Rhonda Talford Knight joins Bricker executive team as Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer

Strengthening the law firm’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, Bricker & Eckler welcomes Rhonda Talford Knight as its newest executive team member. Rhonda fulfills the role of Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, a newly established position that will champion strategic and systemic alignment around diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

According to Managing Partner Jim Flynn, “Rhonda’s arrival is a significant and deliberate move – not just for our law firm but for the legal industry as a whole. While this is a continuation of trailblazing efforts that have been in motion for quite some time, integrating Rhonda’s vast experience into firm leadership is a considerable milestone.”  

Rhonda uses a business lens, grounded in diversity, inclusion, equity and advocacy, to support growth and to drive change. With past experience in corporate banking, as well as serving as founder and CEO of The Knight Consulting Group, a diversity and inclusion resource to organizations of all sizes and industries, she understands and applies best practices, relevant market trends and human capital research within the service industry. Rhonda is highly experienced in developing strategic initiatives, implementing aggressive action plans and measuring outcomes. She has assisted organizations in establishing recruitment and retention goals that align with their core values and works with leadership teams, boards, human resources personnel, employees and clients to ensure goals are clearly communicated and adopted.

“Bricker has a rich past of leading the way when it comes to gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic diversity,” Rhonda states. “I’m eager to collaborate with attorneys and staff to take strategic efforts to the next level and invest in the future of the firm.”

In its 75-year history, and before many law firms became mindful of diversity, equity and inclusion, Bricker became the first central Ohio majority-owned law firm to hire an African American attorney, the first central Ohio majority-owned law firm to elect an African American attorney to the partnership and the first central Ohio majority-owned law firm to elect an African American woman to the partnership. Today, Bricker & Eckler is committed to engaging in proactive behaviors and fostering a culture that makes every attorney and staff member in the firm feel welcomed, engaged and appreciated for their contributions. These efforts include empowering women and minorities as leaders of the firm, providing training for all attorneys and staff on implicit bias, adopting recruitment and pipeline programs to attract diverse talent and supporting alternative work arrangements to help achieve work/life harmony.

Jim added, “Diversity, equity and inclusion is more than just policy. We know that these efforts must permeate our culture both now and for decades to come. As a leading law firm, we are committed to thoughtful, sustained and intentional action, which is why adding Rhonda to our team is so exciting.”

About Bricker & Eckler:
With offices throughout the state, Bricker & Eckler is one of Ohio’s leading law firms. Bricker represents a wide variety of clients, with particular strength in the health care, public sector, financial services and energy industries in Ohio and beyond. The firm has a long history of promoting and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in an ongoing effort to reflect the communities and clients it serves. Connect with Bricker online by visiting our blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.