Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • September 21, 2020 • Hartford Business Journal 33 BUILDING A DIVERSE & INCLUSIVE WORKFORCE The Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace and in the legal profession. In recent years, the CBA has increased the diversity of its staff members, including hiring a director of diversity and human resources. CBA staff represents various backgrounds and spans four generations, which has been helpful when assisting the CBA leadership in developing and implementing strategies to engage with members and the Connecticut legal community at large. In 2015, the CBA's House of Delegates unanimously ap- proved the organization's first Diversity and Inclusion Policy, followed shortly thereafter by the creation of a Presidential Fellows Program. The association incorporated the Diversity & Inclusion Policy in its 2016 strategic plan and launched the Connecticut Legal Community's Pledge and Plan the same year. Currently, the Pledge and Plan has 39 signatories. In 2017, the CBA elected the first person of color as its president. The pipeline initiatives, Pathways and LAW Camp, were also instituted in 2017 and 2018, respectively, followed by the CBA's initiatives on the 19th and 15th Amendments in 2019. The CBA also recently launched a Policing Task Force. In addition, the CBA provides many CLE opportunities focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion and the reduc- tion of implicit bias. This past summer, the CBA launched, in partnership with the Connecticut Bar Foundation, the Constance Baker Motley Speaker Series on Racial Inequality. The program launched on July 15 and featured Chief Justice Robinson and Justice Maria Kahn in its first seminar. Ad- ditional sessions include the manifestations of structural racism in housing, voting rights and political representation, education, zoning and land use, consumer finance and bank- ing, employment, and healthy equity, among others. We remain committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion as evidenced by our continued selection and retention of staff and leaders. We are also committed to addressing the issue of implicit bias. The CBA is a richer and more effective association because of its diversity as it increases the CBA's strengths, capabilities, and adaptability. Through increased diversity, our organization can more effectively address member and societal needs with the varied perspectives, experiences, knowledge, information, and understanding inherent in a diverse relationship. Sincererly, Amy Lin Meyerson CBA President Cecil J. Thomas CBA President-elect Keith J Soressi CBA Executive Director 30 Bank Street, New Britain, CT 06051 I ctbar.org I p: (860) 223 4400 I f: (860) 223 4488

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