Kevin R. Lyn, a partner and diversity chairman at Womble Bond Dickinson; Erica Bolden, head of diversity and inclusion at Mercedes-Benz, USA; John Iino, a partner and global chief diversity officer at Reed Smith; Melique Jones, director of talent pipeline and diversity and inclusion at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; and Peter Wilson Jr., diversity and inclusion officer at Proskauer Rose, at the Minority Corporate Counsel Association's Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference in New York. (Courtesy photo)

Becoming a chief diversity officer at a major corporation or a law firm requires more than just a passion for equality and coming up with diversity and inclusion policies, a panel at the Minority Corporate Counsel Association's 2019 Creating Pathways to Diversity Conference in New York said Monday.

Peter Wilson Jr., now diversity and inclusion officer at Proskauer Rose in New York, said when he was first put in charge of diversity and inclusion at another firm, he did not foresee he would have to become so involved with the associates.

"There are not enough soldiers out here willing to do the work," Wilson said. "In order to make sure I was moving the needle in some meaningful way, I had to get involved in all aspects of associate life. Hours, reports. Who are they working with? What level of progression are they having in their careers?"

Starting out, Wilson knew many law firms did not succeed in going into uncharted territory. He said he had to get partners to practice D&I to achieve better business results, which often meant trying the untested.

"In the space of D&I, you have got to be willing to go out on a limb and try new things," Wilson said. "My first major challenge was trying to convince people that being different and setting yourself apart in the legal industry was [not only] valuable but was, in fact, the best way for us to make a real impact."

Melique Jones, director of the talent pipeline and diversity and inclusion at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom in New York, said one of her challenges was helping people understand that even in an organization with good intentions, they were still the product of a society that carried around a lot of "baggage."

"For me, in the beginning, it was a lot of conversations with associates and testing what associates felt was missing," Jones said. "In the first instance, we asked, 'How are you experiencing this place and this environment?'"

John Iino, a partner and global chief diversity officer at Reed Smith in Los Angeles, said this year the firm conducted an inclusion survey sent out to all personnel. He said that was a signal to all employees that inclusion matters and lets executives and partners know where they can do more.

For a diversity and inclusion program to survive budget cuts, Iino said it must be engrained throughout a company's entire organization. "Make your function invaluable and make it embedded in all aspects of the business."