discussion-big-lawpartner-shares-his-experiencesto-help-change-the-norm/) (last visited Feb. 24, 2019).

Second, lasting change cannot occur until senior management at both corporations and law firms recognizes implicit bias and ensures that diverse attorneys do not struggle in isolation. As commentators have noted in response to the Nextions, LLC study, regular training and close monitoring of associate hours and assignments,

are critical to overcoming implicit bias in how work is assigned and reviewed. See, e.g., E. Hoover, “Confronting Implicit Bias: What Law Firms Can Learn from Starbucks,” Before the Bar, May 29, 2018 (available at https://abaforlawstudents.com/2018/05/29/ confronting-implicit-bias-what-lawfirms-can-learn-from-starbucks/) (last visited Feb. 24, 2019). Even that, though, is not enough.

Partners and senior management at companies must reach out to create one-on-one connections with diverse associates, and sponsor them for key opportunities for advancement.

Last, we can achieve greater results if those attorneys who contribute to a more diverse business through training, mentoring, sponsorship, and creating opportunities for advancement receive recognition for that work, reflected in their compensation.

Firms and their company clients often seek support in their partnerships for Diversity and Inclusion initiatives by describing them as “good for business” but do not explicitly acknowledge and reward such activities. Everything law firms do to prepare diverse attorneys for success as accomplished lawyers and firm leaders IS our business.

PDJ

Diane E. Lifton Co-Chair of the Product Liability Group and a member of the litigation department, Ms. Lifton has represented a broad spectrum of product manufacturers in the coordination and trial of high stakes pharmaceutical, medical device, and toxic tort product liability, patent, and commercial litigations.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not represent the views or opinions of HHR.

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

Leading by Example: Three Considerations for Creating and Maintaining a Diverse and Inclusive Workplace

By Judith Michelle Williams, SAP

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ostering a diverse workforce is essential in order to innovate and drive prosperity in today’s fast-paced corporate world. Building an inclusive culture doesn’t begin with simply “doing the right thing.” Instead, it starts with making it hard for employees to do anything but the right thing. Taking a dynamic, top-down approach, when it comes to diversity and inclusion efforts, is key to maintaining an inclusive culture. By leveraging data, closely monitoring and measuring success, and investing in key talent, today’s best leaders and companies are more equipped than ever before to foster an innovative, inclusive workplace amid rapid cultural shifts.

Here are three ways leaders can take their D&I initiatives to the next level:

SETTING ATTAINABLE GOALS To drive real change, leaders must assess the current state of diversity and inclusion, and map it to their long-term goals. Often the first step in approaching a successful D&I strategy is to take an honest look at where you are and compare that to where you want to be. The power of technology such as artificial intelligence to organize, analyze, and correlate diverse sets of data allows today’s forward-thinking leaders to set attainable goals and achieve real outcomes.

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INSPIRING FUTURE LEADERS Today’s biggest companies were once startups, and some of today’s most influential leaders are the brilliant entrepreneurs behind them.

Another key way to curate a diverse ecosystem is to pay it forward to underrepresented founders. While intelligence is equally distributed in the population regardless of background or experience, opportunity is not. At SAP, we invest in some of the most cutting-edge startups in the B2B space. The SAP.iO Foundries program has accelerated nearly 100 early-stage software startups, more than 30 percent of which are founded or led by women or other minority entrepreneurs. An essential ingredient of building a diverse and inclusive environment is to create a place where all people have the same opportunity to be their best selves—despite gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. This investment in innovation is priceless.

DRIVING ECONOMIC SUCCESS Diversity isn’t just good for business, it is good business. According to a report from McKinsey (Diversity Matters by Vivian Hunt, Dennis Layton, and Sara Prince), companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians. When

considering the elements of an inclusive, intelligent enterprise, diversity needs to be top of mind.

To enhance the culture of an organization, Listening to what employees at every level are saying is vital. One way organizations can strategically do this is by creating community and funding employee network groups.

D&I efforts go far beyond building programs and “talking the talk.”

To drive change, organizations must “walk the walk” and drive structural, organizational interventions. By promoting behavioral changes that lead to inclusion, leaders are able to create clear accountability with measurable goals for everyone. With these practices in place, I expect it will be a very different technology landscape in five to ten years—one that is rich with diversity and fueled by exceptional ideas. PDJ

Judith Michelle Williams Head of people sustainability and chief diversity and inclusion officer.

She leads business health and diversity and inclusion, which focuses on gender intelligence, cross-generational intelligence, culture and identity, and differently abled people.

