Brenda Suttonwills is the Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiatives at UCLA School of Law. She consults with faculty, staff, and students on DEI matters and leads the Law Alumni Mentoring Pathway and other DEI initiatives. She is a 2024 UCLA Dialogue Across Difference Faculty Fellow and a faculty member for the UCLA Institute for Research on Labor & Employment. She is affiliated faculty for the Critical Legal Studies program and the Epstein Public Interest Law Program.  Brenda serves as a Co-Chair of the ABA Labor and Employment Section’s Diversity in the Legal Profession Committee.  She is formerly the Director of Learning Environment and Academic Affairs and the Assistant Director of Public Interest Counseling at UCLA School of Law. Before joining UCLA School of Law, Brenda served as Staff Counsel with the California Teachers Association, practiced Labor and Employment Law at Schwartz, Steinsapir, Dohrmann & Sommers, and worked as a Civil Rights Fellow at Litt & Márquez. She was the 2011-2012 Chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Labor & Employment Section and Chair of the Los Angeles Hotel Diversity Taskforce, where she coordinated the implementation of contract diversity language. Brenda currently serves as a commissioner with the Los Angeles Employment Relations Board.

Joelle Emerson is the Co-founder and CEO at Paradigm, a platform that enables companies to build inclusive, high-performance cultures where everyone can do their best work. Joelle’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and on the cover of The Atlantic. She has been named to Recode’s list of the 100 most influential people in business, Marie Claire’s “New Guard” list of 50 women changing the world, and The New York Times’ Groundbreakers. Before founding Paradigm, Joelle was a civil rights employment lawyer.

Terrance J. Evans is a Partner in the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices of Duane Morris LLP, where he serves as the Co-Leader of the firm’s Banking and Financial Services Practice. Mr. Evans is also the Co-Chair of the Duane Morris San Francisco Diversity and Inclusion Committee. His practice is focused on representing clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts across the United States including the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Evans also regularly counsels clients regarding racial justice and diversity and inclusion issues. He has led dozens of diversity trainings for judges, lawyers, law students, and members of the community around the United States.

Mr. Evans is the Chair of the California Lawyers Association (“CLA”), the largest voluntary state bar association in the United States representing the interests of more than 260,000 California lawyers. Mr. Evans is the first person of color and the first Black person in California history elected to this high profile position.  Mr. Evans is also the Director of Region IX of the National Bar Association, the largest Black Bar Association in the world.  Mr. Evans is also Vice President North of the California Association of Black Lawyers (“CABL”), the umbrella organization for all Black bar associations and judicial organizations in California.

Mr. Evans is the Past President of the Charles Houston Bar Association, the oldest Black Bar Association in California.  Mr. Evans is the Co-Founder and Past Chair of the Charles Houston Bar Institute; a foundation that provides scholarships to underprivileged students.  Mr. Evans is also the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the CLA Racial Justice Committee; Past Chair of the Litigation Section of the California Lawyers Association; Co-Chair of the American Bar Association Insurance Coverage Litigation Committee Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Past Board Member of the Bar Association of San Francisco (“BASF”); Past Member of the BASF Judicial Evaluation Committee; Current Member of the BASF Finance Committee.  Mr. Evans is a Member of the CABL Legislative Committee and Membership Committee. 

In 2016, Mr. Evans was honored by the National Bar Association as one of the top African American attorneys in the USA under age 40.  In 2017, he was honored by the Charles Houston Bar Association for his work promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.  In 2018, Mr. Evans was honored by the Minority Bar Coalition for his contributions to promoting diversity and inclusion throughout California.  In 2019, Mr. Evans was honored by New Dawn Vallejo for his work promoting diversity and inclusion and pro bono legal services.  In 2020, Mr. Evans was recognized by Chambers for his efforts to promote diversity and inclusion throughout the United States.  In 2021, Mr. Evans was honored by the Bar Association of San Francisco and Justice and Diversity Center for his diversity and inclusion work in Northern California and throughout the United States. In 2021, Mr. Evans was also honored by American Lawyer Magazine as a Trail Blazer.

In 2022, 2023, and 2024 Mr. Evans was honored by the Los Angeles Times as being one of the foremost leaders on diversity, equity, and inclusion issues in the State of California.  In 2022, Mr. Evans was also honored by the Minority Bar Coalition for a second time for his efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout the United States. In 2023, Mr. Evans was honored by the National Bar Association as the Regional Director of the Year for his work to promote DEI around the United States and around the world.  In 2024, Mr. Evans received the Cunningham Award from the California Association of Black Lawyers for his efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion and civil rights for all people.  In 2025, Mr. Evans was named the Loren Miller Lawyer of the Year by the California Association of Black Lawyers.  Mr. Evans has raised more than $650,000 for scholarships for underprivileged students.  Mr. Evans has also created five annual scholarship that have provided tens of thousands of dollars to under privileged students from all backgrounds.