Why Diversity Matters for Your Business
with Yolanda N. Melville
Cooper Levenson, Attorneys at Law

A discussion of the dimensions of diversity - age, gender, religion, race, ethnicity, and disability, among others. We will also discuss how notions of diversity have evolved, how the definitions of “protected classes” have changed over time, and why diversity is important in employment practices.

In addition to her role as an attorney at Cooper Levenson, Yolanda is the National Chair of the NAACP NextGen Alumni Committee. She is a sought-after speaker and has served on numerous national panels, including at NAACP National Convention CLE program in 2018 and 2020. She spoke on the topic “Education the Younger Generation on Civil Rights and Legal Issues at the National Bar Association conference 2020. Yolanda delivered the keynote address at the Atlantic City Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2019 Program. Yolanda served on a roundtable with the New Jersey State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal on Oct. 27, 2020. The topic, “Examining New Jersey’s Anti-Bias Vision,” was a discussion of the recently released report by New Jersey’s Interagency Task Force to Combat Youth Bias. The report details New Jersey’s vision for addressing the rising tide of hate among our state’s young people.

Yolanda graduated from The College of William and Mary, where she graduated with a dual degree in English and Government. She earned a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Virginia Commonwealth University, and received her Juris Doctor degree from Howard University School of Law. Yolanda was selected as a 2011 Kellogg’s Law Fellow for the NAACP Office of General Counsel, where she worked on national civil rights issues and participated in discussion panels throughout the country. Yolanda was a Top 40 Under 40 AC honoree in 2018, awarded the 2019 New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award “Champion for Justice” Honoree, and included on the New Jersey Super Lawyers Rising Stars list 2020. @MillennialLawAC

This meeting will take place using Zoom the link to join/meeting ID will be provided upon registration.