Katherine Tapley, firm honored with Profiles in Diversity Journal’s Diversity Leader Award

Profiles in Diversity Journal is lauding Norton Rose Fulbright and US chief of diversity, equity and inclusion Katherine Tapley with its Annual Diversity Leader Award.

The award, now in its fifteenth year, is honoring 10 organizations and their leaders from across the country who have exhibited triumphant efforts to expand and improve diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in their workplaces and communities over the last year.

The recognized organizations and leaders "represent the best of the best when it comes to putting diversity, inclusion and equity at the center of every decision they make regarding recruitment, hiring, mentoring, recognition, support and promotion," Profiles in Diversity Journal publisher James Rector said. "These organizations and their individual diversity leaders have created, and continue to support and champion, an intentionally open and inclusive culture. Even in a field populated by organizations that care about and support diversity, inclusion and equity in the workplace, the class of Diversity Leader Award recipients for 2023 clearly stands out."

As the firm's US chief of diversity, equity and inclusion and the chair of the US diversity, equity and inclusion committee, Tapley supports the firm's longstanding commitment to DEI and works with the firm's US management team to further develop strategies to attract, keep and promote people form a variety of backgrounds.  

Norton Rose Fulbright Managing Partner Jeff Cody praised the firm's progress in DEI and Tapley's contributions.

"Norton Rose Fulbright has a longstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion," Cody said. "Katherine Tapley's contributions to the recruitment and development of diverse personnel have been invaluable. She continues to work alongside firm management to grow our inclusive culture with the rollout of impactful initiatives and the launch of additional diversity networks. We prioritize an environment that allows our lawyers and business services personnel with diverse backgrounds to flourish, as it benefits our people, our clients and our firm."

Tapley, a San Antonio real estate partner, has been instrumental in the development of several key initiatives during her two years in the DEI role. Two of the firm's most impactful programs that have benefited from Tapley's passion have been the firm's sponsorship and pipeline programs. The initial success of the sponsorship program inspired the recent launch of the Mid-Level Development Program. 

Tapley also has an active practice in complex commercial real estate transactions, with an emphasis on the financing and development of multi-family projects, healthcare and life sciences facilities, travel centers and office developments. 

The 15^th Annual Diversity Leader Award recipients will appear in next issue of Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Profiles in Diversity Journal is a quarterly publication dedicated to "promoting and advancing diversity, inclusion and equity in the corporate, government, nonprofit, STEM and higher education sectors."