Altria Named Employer of Choice by MCCA

Altria Named Employer of Choice by Minority Corporate Counsel Association

Washington, DC − The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) has named the law department of Altria Group, Inc., as its 2011 Employer of Choice Award winner for the Mid-Atlantic Region. Altria was selected from law departments of corporations across the Mid-Atlantic for demonstrating a commitment to diversity and creating and maintaining an inclusive workplace. The company will be recognized at MCCA’s Diversity Honors Gala in September.

Altria’s legal department strives to maintain a culturally sensitive environment that fosters and capitalizes on diversity of perspective to produce the best possible business results. The department requires its outside law firms to adhere to diversity guidelines, holds an annual diversity roundtable, and honors an outstanding law firm each year with the Diversity in Action Award. Altria also supports the work of legal diversity advocacy groups, including MCCA, the Leadership Counsel on Legal Diversity, the Defense Research Institute, Vault, and the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.

“Altria has earned the title of Employer of Choice with its overarching commitment to diversity,” said MCCA Executive Director Veta T. Richardson. “Whether with its in-house staff or outside counsel, Altria seeks to create opportunities for everyone, allowing them to achieve their potential, grow to leadership and contribute to the company’s success.”

“We are honored to receive the MCCA’s Employer of Choice award for our commitment to diversity,” said Denise Keane, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Altria Group. “At Altria, we believe diversity and inclusion produce better business results. Diverse perspectives and the inclusion of people with a wide variety of backgrounds, skills and expertise enhance our ability to provide the best legal advice.”

Altria and four other regional winners will be honored at MCCA’s inaugural Diversity Honors Gala at the Lincoln Center in New York City on September 27. The red-carpet evening will begin with an Oscar-like awards program in the Starr Theater that combines honors with entertainment, followed by an elegant VIP Dinner Reception in Alice Tully Hall. MCCA will also recognize Diversity Innovators, corporate legal departments and the law firms that serve them who implement outstanding diversity programs. And one individual will be honored with MCCA’s first Lifetime Achievement Award.

To learn more about MCCA’s Diversity Honors Gala and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.mcca.com or contact Jennifer Chen, Director of Special Events at JenChen@mcca.com or 202-739-5902.

About Altria Group, Inc.
A Fortune 500 company, Altria Group, Inc., owns and develops businesses that are leaders in responsibly providing adult tobacco and wine consumers with superior branded products. Altria is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, John Middleton Company, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Philip Morris Capital Corporation and has a continuing economic and voting interest in SABMiller. The company is based in Henrico, Virginia.

About MCCA
The mission of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association is to advance the hiring, retention, and promotion of diverse attorneys in legal departments and the law firms that serve them. MCCA furthers its mission by publishing research on achieving diversity and best practices in the legal profession, honoring innovative diversity programs with its Employer of Choice and Thomas L. Sager awards, and assisting diverse law students through the Lloyd M. Johnson, Jr. Scholarship Program. MCCA’s work has been recognized with awards from the National Minority Business Council, Inc., the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Gay and Lesbian Law Association, and the Association of Corporate Counsel.

Founded in 1997, MCCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and also has a Southeast regional office in Atlanta, Ga. For more information, go to mcca.com.