Presenting the 2024 Rick Palmore and Rising Star Award Winners
(Richmond, VA – June 17, 2024) — The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s Alumni Awards, which includes the Rick Palmore Award—the highest honor in our 6,000+ Alumni community—and the Rising Star Award—recognition of a recent Alum who exemplifies leadership and engagement with the Alumni network.
The 2024 Rick Palmore Award winners are 2012 Fellow Gerard Gregoire, Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Allstate, and 2012 Fellow Kenneth Perry, Deputy General Counsel at Fannie Mae. Named in honor of LCLD’s founder, the Rick Palmore Award recognizes the outstanding achievements, commitment, and leadership of LCLD Alumni whose contributions have profoundly impacted the LCLD Fellows and Pathfinder communities. Recipients of the Rick Palmore Award also advance the mission and goals of LCLD within their respective legal spheres and the broader legal profession.
The 2024 Rising Star Award winner is 2021 Fellow Tina Hu-Rodgers, Life Sciences Industry Group Co-Leader and Shareholder at Buchanan. This award honors a recent Alum who not only demonstrates a commitment to the LCLD Alumni network but also exemplifies LCLD’s mission of Leadership, Action, and Results.
“Gerard, Kenneth, and Tina not only embody the characteristics vital to effectuating change, but each works tirelessly to advance the mission of LCLD—both within the Alumni community and in their communities at-large,” said Robert Grey, president of LCLD. “Their dedication to championing equity and belonging in the legal profession creates an undeniable message of inspiration that resonates throughout LCLD Nation.”
Since participating in the 2012 Fellows program, Gerard has been a pillar in the LCLD Alumni community. He played a pivotal role in constructing the Alumni Program and the Alumni Executive Council (EC), which he served on from 2016 to 2019. Gerard has also been integral in engaging the internal LCLD community at Allstate, where he demonstrates a commitment to mentorship and leadership development. As Allstate’s LCLD Executive Sponsor from 2013 to 2020, Gerard helped coordinate five Allstate LCLD Leadership Lunches, built a succession process, served as an LCLD Mentor, and coordinated Allstate Legal’s participation in the 1L LCLD Mentoring Program. He worked with business partners to build an internal version of LCLD for Allstate called the Law Impact Program, which offers experiential opportunities, networking, and leadership officer exposure for diverse attorneys at Allstate. Along with his Allstate colleagues, Gerard created the organization’s Diversity Mentoring Program to provide learning and development opportunities for Allstate’s diverse employees.
“I am both proud and humbled to walk in the footsteps of the great pioneer, Rick Palmore, for which this award is named,” said Gerard. “In partnership with many forward-thinking colleagues, I’ve been fortunate to have the privilege to mentor and encourage young attorneys by providing opportunities for them to develop, flourish, and grow. My mantra is that each of us possesses the ability to ‘pass it on,’ we just need to be intentional with our actions.”
Kenneth, also a member of the 2012 Fellows class, has long given back to the LCLD community through his various engagements and efforts to tackle the issues facing diverse attorneys. A dynamic and innovative leader, Kenneth was one of the visionaries behind LCLD’s Sustainable Partnership Program (SPP), created in 2017 to enhance the LCLD Alumni network by cultivating relationship development between in-house and outside counsel. While serving on the Alumni EC, Kenneth was pivotal in launching the program, which has now impacted the careers of over 100 LCLD Alumni participants. Kenneth has also served as an LCLD 1L Mentor for many years and developed a series of group mentoring sessions for local law students. At Fannie Mae, Kenneth served on the Diversity Advisory Council and his legal department’s Colleague Advisory Council (CAC), where he coordinated several D&I events and policies as leader of the Diversity and Inclusion sub-committee.
“Since I began my LCLD journey as a 2012 Fellow, [the organization’s] mission and its call to action have inspired me to move the diversity and inclusion needle through any contribution I could make,” said Kenneth. “To me, this award is a testament to that inspiration, and I am honored to receive it.”
Tina’s LCLD journey began in 2019 when she signed on through Buchanan to serve as an LCLD 1L Mentor, and she continued her involvement with LCLD as a 2021 Fellow. For the past two years, Tina served as a DC City Lead and was instrumental in reconnecting the DMV Alumni community after the isolation of COVID-19. As a City Lead, Tina created numerous opportunities for LCLD Alumni to gather and build personal and professional networks. Notably, Tina spearheaded impactful panel events such as “The Importance of Building a Network for Diverse Attorneys,” and she facilitated “Women of Color Leaders: Breaking Barriers while Creating Inclusive Workplaces.” At Buchanan, Tina serves as co-lead of the Life Sciences Industry Group and as Chair of Buchanan B.O.L.D—the affinity group for employees of color and allies—where she uses her influence to advocate for meaningful change and amplify her peers’ voices.
“I am so honored and grateful to receive this year’s Rising Star Award. LCLD’s mission to build a more equitable and diverse legal profession that allows all talent to thrive is so important and meaningful, and I am thankful to be able to play a small part in that,” said Tina. “I look forward to continuing to support my fellow LCLD alums in their legal careers, as they have supported mine.”
Nominees for the awards were submitted by LCLD Members and Alumni, with winners selected by a committee of their peers. The winners were chosen based on their influence and impact on the LCLD Alumni community and their efforts to further LCLD’s mission. Through their outstanding achievements and unwavering commitment, Gerard, Kenneth, and Tina inspire us all to strive for a more inclusive and equitable legal profession.
About Rick Palmore
Rick Palmore is one of the most influential lawyers of our time and a nationally recognized advocate for diversity in the legal industry whose vision and hard work propelled, among countless other achievements, the founding of LCLD. Today, Rick serves on the Board as Founding Chair Emeritus. He continues to inspire his fellow Members to push the frontiers of diversity and inclusion for the legal profession.
About the Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award
In 2015, the LCLD Alumni Executive Council created the Rick Palmore LCLD Alumni Award to honor the contributions of Rick Palmore to LCLD and to recognize LCLD Alumni whose vision, commitment, and contributions have exemplified the mission of LCLD and the LCLD Alumni community. The Award also recognizes those who have had a lasting impact on LCLD and Alumni, specifically, and their communities, more generally.
About the Rising Star Award
New in 2023, the Rising Star Award recognizes a recent LCLD Alum who is engaged with the LCLD Alumni community and exemplifies LCLD’s mission of Leadership, Action, and Results.