Esq. Principal
Vern? Myers Consulting Group L.L.C., Newton, Mass.
Vern? Myers was just a child during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, but the events of that decade tremendously influenced her career path.
?Without justice, inclusion and equal opportunity, we all suffer,? says Myers, principal of Vern? Myers Consulting Group L.L.C., a diversity consultancy with some of the country?s leading global law firms as clients.
?My practice is an extension of [the Civil Rights Movement], going beyond the law and the sit-ins and marches to try to create conversations and awareness to motivate people to do the right thing.?
After earning a bachelor?s degree in political science at Barnard College and a law degree at Harvard Law School, Myers practiced corporate and real estate law.
She draws on her experience as a minority, female attorney in her work with her clients. ?My perspective helps firms identify their blind spots and challenges them to broaden their world view,? she says.
Myers soon found that the demands of the path to partner did not allow her to be the mother she wanted to be to her young son. She found a more accommodating culture as executive director of The Boston Law Firm Group, a consortium of firms focused on increasing diversity. She later served as the deputy chief of staff for attorney general of Massachusetts, Scott Harshbarger, executing diversity and inclusion initiatives and outreach to the state?s diverse population. She credits Harshbarger with giving her the confidence to launch her own diversity-consulting practice.
While her work focuses on addressing issues of equality at the professional level, the Baltimore native also recognizes the urgency of equity issues in underserved communities.
She hopes to find platforms to encourage people of all backgrounds to confront the issues that divide and embrace inclusion that enriches all.
?Having my feet in both worlds is important to me,? says Myers.
