Mintz is pleased to share that Member Yalonda T. Howze will receive the Boston Bar Association (BBA)’s 2019 Voice of Change Award, which recognizes a luminary leader in the legal community who has forged a new path and played an extensive role in advancing diversity and inclusion within the profession. Ms. Howze will receive the award at the BBA’s Beacon Awards ceremony on November 14 at the Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center.

Ms. Howze has been recognized for her dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion in Boston’s legal community, as well as for her leadership at Mintz in expanding the firm’s diversity initiatives.

Ms. Howze is a persistent advocate for the representation of women of color working in the law, particularly in leadership and partner-level positions, and speaks frequently about the various barriers that women, in general, must overcome to advance their careers. The BBA’s Beacon Award Selection Committee was unanimous in praising her as a trailblazer for women of color at Mintz and outside of the firm, particularly in the life sciences field.

Notably, Ms. Howze is Co-chair of Move the Needle, a consortium of lawyers representing businesses and law firms focused on the common purpose of advancing diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. Mintz is among the law firms involved in the Consortium’s efforts to accomplish greater inclusion and advancement within the corporate and law firm setting and foster diversity in the Boston legal community broadly.

At Mintz, Ms. Howze serves on the firm’s Hiring Committee and Diversity Committee. She is also an active board member of Lawyers for Civil Rights and Discovering Justice. In 2016, Ms. Howze received the Ida B. Wells Award from the Massachusetts Black Women Attorneys. The award recognizes women who exemplify Wells’ pioneering spirit and courage.

Read the BBA’s recent blog post profiling Ms. Howze as the 2019 Voice of Change Award honoree, and learn more about the BBA’s Beacon Awards for Diversity and Inclusion here.

For more information about Mintz, please visit www.mintz.com.