JAMS announces the hiring of Joanne Saint Louis as the organization’s diversity program manager. Ms. Saint Louis’ addition is a testament to JAMS’ commitment to increasing diversity among its panel of neutrals and to being a leader in diversity and inclusion efforts in the ADR industry as a whole. JAMS is the first major ADR provider to create a position that is fully dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion.
In her role, Ms. Saint Louis will work collaboratively across JAMS to further the organization’s diversity and inclusion goals, which include bringing on high-caliber, diverse neutrals to its panel and working with law firms, in-house counsel and affinity bar organizations to diversify the selection of mediators and arbitrators. She is based in the Atlanta Resolution Center.
“JAMS has a strong story to tell in terms of diversity amongst our associates and management team, and we are proud of the strides we’ve made in recent years in increasing diversity amongst our panelists,” said Mark Smalls, JAMS vice president, chief marketing officer and chair of the JAMS Diversity Committee. “However, like the rest of the ADR industry we still have room to grow. We feel that our panel and our organization should reflect the diverse society that we live in, in order to provide the best ADR services possible.”
“We are very excited to welcome Joanne to JAMS, and we believe she has the experience and perspective we need to achieve our diversity and inclusion goals,” said Chris Poole, JAMS president and CEO. “I know our organization will support her fully as she helps us further our commitment to increasing diversity.”
Prior to joining JAMS, Ms. Saint Louis worked at a large ADR provider, where she was a member of the diversity committee and was responsible for organizing a number of successful ADR-related diversity events. Earlier in her career, Ms. Saint Louis worked with Citizens Disability and The Advocator Group. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Suffolk University and her J.D. at Massachusetts School of Law.
“I firmly believe that diversity significantly enhances the quality of the services that we can provide to individuals, attorneys and organizations of all sizes,” said Saint Louis. “I am honored to be stepping into this new role at JAMS and look forward to supporting and advancing the company’s diversity initiatives.”