Diversity & Inclusion 2024: Lolly Cerda

Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives, Shook Hardy & Bacon

Lolly Cerda is committed to championing the work of others through the development and support of a workplace where every voice is heard. As Director of Strategic Diversity Initiatives at Shook, Hardy & Bacon, she utilizes quantifiable goals to track the success of the firm’s attorneys across the nation and works to provide opportunities for its professional staff.

In 2023, Cerda, a daughter of immigrant workers, was the recipient of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association’s President’s Award. Following high school, she worked at various jobs before applying to be a diversity assistant at a large law firm. Later, she’d earn a bachelor’s and a master’s degree while raising her two sons as a single mother.

She is also part of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s Board Nominating Committee.

“I have been an ally for the LGBTQ community for many years,” Cerda noted in her bio for the organization. “It is something that is very personal and near and dear to my heart… I have found the most welcoming, amazing, accepting people and organization and have developed many close relationships as a result.”

In part because of her work, Shook has made diversity and inclusion indispensable factors in its operations including a vision statement which aims for an environment in which all persons can succeed and advance. Cerda manages a team that looks to create opportunities and social awareness within the firm which hosts several professional development programs annually including the Shook Scholars Institute and the Honorable Judge Gray Lawyers Leadership Academy to further grow a diverse generation of lawyers who hope to build a better future.

Cerda’s team also uses new technology to connect internal professionals through fireside chat webinars which allow both internal and external attorneys and clients to discuss challenges and personal successes related to diversity and inclusion in the legal industry.