Fisher Phillips Chief Diversity Officer Named DEI Executive of the Year

Fisher Phillips, one of the country’s preeminent labor and employment law firms representing employers, is pleased to announce that Regina Petty, Fisher Phillips’ Chief Diversity Officer has been named DEI Executive of the Year by HRO Today. The award recognizes executives that effectively implement programs that promote an inclusive workplace, enhance their employer brand, and improve employee engagement and retention. Regina was honored at the HRO Today Inclusion Summit in Atlanta on September 15.

As Chief Diversity Officer, Regina plays an important role in realizing Fisher Phillips’ strategic diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. She provides leadership, vision and direction to advance the diversity and inclusion values at the firm to achieve professional and organizational excellence. Under her leadership, Fisher Phillips has rolled out numerous programs to help drive workforce initiatives and employee engagement, and because of these initiatives, the firm has made great strides in increasing diverse representation across all levels. Her efforts to enhance diversity, equity and inclusion date back to law school and encompass leadership roles including the American Bar Association, Minority Corporate Counsel Association, International Association of Defense Counsel, and women and minority bar organizations. Regina is a Cornell Certified Diversity Professional.

“Regina's commitment to creating an inclusive environment for the wide spectrum of voices represented at our firm makes us better lawyers and partners for our clients,” said John Polson, Chairman and Managing Partner of Fisher Phillips. “Our firm excels when diversity, equity and inclusion are at the very core of who we are and what we do, and we are proud of the progress we've made. Today’s honor is a testament to Regina’s dedication to advancing diversity at Fisher Phillips and we look forward to her continued efforts across our 37 offices.”

Fisher Phillips’ diversity, equity and inclusion efforts have not gone unnoticed. The firm earned Diversity Lab’s Mansfield 4.0 Certification and earned “Plus” status, which recognizes that Fisher Phillips has successfully reached at least 30% diverse lawyer representation in a notable number of the firm’s current leadership roles. The firm also earned the designation as a “Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality” after achieving a perfect 100% score on the 2022 Corporate Equality Index, and Fisher Phillips’ Global Immigration Practice Group was recently named a 2022 “Inclusion Blueprint Champion” by Diversity Lab for the second consecutive year.

In addition to her role as chief diversity officer, Regina is a sought-after defense litigator who represents employers in state and federal courts across the country. She successfully argued Jones v. The Lodge at Torrey Pines Partnership (2008) 42 Cal.4th 1158 before the California Supreme Court, a case noted on Bender's California Labor & Employment Bulletin's top ten list of most significant cases and trends for the Fair Employment and Housing Act's (FEHA) 50th anniversary.

Regina’s legal work has garnered professional distinctions including The Best Lawyers in America© in Labor Law – Management, Lawdragon’s Leading Corporate Employment Lawyers of America, the Los Angeles Daily Journal's Top 75 Women Litigators in California, and the San Diego Daily Transcript's Top Ten attorneys in both Labor and Employment and Business Litigation. She is also a recipient of the San Diego Business Journal's Women Who Mean Business Award and Women of Influence: Top 50 Over 50.

To learn more about Fisher Phillips’ diversity initiatives, please click here.