Columbus Bar appoints diversity director

As part of the commitment to the Managing Partners' Diversity Initiative, the Columbus Bar has hired Annette Hudson-Clay as the Diversity Director.

This position will be breaking new ground for the Columbus Bar and the Columbus legal community," said Alex Lagusch, Executive Director of the Bar. "It further shows the commitment of our organization to working on these issues for the betterment of the entire legal community."

Hudson-Clay will work closely with the Diversity Initiative Advisory Committee of the Managing Partners Group. This committee will provide leadership and approve work products generated by the Columbus Bar. Hudson-Clay will also work closely with managing partners and hiring and diversity committees on diversity initiatives, as well as with placement offices at the law schools.

"I am really looking forward to meeting new people, forging new partnerships and developing tools that will help firms reach their goals for inclusion," said Hudson-Clay.

The responsibilities of the Diversity Director will include identifying talented ethnic minorities from secondary schools and attracting college and law students to the Columbus metropolitan legal market; developing non-quantitative measurements for selecting candidates; monitoring, analyzing and reporting progress by member firms on an annual basis; collecting, studying, maintaining and disseminating information about evolving best practices aimed at recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion of diverse and inclusive legal talent; and creating, maintaining and sharing with member firms a resume bank and database of ethnic minority law students and attorneys.

In addition to her new position at the Columbus Bar, Hudson-Clay has also recently assumed chairmanship of the board of trustees at the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. Dr. Charles E. Booth leads the diverse congregation of over two thousand members. Prior to being chairman, Hudson-Clay served on the board of trustees for over eight years.

Hudson-Clay has been the Pro Bono Director at the Columbus Bar for the past four years. Before working for the Bar, she worked at the Columbus Urban League, AT&T and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She received her Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Arts degree in Adult Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

For more information about the Diversity Initiative, please contact Annette Hudson-Clay at 221.4112 or at annette@cbalaw.org.