– COMMENTARY –

Life Beyond the Buzzwords

By Satra Sampson-Arokium, Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Dechert LLP

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“

or some, inclusiveness is just a vague state of mind. I can tell you from experience, though, that inclusiveness is very much an active endeavor.

After two years as director of diversity and inclusion at Dechert LLP, and three more years in the same role at another global law firm, I’ve learned to embrace the personal and professional challenges that come with my position—challenges that can fulfill and frustrate in equal measure.

When I joined Dechert in 2017, I found a forward-thinking firm that was already trending in the right direction. I could see the firm valued creativity and innovation, and recognized the value of a more diversified workforce. Even before I came on board, an internal task force had been formed that developed a series of concrete recommendations to better realize Dechert’s commitment to diversity. All the firm needed was someone who knew how to implement and expand upon the task force’s recommendations.

Two years later, I’m proud of what Dechert has achieved: a partner-led Diversity and Inclusion Committee; affinity groups to support and address diversity and inclusion-related issues for our Asian, Black, Latino, LGBT, and veteran lawyers; a global women’s initiative; and an LGBT Allies Program; as well as workshops, networking events, and recruiting and training initiatives.

This year, Dechert scored a perfect 100 in the Human Rights Campaign survey of the best law

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

– Maya Angelou

firms for LGBT for the sixth year running. It was also named one of the 2018 Best Law Firms for Women and Top 100 Companies for Women, and made the 2018 Diversity Best Practices Inclusion Index. To cap it all, Dechert Heroes, an affinity group for military veterans and their families, was named one of the Top 10 Innovations in Diversity by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

What is the biggest challenge facing Dechert’s director of diversity and inclusion? Beyond the simple daily rigor of working with our affinity groups and global women’s initiative—finding ways not only to help each of them, but to help them find ways to work together— it’s the hard fact that demand still far exceeds supply. Like many other law firms, our most significant challenge is retaining some of our best lawyers, due to the intense competition for diverse legal talent.

For me, the future is all about increasing momentum, with a particular focus on three key areas—recruiting more diverse talent, expanding partnerships with the firm’s clients and communities, and continued development of the firm’s talent.

In a large, successful firm like Dechert, which is both multidisciplinary and multiregional, it’s easy for its people to become siloed from each

”

other. One benefit of my line of work, by its very nature, is that it is unbounded within the firm, involving and integrating everyone—lawyers and business service professionals.

Having the opportunity each day to work with so many different people in so many different places can be both exhilarating and exhausting— usually both at the same time! But it is never dull.

I like to think what I do not only advances us toward our goals of diversity and inclusion, but also encourages the openness and collegiality that are so important for a thriving firm—qualities that are particularly valued at Dechert. I try to keep in mind a simple truth Maya Angelou once stated so well: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” PDJ

Satra SampsonArokium Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Dechert LLP. Satra has 18 plus years as a diversity and inclusion expert and consultant. She will help to advance Dechert’s guiding principles of building a more inclusive firm.

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

The State of Diversity

By Gary A. Smith, CoFounder, IVY Planning Group

I

t’s always difficult to strike the proper balance whenever I’m asked questions like, “What is the state of …” or “Are we making progress?” Asking “Are we there yet?” and “Should we be doing better?” weighed against “But look how far we’ve come,” leaves us questioning our own sensibilities regarding whether the glass is half empty or half full. So progress notwithstanding, I’ll talk about where I think we are right now.

I think we are at a critical inflection point—a unique moment in time, not so much connected to the past or the future. It’s a place that is a perfect storm that must be managed for the particulars of right now.

There are questions we must answer in order to evaluate our current state.

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I write this piece as a diversity practitioner. I have the luxury of being able to compare the progress of many organizations from the private sector, the public sector, across industries, business to business (B2B), and business to consumer (B2C). So to be fair, I don’t live inside these organizations. I don’t live and die with the successes and failures of any one place, but of many places. So my thoughts are the result of comparison, analysis, and assessment of what seems to often work and what seems to never work, which elements contribute favorably to success and which elements consistently hinder progress.

Diversity and Inclusion impact the workforce, the workplace, and the marketplace. As a place to start,

it’s important to understand that the data tells us that by all three standards, there are consistent inequities.

The workforce is underrepresented with regard to people of color at all levels, the workplace environment isn’t experienced consistently by all employees (age, tenure, gender, race, ethnicity, function, etc.) and the marketplace produces inconsistent experiences across different groups of people. That’s the state of D&I. If you accept that this is true, the conversation should then shift to answering the question, “Why is this true?”

