Making Room Around the Table

“Advocating for diversity is about understanding the richness of people’s lives, what makes them unique, and why their experiences and uniqueness means that they should always have a voice in every aspect of society, not just the workplace.”?- Matt accepting the DRI’s Sheryl J. Willert Pioneer Diversity Award this June in Nashville, Tennessee.??

As senior associate general counsel in Textron’s corporate litigation department, Matt has consistently searched for ways to integrate diverse perspectives into the workplace and litigation defense. When hiring outside counsel for his cases, he shares with firms his values of including diverse perspectives on his team.

“There have been so many studies out there that show that with more people with diverse backgrounds and perspectives around the table, you’ll have richer discussions and come out with better outcomes,” Matt says.?

Matt has also been active in the Colors of Textron employee resource group and serves on the Textron’s Legal Enterprise Diversity Steering Committee.

In college, Matt says he began to better understand how many of his friends of different races and backgrounds felt in a predominantly white world and how he would never face the same experiences. He saw the perspectives with great respect and empathy, and what he learned in college carried through into law school, his professional career and his work with the Defense Research Institute, the largest international organization of civil defense attorneys .

As a long-time DRI leader, including as president in 2010-2011, Matt has been a champion of diversity within the organization and participated in forming the DRI Diversity Committee and the DRI Women in the Law Committee.?

Even after years of advocacy, Matt was shocked and humbled to learn he had been awarded the Sheryl T. Willert Pioneer Diversity Award, the highest honor recognizing a member who is committed to diversity in the legal profession.?He shared with another past DRI president that it was weird being honored for doing what is natural for him and the right thing to do. His friend replied “These days it is not universally considered the right thing to do, which is shameful.”

Looking forward, Matt notes there is more work to be done to ensure diverse voices are included in the legal profession.

“Receiving the Willert award was not the end of my involvement with the diversity committee or my efforts to promote diversity throughout the legal enterprise and generally across the country,” Matt says. “The issues of diversity, equity and inclusion remain under assault, and organizations and corporations need to work within the current legal framework to continue diversifying their teams and serving this important societal goal.”