The Pittsburgh Legal Diversity & Inclusion Coalition (PLDIC) has named Ena Lebel as its new executive director. The PLDIC is a growing coalition of 39 law firms and in-house legal departments, which work together collaboratively to build a more diverse and inclusive Pittsburgh legal community.
Lebel, a transactional attorney for over a decade and project consultant for Common Impact, Inc., a nationally-recognized nonprofit working to strengthen local communities, also serves as the President and Board Chair of Healthy Start, Inc., a Western Pennsylvania nonprofit focused on maternal and child health. She succeeds Susan Yohe, who helped form the PLDIC and has led it since its inception in 2017. Under Yohe’s leadership, the Coalition recently concluded it’s 10-month long “Towards a Culture of Inclusion” series, certifying 30 trainees as “Ally-Ready.”
“I’m confident that Ena will successfully continue our work helping members to expand diversity and inclusion within the Pittsburgh legal community,” said Yohe. “I look forward to watching the Coalition reach the next level and help strengthen our members’ efforts to attract and retain diverse lawyers.”
In addition to her legal work experience, Lebel has extensive volunteer experience with efforts around diversity and inclusion, including working with the Allegheny County Bar Association (ACBA) in a pilot program to incorporate implicit bias training in continuing legal education courses; serving on the ACBA’s Gender Bias Subcommittee and as a mentor to diverse law students through the ACBA and to women in transition through the 3 Cups of Coffee program at Pennsylvania Women Work; and compiling a report on the disparate impact of the assignment process on women and diverse lawyers in law firms for the Center for WorkLife at the University of California Hastings College of the Law.
“On behalf of our entire 11-person Board, I welcome Ena as our new executive director,” said PLDIC Board Chair Don Bluedorn. “We look forward to continuing to further the Coalition’s mission under her leadership and guidance.”
Lebel previously worked for Pittsburgh firm and PLDIC member Strassburger McKenna Gutnick & Gefsky and Philadelphia firm Faegre Drinker. She holds a law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law and an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Lebel also serves on the Board of the Women’s Law Project and as a mentor for NurturePA. She lives in Pittsburgh’s Squirrel Hill neighborhood with her husband and tw o children.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the PLDIC,” said Lebel. “My passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion stems from the fact that I have always worked in environments where my colleagues’ and clients’ backgrounds were dissimilar from my own. I will bring these lived experiences to my approach as the Executive Director of the PLDIC, as well as my passionate belief that we can inspire, empower, and connect people to change the world.”
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Learn more about Ena’s hire, background, and vision in our special email announcement.
Ena is looking forward to meeting individually with all 40 of our member organizations. Please keep an eye out for an email from her in the next couple of weeks inviting you to meet with her to discuss how the PLDIC can best support your organization’s DEI efforts. Should you want to talk to her in the interim, please do not hesitate to reach out to her at ena.lebel@pghlegaldiversity.org.