The answer is that people explain our diversity and inclusion progress, or lack of it, based on the belief that diversity equals less than. If the talent doesn’t exist, then how could we hire them? Of course their engagement

when I encounter business executives who are presented with a plan of attack that resembles the way they lead and run their organizations, they engage.

scores are lower—they don’t fit in.

If our customers come from different socio-economic levels, is it even a reasonable expectation that they would have the same experience?

These are all variations on the “less than” theme.

Compare that to a belief that the talent does exist, but we don’t choose them or they don’t choose to work here, or that we evaluate fit against a narrow standard defined by the people who designed the fit factors in the first place, or that affluent customers of color don’t experience the marketplace in a way that is consistent with the way their white peers experience it.

Regardless of socio-economics, the customer experience is different based on the package. When we misdiagnose the problem based on unconscious or conscious bias, we implement the wrong strategies and solutions to solve the problem. Our willingness to allow that flawed diagnosis to live is the state of D&I. The next consideration in the state of D&I is the shift from outcomes to programs. How do we allow the general counsel to position risk management as a business strategy?

When did the risk of solving the problem start to outweigh the risk of allowing the problem to exist? If Human Resources exists to ensure the equitable treatment of all human

capital, then why are the inequities so prevalent? Why is “reverse discrimination” a thing to worry about more than discrimination? Why is the organization more focused on the reactions of white men than the harm being done to everyone else? Because we don’t want to track real progress against agreed-to metrics that measure outcomes, we implement programs designed to keep everyone happy. Why have a diversity council that supports diversity occasionally, when you can make every system that functions every day do their job?

That’s the state of D&I. Earlier I referenced progress against agreed-to metrics. Where is the expertise to create the strategies necessary for success? Where are the accountability programs that match the way other business systems operate? Where will the talented internal practitioners come from who know what to do and how to drive institutional change? I don’t question the passion and commitment of the people I encounter, but there has to be more capacity building if we’re going to advance diversity and inclusion. That’s the state of D&I. How have we allowed the use of language to become so inaccurate?

Diversity and Inclusion matter.

Equity may matter even more. So how do we subtly shift the conversation to one of inclusion and diversity when we don’t even have adequate

representation to be inclusive of? I get it, inclusion without diversity is easier. We’ve always known how to be inclusive…UNTIL DIVERSITY SHOWED UP. Let’s keep ourselves honest in how we use the language. If you really want diversity of thought, pay attention to the people you let into your organization. That’s the state of D&I. Despite the challenges and the frustrations, I remain optimistic and hopeful. Because when I encounter business executives who are presented with a plan of attack that resembles the way they lead and run their organizations, they engage. The state of D&I is personal; it’s a contact sport that must be played by serious people. I can’t wait for the opportunity to work with the next generation of serious players who want to advance the state of D&I. After all, we know what to do. PDJ

Gary A. Smith Cofounder and Senior Partner of IVY Planning Group (IVY), a 28-year-old consulting and training company that specializes instrategy, diversity, leadership and change management.

www.diversityjournal.com

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– COMMENTARY –

Leveraging Executive Leadership to Advance Diversity and Inclusion

By Wanda Brackins, Head, RBC Wealth Management–U.S. Diversity and Inclusion

W

hen I consider the current state of diversity in business today, I’m reminded of something Tom Sagissor, president of RBC Wealth Management–U.S., wrote in a message to employees last year: “An inclusive culture that promotes diversity in thought and perspective is imperative in today’s world, and it makes good business sense. While we have always believed in the importance of diversity and inclusion, believing isn’t enough. It’s time for action.”

For RBC Wealth Management–U.S., diversity and inclusion have been fundamental corporate values for many years. And I know we’re not alone in this. Studies show that more and more organizations are instituting diversity programs in the workplace because there’s a proven business case for it.

Diverse and inclusive organizations are successful because their employees feel they can bring their whole selves to work. That fosters innovation, which leads to a high level of performance.

RBC Wealth Management–U.S., like many organizations, has long offered training, resources, and opportunities for employees to participate in and advance diversity and inclusion. We’ve provided support to our employee resource groups, as they build connections among the employee population and raise awareness of diverse groups.

While these efforts are key to employee satisfaction and retention, they don’t necessarily lead to increased diversity representation.

That’s why it’s time to do more. We need to go beyond what has been done in the past if we want to truly make a difference in the future. One of the

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ways we’ve found we can best do that is by leveraging our executive leadership.

