“Diversity – in effect the differences among us – is reflected in a number of ways: race, religion, sexual orientation, and cultural behaviors. To operate and manage effectively with these demographics, ALA’s Diversity Initiative is designed to increase awareness of and sensitivity to the differences among our workforce, and to advance the concepts of inclusiveness and acceptance.” – Association of Legal Administrators
The Capital Chapter of the Association of Legal Administrators has a standing committee on diversity, equity, and inclusion. In tandem with ALA Headquarters, the mission of the Capital Chapter is to increase awareness of, and sensitivity to, diversity within our Association and the local legal community. The Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee welcomes your thoughts, comments and suggestions. Please feel free to contact the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee Chair, Beth Fowler, or Co-Chair, Denise Verdesoto, with your ideas to help attain the Chapter’s goals of greater diversity in our Chapter.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Resources
As a committee we are very interested in your thoughts, comments, and suggestions about achieving greater diversity in our Chapter, our profession, and in our firms. Please feel free to contact our Chair and Co-Chair of the Capital Chapter’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, Beth Fowler and Denise Verdesoto.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Speakers
| Speaker Name | Speaker Company (if different) | Speaker e-mail | Speaker Phone No. | Speaker Website | Topic(s) | Additional Info. |
| Michelle Silverthorn | https://michellesilverthorn.com/ | |||||
| Ritu Bhasin | https://ritubhasin.com/ | |||||
| Marguerite Fletcher | Fletcher Consulting | Unconscious Bias | Marguerite Fletcher is a diversity consultant and keynote speaker. She is skilled at facilitating workshops on topics such as Unconscious Bias Awareness, Interrupting Bias, and Managing Diverse Teams. Marguerite has served as a Senior Consultant with the Verna Myers Consulting Group and Ibis Consulting Group. Previously, she was Assistant General Counsel at Genuity, Inc. and was Corporate Counsel at Lotus Development Corporation/IBM. She also was a Corporate Associate with Hale and Dorr (now Wilmer Hale). Marguerite was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. | |||
| Wendell Taylor | Hunton & Williams | wtaylor@huntonak.com | 202-955-1627 | Dynamic and charismatic speaker who has addressed the issue of systemic racism at his firm, for many clients and, other law firms. Recordings: https://soundcloud.com/user-237509730/our-pain https://soundcloud.com/user-237509730/wildest-dream |
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| Jackie Cranford | https://www.cranfordadvisory.com/ | Unconscious bias workshops | ||||
| Mauricio Velasquez, President | Diversity Training Group | |||||
| Howie Schaffer, Chief Inclusion Officer | Big Tent Consulting | |||||
| Michael Cohen, Esq., | Duane Morris LLP | |||||
| Ms. Kumea Shorter-Gooden, Ph.D. | Shorter-Gooden Consulting | kumea@shorter-goodenconsulting.com | www.shorter-goodenconsulting.com | Advancing Diversity, Equity & Inclusion | The session was 3 hours, with two 15-minute break-out sessions for discussion. (8 break-out groups – 4-5 employees each answering one or two specific questions, followed by a group report back to all. We have 42 employees (DC, NY and SF) – session done via Zoom. Her presentation was calm, respectful and informative. The Powerpoint slides were clear and concise. We have a DE&I committee in our firm who worked with her extensively in advance of the presentation to make sure the tone and content was appropriate and matched the firm’s view of this subject. She written and spoken on this subject for years. One comment from one of our employees after was “we want more”! The 3 hours went fast. | |
| Kimberly Norwood | Washington University School of Law | norwood@wustl.edu | Faculty profile: http://law.wustl.edu/faculty_profiles/profiles.aspx?id=303 | |||
| Verna Myers | TED Talk - How to overcome our biases? Walk boldy toward them | |||||
| Mellody Hobson | Ted Talk - Color Blind or Color Brave | |||||
| Dolly Chugh | Ted Talk - Hot to let go of being a "good" person and become a better person | |||||
| Dr. Yusef Salaam | Salaam | The Marshal Project | |||||
| Dr. Arin Reeves | Cultivating Curiosity - A Year of Courageous Conversations | |||||
| Joe Gerstadt | Authenticity | |||||
| Carlos Whittaker | Author Confronts His Racial Bias Against Neighbor | |||||
| Shirley Laboy | ||||||
| Joni Watke | LGBTQ+ For the Legal Administrator | |||||
| Manar Morales | Flexible Work | |||||
| Ellie Krug | ||||||