REMEMBERING MONICA PARHAM
Monica Parham
Crowell & Moring lost a former colleague and beloved friend, Monica G. Parham, on October 25, 2020, after a valiant battle with cancer. Monica began her 22year career with the firm as a summer associate in 1992. She was named Crowell & Moring’s first Diversity Counsel in 2007, at a time when few law firms had dedicated diversity professionals on staff. Monica laid the initial groundwork for our diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, creating many of the programs that continue to this day, including our Diversity Speaker Series. Monica most recently worked as Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Uber in California.
Monica also established our Diversity Council and our first Diversity Dialogues. Under Monica’s stewardship, we became the first law firm to adopt a corporate-based model of sponsorship. She helped spearhead collaborations with mission-focused organizations dedicated to building more inclusive communities and workplaces and helped us to earn numerous recognitions for our efforts, including several highlighted in this report. Monica also served in significant capacities beyond our firm, leading many other organizations advancing legal diversity. She was president of the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals and the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia. She was a member of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession’s Women of Color Research Initiative Advisory Board, the Board of Advisors of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance, and the National Task Force for Diversity in ADR. She also played important roles in several foundations dedicated to serving legal and educational needs of women and children in underserved communities. In honor of Monica, the firm was proud to make a $25,000 donation to the Honors Scholarship Program at her alma mater, the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, to benefit African American and other minority students at the university. Monica worked tirelessly to support the Honors Scholarship Program and we hope our contribution will help to keep her memory and efforts alive.
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