Norma J. Jackson

Background

About Norma J. Jackson

As Chief Diversity & Attorney Development Officer, I serve as a thought leader and resource to Firm leadership, and actively collaborate with practice leaders, committee leaders, and the Firm's Management Committee to develop and drive the execution of the Firm's talent development, and diversity and inclusion strategies. I support the Firm's internal affinity groups, lead work on the Total Commitment Women's Initiative program, and facilitate Thompson Coburn's frequent partnerships and collaborations with diverse bar associations and law student associations in each of our markets. I also work to maintain the Firm's top-tier rankings for national workplace honors focused on women's leadership, LGBT equality, and racial and ethnic diversity. Drawing on my experience in human resources management, I play a special role in the recruitment, retention and advancement of diverse attorneys and staff. Through the use of data, surveys, and in-person interviews, I am skilled at identifying needed areas of improvement and developing smart, practical diversity strategies. The underlying goal of these strategies is the same: to create a welcoming work environment and lay the groundwork for the lasting success of professionals from underrepresented groups. Before coming to Thompson Coburn, I served in a number of recruitment and diversity-focused positions at the University of Missouri. In my time at the University of Missouri, where I also obtained a law degree, I was responsible for leading cultural competency programs for faculty and professional staff, coordinating annual diversity awards that recognized outstanding leaders in diversity and inclusion, and creating the university's first standalone diversity and inclusion center within a college on campus.