DEI Officers and Recent Executive Orders – Essential Strategies
Date: Apr 10, 2025 12:00 p.m. – 1:40 p.m.
Location: Online
Member Price: $99.00
Non-Member Price: $125.00
Section Price: $0.00
Areas of Law: Diversity
Earn up to 2 credits, including 2.0 in Diversity! (More Information)
Keynote
Moderator
Presenters
- Kevin M. Costello, Esq.
- Costello, Mains & Silverman, LLC, Mount Laurel
- Rhasheda Douglas
- Assistant Dean, Director of the Minority Student Program
Rutgers Law School-Camden - Valerie A. Jackson, Esq.
- Deputy Director Legal, Compliance & Diversity, Department of the Treasury, TrentonValerie Jackson is the Diversity Officer and Legal Liaison at the New Jersey Department of the Treasury - Division of Administration.
Prior to her current role, Valerie was a Deputy Public Defender and Managing Attorney of the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), Office of Parental Representation, Central Region Office, in North Brunswick, New Jersey. Upon joining the OPD in 2009 she quickly earned a reputation as a zealous advocate and skilled litigator. In 2012, Ms. Jackson was promoted by the Public Defender to her current role as Managing Attorney and in 2020 was promoted to the title of Deputy Public Defender. Prior to joining the OPD, she was a solo practitioner in Middlesex County, where she focused in family law, education law and real estate.
Admitted to practice in New Jersey, Ms. Jackson is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, and has served on the Association’s Board of Trustees, Diversity Committee and Child Welfare Law Section. She has also served as a Trustee for both the Middlesex County Bar Association and Foundation, and has been Co-Chair of the Association’s Board for the Advancement of Racial Equity and Social Justice. Ms. Jackson has been a member of the Association of Black Women Lawyers, the Garden State Bar Association, the Middlesex County Vicinage Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, and the New Jersey Administrative Office of the Court’s Children in Court Race Equity Leadership Team. She has served on the OPD training faculty; where she has trained attorneys on many topics related to ethics, professionalism and trial advocacy for defense attorneys.
Ms. Jackson received her B.A. from Rutgers University, her M.A. in Journalism from New York University and her J.D. from Rutgers Law School. - Beth P. Zoller, Esq.
- KSBranigan Law P.C., Montclair
Recent executive orders, including “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity” and “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” promise to have a significant impact on the role of diversity, equity and inclusion officers. The orders mandate sweeping changes to DEI initiatives in the federal government, heightened scrutiny over DEI programs in the private sector and the dissolution of ongoing DEI initiatives in education.
DEI officers work in collaboration with multiple business and firm stakeholders to strategize and implement programs and procedures that create a more inclusive environment. Their work allows business and firms to more effectively represent diverse clients.
What should the strategy be for moving forward under the new orders?
Our panel will provide practical insights and strategies to help you or your organization navigate these substantial changes, including:
- Impact on DEI Programs: Assessing the immediate and long-term implications for DEI initiatives.
- Strategic Responses: Developing strategies and next steps to review and align DEI initiatives with federal anti-discrimination laws.
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