BTLaw Diversity Matters

This episode of Diversity Matters celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with Katrina Thompson and Ladene Mendoza, both of whom co-chair BTLatinx, Barnes & Thornburg’s Talent Resource Group for our Hispanic and Latinx teammates and allies.  Listen in as Ladene and Katrina share their personal journey with host and Firm Diversity Partner, Dawn Rosemond,  and how it led to them becoming a co-lead of BTLatinx. The group also discusses the uniqueness of the Latinx experience as well as the intersectionality with other historically underrepresented groups.

This special edition of Diversity Matters was recorded at the inaugural Barnes & Thornburg Atlanta Women's Summit. Featuring Suzanne Alcocer,  general counsel and senior vice president of human resources at Granges Americas, Inc., Robin Dunson, chief legal officer and general counsel at Segra and Yasmine Murray, chief operating officer and general counsel at H.J. Russell & Co., this episode focuses on the experience of women and women of color as general counsel. Dawn Rosemond, host and firm diversity partner, discusses the group's career journey, the importance of representation, advice on ways to accelerate your career and how to overcome imposter syndrome, among other topics. 

This Diversity Matters episode features guests Michael Battle, Brittney Lee, Melanie Mawema and Elizabeth Underwood, all of whom co-lead BTBlack, Barnes & Thornburg’s Talent Resource Group for our Black and African American teammates and allies. The group joins host and Firm Diversity Partner Dawn Rosemond to discuss BTBlack, tackling the current climate and being Black in the legal profession.

Listen as our incoming Firm Managing Partner, Andy Detherage, discusses his approach to affecting change on the DEI front with our host and Firm Diversity Partner, Dawn Rosemond. This episode maintains that the firm's targeted and aggressive approach to DEI commitment will not only continue under Andy’s leadership, but will be pushed even further forward. Andy’s commitment to DEI is authentic and our hope is for you to hear that through this episode.

Bob Grand, Barnes & Thornburg’s firm managing partner, joins Dawn Rosemond, our host and firm diversity partner, in this episode of Diversity Matters. They discuss Bob’s approach to DEI during his time in firm leadership, and his decision to lead from the front, establish a full-time executive DEI position in 2016 and ask Dawn, a partner, to take on the role. The insights they share shine a light on how, under Bob’s leadership, there has not been merely buy-in, but an engaged, assertive and targeted approach to change.

Meet Magistrate Judge Andre Gammage of the St. Joseph Circuit Court in South Bend and Tim Maher, a Barnes & Thornburg partner in our South Bend office. Magistrate Gammage, with the assistance of Tim and Barnes & Thornburg, has undertaken two efforts that are transformative and are atypical advocacy from the bench. Join Dawn Rosemond, our host and Barnes & Thornburg’s firm diversity partner, as she and her guests unpack these efforts, discuss best practices and, hopefully, inspire other jurisdictions to follow suit.

This episode of Diversity Matters features Jackie Wilson II, executive director of diversity and inclusion at BSE Global in Brooklyn, New York, and Adam Bartrom, a Barnes & Thornburg partner in our Fort Wayne, Indiana, office. Dawn Rosemond, our host and Barnes & Thornburg’s firm diversity partner, brings forward the friendship between Jackie and Adam that includes regular conversations surrounding race. Listen as they showcase the possibilities embedded in going beyond your comfort zone.

Meet Amber Bollman and Brian Jarman, both of whom co-lead BTPride, Barnes & Thornburg’s talent resource group for our LGBTQ+ teammates and allies. Brian and Amber sit down with Firm Diversity Partner and host Dawn Rosemond to discuss the relevance of Pride and its impact on the legal profession, the intersectionality of the Pride movement with other social justice movements, and their own personal journeys to leading BTPride.

Season two of Diversity Matters kicks off with Mark Kittaka and Sarah Hawk, both of whom are partners at Barnes & Thornburg and members of BTAPA, the firm's talent resource group for Asian Pacific American teammates and allies. To celebrate and honor National Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Sarah and Mark join host Dawn Rosemond to discuss the month's importance and significance, address the current climate given the rise of xenophobia and attacks on Asian and Pacific Islander Americans, our role as legal professionals during this time, and specifically, the role and impact of BTAPA .

As mentioned in the podcast, we invite you to watch the Kittaka family's JAMPilgrimage to Heart Mountain.

This special edition of Diversity Matters highlights the recipients of the 2020 Barnes & Thornburg Chicago Diversity Trailblazer Awards: 

• Barbara Flores, Commissioner of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission
• Tom Tunney, Vice Mayor and Alderman of the 44th Ward for the City of Chicago
•  Richard Boykin, former partner at Barnes & Thornburg, former member of the Cook County (IL) Board of Commissioners, and currently an attorney at Bridge Builders Consulting & Legal Services LLC. 

More information about the 2020 Barnes & Thornburg Chicago Diversity Trailblazer Awards.