The M. Ashley Dickerson Diversity Award is presented to a lawyer who has demonstrably promoted and advanced women and diversity in the legal profession. Measurable metrics supporting women and attorneys from underrepresented backgrounds (including people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, and people with disabilities) are encouraged. This award is named after trailblazer Mahala Ashley Dickerson, NAWL’s first African-American President (1984-85). In special circumstances, this award can be presented to an organization.
Jenny Yang
Former Deputy Assistant to the President
for Racial Justice and Equity
Yvette Ostolaza
Management Committee Chair,
Sidley Austin LLP
D'Arcy Kemnitz
Executive Director,
LGBTQ+ Bar Association
Nicole Duckett
General Counsel and Vice President,
LA Clippers
Sherrilyn Ifill
President and Director-Counsel,
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
Grace E. Speights
Global Leader,
Labor and Employment Practice,
Morgan Lewis
Sandra Phillips Rogers
Group Vice President, Chief Legal Officer,
General Counsel and Corporate Secretary,
Toyota Motor North America
Hon. Wilhelmina M. Wright
Judge for the U.S. District Court for
the District of Minnesota
Sheri Lynn Johnson
Associate Dean for Public Engagement and the James and Mark Flanagan Professor of Law
Cornell Law School
JoAnne A. Epps
Dean
Temple Law School
Kim M. Keenan
General Counsel,
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
(Image courtesy of JAMS)
Veta T. Richardson
President & CEO,
Association of Corporate Counsel
(Image courtesy of Association of Corporate Counsel)
Leslie M. Turner
Senior VP & General Counsel,
The Hershey Company
(Image courtesy of University of Georgia School of Law)
Michele Coleman Mayes
Senior Vice President and General Counsel,
Allstate Insurance Company
Debra Lee
Chairman and CEO,
BET Networks
(Image courtesy of Black Entertainment Television)
Holly Fujie
President,
California Bar Association
(Image courtesy of Berkeley Law)
Suzanne B. Goldberg
Professor,
Columbia Law School
(Image courtesy of Columbia Law)
Hon. Deborah A. Batts
U.S. District Judge,
Southern District of New York
(Image courtesy of The New York Times)
Laurie N. Robinson
Assistant General Counsel
CBS Broadcasting
(Image courtesy of Indiana University)