The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) and the ACC Foundation (ACCF) worked with an advisory committee of top corporate executives with DEI expertise to develop and launch the ACC/ACC Foundation DEI Maturity Model (DEI MM). The DEI MM serves as a simple and pragmatic resource for corporate legal department leaders to measure where their DEI programs and policies are currently and help identify clear next steps if they determine improvements are necessary.
“We developed this practical resource to assist our members who are working to improve their organization’s internal and external DEI policies,” said Veta T. Richardson, president & CEO of ACC. “With 73% of ACC 2021 CLO Survey respondents reporting that the focus on DEI will accelerate and 27 ACC chapters holding DEI-related programs this past year, it was clear that this important issue is a priority for our members. We look forward to collaborating with our members, working group, and partners to refine, distribute, and develop additional programing using the DEI MM moving forward.”
“The DEI Maturity Model is designed to help corporate legal departments and others easily evaluate and identify improvements for their DEI programs,” said Jennifer Chen, director of the ACC Foundation. “We expect that the business and legal communities will find this to be a useful resource for advancing their DEI efforts. We are grateful to everyone who assisted in bringing this model together and we are committed to continuously updating and improving it based on feedback from those who apply it in their organizations.”
Members of the working group include:
- Diana Barlow, Voya Financial
- Mary Burelle, McDonald’s Corp.
- Elizabeth Campbell, Campbell Soup Company
- Earnest DeLoach, Balfour Betty U.S.
- Sneha Desai, BASF
- Andre Green, Freddie Mac
- Kristen Jones, McDonald’s Corp.
- Christine Juhasz, MassMutual
- Bobbie Jo Kalamaras, Freddie Mac
- Jennifer Lagunas, AbbVie
- Eric Mahler, Meritor
- Jim Michalowicz, TE Connectivity
- Alison Nelson, Ford Motor Co.
- Sam Ranganathan, AbbVie
- John Seward, Intel
- Adonica-Jo Wada, Facebook
- David White, Accenture
The ACC/ACC Foundation DEI Maturity Model is organized into 13 categories, each detailing three levels of maturity – early, intermediate, and advanced. The categories include:
· Strategic Planning
· Governance and Resourcing
· Operational Model/Workstreams
· Recruitment
· Talent Development – Career Development
· Professional Development
· Talent Development – Advancement
· Talent Retention
· Succession Planning
· Measurement
· Goal-setting/Communications
· Incentives and Consequences
· Community Engagement
The ACC/ACC Foundation DEI Maturity Model can be downloaded here.