Dennis E. Ross
General Counsel
For a consumer-driven global corporation like Ford, diversity is a form of enlightened self-interest. It’s also part of the company’s heritage. Henry Ford was among the very first to establish a company with a workforce that represented the communities it served, opening his plants, offices, trade schools, and supervisory ranks to minorities nearly half a century before other manufacturers. There is a company-wide expectation that Ford will become a model for diversity in corporate America.
The Ford legal department prides itself on being a continuation of that inclusive heritage. The legal department is not only internally diverse, but also a leader in the U.S. for using minority outside counsel. The department seeks to build a sense of community through active participation in minority bar events and organization-wide community service projects that serve the minority community.
Ford believes that legal diversity brings more perspectives into the decision- making process. The legal department diversity program includes all of the critical components of a model diversity plan: commitment from senior management; career development programs to increase retention; input from involved and engaged human resource professionals; outstanding recruitment initiatives to feed the pipeline; external diversity goals to involve outside counsel and vendors; and community outreach programs. The result is leadership and diversity programs for others to model.
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From the March 2002 issue of Diversity & The Bar®