Kimya Johnson

As a practicing employment lawyer of 22 years, I have a career-long passion for and experience in building structures, systems, programs, and policies that ensure all people have opportunities to be successful at work. Most recently, I have led from the C-Suite of an AmLaw 100 law firm where I was responsible for strategic implementation of firm wide efforts to realize diversity/inclusion/equity, positive people cultures, and employee engagement/retention as core firm values. I led a team of fully-dedicated professionals and collaborated with leadership, key stakeholders, multiple departments, and communities across the firm's 61 offices - with results. My efforts as a leader also resulted in the organizations with which I work receiving a variety of awards and recognitions. As an employment lawyer, I have been a trusted advisor (internally) and I have represented external clients of varied size and industry on the myriad of workplace legal/human resource issues confronting 21st century workplaces. I have also built and chaired a workplace DEI legal practice of over 30 attorneys, trainers and analysts for a national labor and employment law firm. And I am well-practiced in conducting workplace assessments, building organizational talent structures, creating strategic action plans, understanding demographic data collection/reporting/privacy issues, and risk-reducing program creation and management. As a highly fluent/expert communicator, I have overseen communication campaigns to amplify successes and/or address difficult events. I am a sought-after speaker, trainer, and thought leader on a host of subjects involving workplace talent, law and practice. Additionally, I have been (and remain) directly engaged with a host of community, educational, political and social service endeavors. I have served as campaign manager for a candidate for U.S. Congress. I have served on multiple boards. And, most notably, I am known affectionately as “First Lady" of The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, New York. Before practicing law, I was a public elementary school teacher in South Bronx, New York. I am a proud HBCU graduate of Spelman College (B.A. in Psychology) and I have graduate degrees from Columbia University (M.A. in Elementary Education) and Case Western Reserve University School of Law (J.D., Litigation Concentration) - among other certifications and bar admissions. l reside between New York City and Philadelphia, where I most enjoy spending time with my spouse, Kevin, our three children, and our fluffy dog, Miss Cleo.