More than anyone or anything else in an organization, it’s our executives who can help move the dial on diverse representation and inclusion. It’s our executives who can step in, set bold goals, and lead by example. Their leadership from the top can filter down to create change in an organization.

Accountability is also important. If we really want to create an inclusive workplace and a diverse workforce, talk isn’t enough. Our leaders have to hold themselves, and others, accountable to the goals that we’re setting. We need to treat diversity just as we treat any other business priority, even if that means having difficult conversations or asking tough questions about where, why, and how we fall short.

At RBC Wealth Management-U.S., we recently saw what can happen when executive leadership is committed to advancing diversity. In 2018, we placed an emphasis on recruiting more women to financial advisor and branch leadership roles. Tom and our other executives embraced this goal, and made a concerted effort to support it throughout the year. They reinforced key messages on a regular basis. They celebrated creative ideas, like a special video campaign supporting a new recruitment process. And most importantly, they helped establish new accountability measures for branch leaders, who were evaluated on their efforts to increase diverse representation in their offices.

As a result of both the leadership and the new system of accountability, we successfully grew the number of women branch directors by 50 percent

and substantially increased the number of female financial advisors at the firm.

The number of women we hired in 2018 was more than any prior year, and double the amount we hired in 2017.

We certainly can’t rest on those results, though. I believe the success of that women’s recruiting initiative shows what’s possible when we place an emphasis on diversity, and when executives help lead the way. We hope to build on the success of that initiative this year, employing some of the same tactics to make a substantial increase in the number of people of color we recruit. And I’m looking forward to partnering with our executive leadership to see what we can accomplish. PDJ

Investment and insurance products offered through RBC Wealth Management are not insured by the FDIC or any other federal government agency, are not deposits or other obligations of, or guaranteed by, a bank or any bank affiliate, and are subject to investment risks, including possible loss of the principal amount invested.

RBC Wealth Management, a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC.

Wanda Brackins Head of Global Diversity at RBC Wealth Management.

She is responsible for the creation, coordination and implementation of the firm’s global diversity and inclusion strategy and initiatives that align with and support the overall business goals.

– NEW IN PRINT –

Some of My Friends Are… An In-Depth Look at Cross-Racial Friendships in Today’s World

By Deborah L. Plummer, PhD Most Americans are racial isolationists, living in racially segregated neighborhoods and having racially segregated social patterns. As a result, our friendship patterns reflect America’s racial divide and the tensions created by that divide. They also reflect hope for future racial harmony, which is why I have continued to study this topic for 20 years and why I wrote Some of My Friends Are….

A

lmost two decades ago, I began a journey of exploration into the nature of cross-racial friendships after a conversation on a walk with my sister-friend Yvonne. She asked why I had so many white friends. I wondered why she didn’t. I thought most people were more like me than her in that respect.

As an academic and a diversity professional, my curiosity led me to facilitating focus groups to discuss the topic and administering friendship surveys across the United States. I found out that not only was I the outlier in having friends across racial lines, but I also understood why it was so challenging to have cross-racial friends.

The book investigates how factors such as leisure, politics, humor, social support, faith, social media, and education influence our friendship choices. I offer three conditions for obtaining and maintaining cross-racial friendships: first, understanding yourself as a racial being and your racial-identity resolution process; second, examining your racial lifestyle choices—where you live, shop, and worship, the organizations you belong to, your support systems, where you vacation, who you buy services from, and so on; and third, recognizing and acknowledging modern forms of racism and unconscious bias as they plays out in your life and within the institutions where you engage.

I have three little hopes and one big hope for this book. My first little hope is that it stirs

up authentic racial discourse and leads to more empathetic, enlightened conversations about race. The second is that it prompts readers to examine their own friendship patterns and foster more cross-racial friendships or that it deepens their current cross-racial friendships. The third little hope is that reading the book causes people to think about how they might be contributing to the deep racial divide or supporting the lessening of it.

My big hope is that the book carves out a better path toward a more enlightened future of improved race relations and, ultimately, heals our deep racial divide. It’s a lightone-candle approach, and I believe it can be effective.

Racial equity happens one cross-racial friendship at a time. PDJ

Deborah L. Plummer, PhD Deborah is most passionate about creating inclusive organizations and building peaceful communities by engaging others in workshop settings and through her writings.

www.diversityjournal.com

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People on the Move Lynnette D. Espy-Williams Named Cozen O’Connor Chief Diversity Officer Cozen O’Connor has named Lynnette D. Espy-Williams chief diversity officer.

