Vernā Myers

Vernā Myers, Esq., principal of Vernā Myers Consulting Group, LLC (VMCG), is a nationally recognized expert on diversity and inclusion within law firms, law departments and law schools. Myers is a dynamic speaker and creative advisor in support of creating inclusive environments and improving the recruitment, retention and advancement of underrepresented groups. A highly sought after speaker at numerous conferences worldwide, Myers sponsors her own successful annual Opus Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Large Law Firms. She is the author of “Moving Diversity Forward: How To Go From Well-Meaning To Well-Doing,” published by the American Bar Association in 2011. A second book, “What If I Say the Wrong Thing?: Learning the Language of Inclusion” is currently in the works.

In 2010, Pepper Hamilton LLP awarded Myers its Diversity Champion award. In 2009 she was chosen as one of The Network Journal’s “25 Influential Black Women in Business,” and in 2008, one of The Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s “Diversity Heroes.”  Prior to establishing VMCG, Myers was the first executive director of The Boston Law Firm Group, a consortium of firms committed to increasing racial/ethnic diversity. She served as deputy chief of staff for the Attorney General of Massachusetts (1997-99), where she executed a comprehensive diversity and inclusion initiative: increasing minority recruitment; conducting diversity and sexual harassment trainings and performing outreach to the state’s diverse population. Myers graduated from Harvard Law School and received a B.A., magna cum laude, from Barnard College, Columbia University. (@VernaMyers)