“I am proud of the work that MCCA has done over the last 20 years,” said MCCA President and CEO Jean Lee. “And I am fiercely committed to pursuing our vision over the next 20 years. This year, we zeroed in on the top – getting more people into the rooms where decisions are made and the future is built. Next year, we will embark on one of our most ambitious projects to date: examining how much money has been spent on diversity and inclusion in the last 20 years and how effective it has been.”
Of the four finalists for the 2017 MCCA Employer of Choice Award, Verizon Communications was awarded the honor for its commitment to encouraging and incentivizing law firms to staff diverse attorneys in leadership roles on its matters. Craig Silliman, Executive Vice President of Public Policy & General Counsel at Verizon Communications, accepted the award on behalf of Verizon.
The winner of the 2017 Thomas L. Sager Award, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, was selected based on a stringent review and scoring of finalist’s efforts in recruitment, retention, mentoring and promotion, as well as implementation of innovative practices that impact and break the barriers to entry in the legal profession. Kim Koopersmith, Chair of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, accepted the award on behalf of Akin Gump.
Finally, David L. Cohen, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Comcast Corporation, received MCCA’s 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award for his work leading and promoting greater transparency and accountability in corporate diversity and inclusion.