In her new role, Espy-Williams will serve as chair of the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee and coordinate diversity initiatives, including several affinity groups.

Working in the firm’s Washington D.C. office, she will develop and direct policies to attract and retain employees from all segments of society and ensure that diversity and inclusion remain essential values.

Espy-Williams has extensive experience defending high-exposure products liability and premises liability matters as a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Litigation Group, and previously served as vice chair, office managing partner at the firm’s Atlanta location.

Cozen O’Connor Welcomes Commercial Litigator Miguel Alexander Pozo Miguel Alexander Pozo, a commercial litigator with 20-plus years of experience, has joined Am Law 100 law firm Cozen O’Connor in Minneapolis. A former deputy general counsel and head of U.S. litigation at Mercedes-Benz USA, LLC, Miguel focuses his practice on litigating commercial and business disputes, with an emphasis on matters involving brand protection, trademark enforcement, and employment law.

Pozo has held a number of high-profile leadership roles, including national president of the Hispanic National Bar Association and president of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.

Shanique Bonelli-Moore Becomes New UTA Executive Director of Inclusion Leading global talent and entertainment company, United Talent Agency (UTA) has appointed Shanique Bonelli-Moore executive director of inclusion. In her new role, Bonelli-Moore will lead the company’s efforts to be a model of inclusion for the industry—from hiring, retention, and promotion to working directly with clients to champion powerful and representative storytelling.

After joining UTA in April 2018, Bonelli-Moore became a key member of an internal leadership team that worked throughout 2018 to advance inclusion—a strategy she will now direct. Previously, she dealt with issues relating to diversity, inclusion, and belonging at BuzzFeed, Anheuser-Busch InBev, NBCUniversal, and GE.

KDV Names Katherine Catlos the Firm’s First Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP, a leading national law firm, has named Katherine S. Catlos as the firm’s first chief diversity and inclusion officer. Catlos, a labor and employment partner, is also a member of the leadership committee of the firm’s Women’s Initiative, which focuses on continuing education programs, client-focused presentations, and networking events geared towards women in business.

After serving as managing partner at the firm’s San Francisco office for twelve years, Catlos will be stepping down to assume her new role, and Arif Virji will be assuming the role as managing partner of the San Francisco office.

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Meet Donna Vieira, the Newest Addition to the Sallie Mae Team The nation’s saving, planning, and paying-for-college company, Sallie Mae, welcomes Donna Vieira to its leadership team. As executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Vieira will oversee product development, sales, marketing, government relations, and communication for Sallie Mae’s consumer businesses, including private student loans, retail banking, personal loans, and credit cards.

An industry veteran, Vieira previously held positions at Dun & Bradstreet, Merrill Lynch, and American Express. She is a member of The Executive Leadership Council, the preeminent organization for the development of global black leaders, and a recipient of the Harlem YMCA Black Achievers in Industry Award.

Akin Gump Brings Nimesh M. Patel Aboard to Lead Diversity & Inclusion Nimesh M. Patel has joined Akin Gump as chief diversity and inclusion officer.

From the firm’s Washington, D.C. office, Patel will lead Akin Gump’s diversity and inclusion strategy and initiatives, ensuring that the firm’s core principles of inclusiveness and diversity are reflected across its internal and external policies, work, and practices.

Most recently director of diversity and inclusion at WilmerHale, Patel has nearly 25 years of D&I experience. In 2017, he received Profiles in Diversity Journal’s Diversity Leader Award, which recognizes leaders who are “advancing the evolution of diversity and inclusion, and the diversity officers working to achieve that goal.”

Tuskegee University Names Lily D. McNair the School’s First Female President Tuskegee University recently named Lily D. McNair president. She is the university’s eighth president and the first woman to serve in that role. McNair, who has served as Tuskegee’s president since July 1, 2018, continues a tradition of leadership that dates back to the 1881 appointment of Booker T. Washington as the university’s founding president.

“I think about Booker T. Washington a great deal,” says McNair. “The more I learn about him, the more I appreciate his vision—not just for the university and its future, but for societal matters like the education and health of all people.”

Ulmer & Berne Chooses Timothy J. Downing as its First Chief Diversity Officer Ulmer & Berne LLP has named Timothy J. Downing as the firm’s first chief diversity officer, adding momentum to Ulmer’s successful diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Downing will increase Ulmer’s diversity and inclusion programming and community involvement, and oversee its implementation and execution.

