In reimagining their DEI practices, many employers are beginning to pay considerable attention to ensuring that their plans are inclusive of LGBTQ+ workers and their families. From trans-inclusive health insurance to domestic partner benefits, there are a number of ways leaders in our conscious business community can, and should, support the LGBTQ+ community.
Not only is it the right thing to do, leveling the playing field for LGBTQ+ employees is also good for business. According to this year’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI), facilitated by the Human Rights Corporation (HRC), businesses that support LGBTQ+ professionals are more likely to benefit from greater recruitment and retention of a talented, diverse workforce. Join us for a conversation with Keisha Williams, Director of the Workplace Equality Program at HRC, as she shares more on the HRC and key findings from this year’s CEI, examples of employers getting LGBTQ+ inclusion right, resources for employers to improve their own equality scores, and more.
Speaker
Keisha Williams Director of Workplace Equality Programs at HRC
Keisha Williams is the director of the Workplace Equality Program at HRC. Prior to joining HRC, Keisha practiced law for over a decade. She served as in-house counsel at various labor unions where she represented District of Columbia and federal government employees in discrimination claims and employment disputes. She also served as Chief Negotiator in bargaining and collaborated with high-level government officials on workplace equality initiatives. In addition, Keisha routinely taught labor and employment law courses.
Keisha still serves as an adjunct professor of law at the University of Maryland School of Law, where she teaches Labor Law. In her spare time, she is a pro bono attorney at the Whitman Walker Clinic and assists clients with legal fillings for name and gender marker changes.
Keisha further serves on the Board of Directors of the Ray Corollary Initiative, Inc. and on the Steering Committee for the Georgetown University Law Center’s Workplace Streetlaw program. Keisha attained her Juris Doctor degree from the University of Maryland School of Law. She attained a Bachelor’s of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, with honors, from Howard University. She is licensed to practice law in Maryland and the District of Columbia.