Carol Ross-Burnett has over twenty-five years of experience as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) professional, with twelve years in a large, global law firm planning and implementing DEI initiatives. While at the law firm of Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, she provided guidance to firm management, the C-suite, the Diversity & Inclusion committee, eleven U.S. offices, thirteen affinity groups, attorneys in U.S. offices, and staff firm-wide as they worked together to imbed DEI into all aspects of the firm’s business. This included the recruiting, retention, performance evaluation, professional development, and promotion of diverse attorneys, among other things. During her law firm tenure, Ms. Ross-Burnett helped to position the firm as a prominent DEI leader with top DEI industry rankings.

Before holding director-level responsibilities for DEI at Sheppard Mullin, Ms. Ross-Burnett had a long tenure working closely with law students, law faculty, and law school administrators at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles in senior student affairs positions that culminated with Assistant Dean of Career Services and Multicultural Affairs. There she created innovative career services programs that resulted in a more welcoming environment, and that provided greater access and opportunity for diverse, underrepresented students.

Ms. Ross-Burnett is currently CEO and principal of her own DEI consulting practice, CRB Global LLC, where she provides expert advice and practical insights to clients in the legal profession and other industries. This includes working with clients to develop, implement, and sustain DEI initiatives; consulting on DEI best practices; advising executive leadership; and conducting DEI training within the context of organizational change.

Ms. Ross-Burnett speaks and writes on DEI topics in a variety of settings on local, state and national levels. She has served in DEI leadership roles with NALP, the ABA, the California State Bar, and the Association of Law Firm Diversity Professionals, among others. She is currently a board member of California LAW Pathways, an innovative diversity pipeline program that provides instruction and guidance to diverse students beginning in California high school law academies, and as they matriculate through partnering community colleges, four-year institutions, and law schools. A life-long learner, Ms. Ross-Burnett is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of California at Berkeley where she earned a bachelor’s degree in social sciences with an emphasis in psychology. She also holds a 60-unit master’s degree in counseling from San Francisco State University, and she is currently pursuing her doctorate in Organizational Change and Leadership at the University of Southern California.