A longtime champion of diversity and inclusion, Downing has served in several leadership roles with the Human Rights Campaign, and currently serves as co-chair of HRC’s Emeritus Council. A nationally recognized litigator, Downing will continue to focus his law practice on complex business, and employment and labor, litigation.

Judith Michelle Williams Joins SAP to Lead Diversity and Inclusion SAP has named Judith Michelle Williams head of people sustainability and chief diversity and inclusion officer for the global software organization. In this role, Williams will grow SAP’s diversity and inclusion strategy in order to fuel innovation and engagement, and drive business success. She will also further establish SAP as a leader that embraces and drives global diversity and inclusion.

Williams previously served as global head of diversity for Dropbox and diversity programs manager at Google. She has more than 15 years of experience embedding diversity and inclusion into the foundations of organizational cultures.

www.diversityjournal.com

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CORPORATE INDEX

BOLD DENOTES ADVERTISER BLUE PAGE NUMBER OF AD

Akin Gump......................................................................................................................................................................................... 63 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.................................................................................................................................. 10 Bowman and Brooke, LLP.............................................................................................................................................................. 11 Broadlawns Medical Center................................................................................................................................................... 12, 52 Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP......................................................................................................................................... 13 Corning Incorporated..................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO)................................................................................................................. 15 Cozen O’Connor........................................................................................................................................................................ 16, 62 Dechert LLP.................................................................................................................................................. 17, 37, 57 Denny’s Restaurants........................................................................................................................................................................ 18 Diversified Search........................................................................................................................................................................... 42 Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.................................................................................................................................................... 19 Fish & Richardson........................................................................................................................................................................... 20 Freddie Mac....................................................................................................................................................................................... 22 HARMAN..................................................................................................................................................................................... 23, 48 HP.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP.............................................................................................................................................. 25, 54 Idaho National Laboratory..................................................................................................................................... 21 Ivy Planning Group......................................................................................................................................................................... 58 Jones Walker LLP............................................................................................................................................................................ 26 Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP.............................................................................................................................................. 62 KPMG................................................................................................................................................... 27, back cover Liberty Mutual Insurance................................................................................................................................ 28, 29 Mayo Clinic........................................................................................................................................................................................ 46 Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP...................................................................................................................................... 30, 40 MUFG Union Bank, N.A.......................................................................................................................................... 35 New American Funding................................................................................................................................................................. 31 New York Life.................................................................................................................................................... 32, 37 PNC.............................................................................................................................................................................. 3 RBC Wealth Management–U.S.................................................................................................................................................. 60 Robins Kaplan LLP.......................................................................................................................................................................... 33 SAP................................................................................................................................................................................................ 56, 63 Sallie Mae............................................................................................................................................................................................ 63 The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc........................................................................................................................... 44 Tuskegee University....................................................................................................................................................................... 63 TWI Inc................................................................................................................................................................................................ 50 Ulmer & Berne LLP................................................................................................................................................................... 47, 63 United Talent Agency.................................................................................................................................................................... 62 Walmart, Inc.............................................................................................................................................................................. 34, 49 WilsonHCG................................................................................................................................................................................. 36, 53

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WOMEN WORTH WATCHING

ÂŽ

Profiles in Diversity Journal invites your organization to participate in our 18th Annual Women Worth WatchingÂŽ special celebration issue.

Nominate one of your most influential women executives.

This special issue will showcase the 2019 Women Worth Watching from companies, organizations, and nonprofits around the world.

Those nominees selected for participation will receive a detailed and professionally written feature article in the publication, complete with their color photograph and corporate logo. The write ups dedicate an entire page to each woman and bring acclaim to their companies for promoting women's leadership within the ranks.

Learn more about this special edition and review Women Worth Watching profiles at:

www.womenworthwatching.com

www.diversityjournal.com

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Inclusion.

Because balance comes from the strength of many.

At KPMG, we are committed to building a diverse workforce. We believe in our culture that strives for equity and values the unique experiences and qualities essential to leadership, innovation and success. We achieve this goal by providing valuable career opportunities for everyone.

Congratulations to KPMG’s Chief Diversity Officer, Michele Meyer-Shipp, on her recognition as one of Profiles in Diversity Journal’s 2019 Diversity Leaders.

Your Career. Inspired.

© 2019 KPMG LLP, a Delaware limited liability partnership and the U.S. member firm of the KPMG network of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Cooperative (“KPMG International”), a Swiss entity. All rights reserved. The KPMG name and logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of KPMG International. NDPPS 848076