I, Frances Woodward, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitment 

• I will continue to drive the recruitment of diverse attorneys and staff for Gateway’s Legal Department
• I will support Gateway’s efforts to retain and develop its diverse talent. 
• I will personally champion diversity, equity, and inclusion in my organization, my community, the health care industry, and the legal profession through leading by example.
• I will use my voice, influence, and resources to publicly advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion and uplift and amplify other diverse voices.
• I commit to continuous learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion generally and Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) development programs specifically.
• I will participate in and support LCLD development programs that aid me in continuing to build diversity in the legal profession.

Organizational Commitment 

• I will use diverse interview panels and actively participate in the recruitment of a talent pool that is diverse.
• I will mentor and retain diverse team members and focus on their development, advancement, and succession planning
• I will build partnerships with local bar associations to promote minority student development, while sponsoring an internship program.
• I will build a tradition of hiring diverse legal interns. 
• I will create a culture of communication and transparency within the department that will allow for a safe, open dialogue about diversity, equity, and inclusion matters.
• I will ensure that our outside law firms implement diversity, equity, and inclusion programs internally using outside counsel guidelines, and I will ensure that external diverse attorneys are utilized for Gateway matters when possible.
• I will work with local and national organizations to intentionally develop and grow the role of diverse attorneys within the wider legal community.