Anna Maiuri Receives Dickinson Wright’s 2021 Champion of Diversity Award

Dickinson Wright PLLC is pleased to announce that Anna Maiuri (Member and Environmental, Energy & Sustainability Practice Group Co-Chair, Troy) received Dickinson Wright’s 2021 Champion of Diversity Award. This annual award is granted by the Firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee (DEIC) for extraordinary contributions to and transformative leadership in diversity initiatives inside and outside the Firm.

Colleagues often describe Anna as a “beating heart of diversity at the Firm,” and her selection puts her among a distinguished list of Champion honorees who have been instrumental in shaping Dickinson Wright’s reputation as a leader in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Anna joined Dickinson Wright in 2013 and shortly after her arrival, she was asked, alongside Columbus Member Harlan Robins, to formalize and focus the Firm’s diversity initiatives, resulting in the creation of the Firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Anna has Co-Chaired the committee since its inception, leading in the design and implementation of multiple DEI-focused attorney recruiting, retention, and advancement initiatives. “Starting as a Co-Chair in 2014, through our evolved and evolving DEI Committee, I have witnessed how Anna has worked to shape the Firm’s direction in the diversity arena with stunning results,” says Harlan. 

Anna played a key role in drafting many of the Firm’s policies and procedures that promote equity and inclusion for all employees. In particular, she led the charge in revising the Firm’s parental leave policy, which culminated in a significant increase in allowable parental leave time and ensured that all new parents, irrespective of sex, were eligible for full parental leave benefits. Dickinson Wright’s parental leave policy is now among the most generous in the legal industry. Anna was similarly influential in the creation of the Firm’s Diversity Action Plan, which was adopted with unanimous Management Group support in fall 2020, as well as the recent implementation of the Associate Diversity Billable Hours Policy and Gender Transition Policy.

“Anna is a hero,” said Aaron Burrell, Co-Chair of the DEIC. “She advocated for me and others, set an example that we could emulate, and did it all with a remarkable grace and authenticity. I am happy to have had Anna as a colleague, but even more happy to have her as a role model and as a friend.”

“I cannot say enough about Anna’s contributions to the Firm’s diversity and inclusion efforts,” adds Kathy Zelenock, Co-Chair of the DEIC and Chair of the DW Women’s Network. “She has been particularly effective in her work behind the scenes, on a one-on-one relationship level. She has been, and will continue to be, a great friend and mentor to me, and many others.”