Vernon Jordan to Receive MCCA Lifetime Achievement Award

Vernon Jordan to Receive MCCA Lifetime Achievement Award

Washington, DC − The Minority Corporate Counsel Association (MCCA) announced that the recipient of the first MCCA Lifetime Achievement Award is Vernon E. Jordan, Jr. The honor will be bestowed upon Mr. Jordan on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at the MCCA Diversity Honors Gala, a red carpet evening that will take place at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

He will receive the award for making important and lasting contributions to advancing a society that fully appreciates, celebrates, and recognizes the value of diversity.

Mr. Jordan has been a long-time, leading figure in the civil rights movement. Upon graduation from Howard University School of Law in 1960, he joined the firm of a civil rights activist in Atlanta and became involved in a case against the University of Georgia to challenge racist policies.

In 1962, Jordan became a Georgia field director for the NAACP and made speeches, organized and opened new NAACP branches, coordinated demonstrations and called for economic boycotts of industries that would not employ Blacks. These boycotts were so successful that stores in Atlanta began to hire Blacks that same year.

Jordan realized that the key to power lay in the vote. In 1964, he became Director of the Voter Education Project, where he coordinated voter registration drives and counseled the electorate. The wave of new Black voters helped to dramatically increase the number of Black elected officials. Jordan developed a reputation among the civil rights leadership as a level-headed mediator who was able to arbitrate solutions in the face of conflicts.

In addition, Jordan served as the head of the United Negro College Fund and later as the President of the National Urban League from 1971 to 1981. At the National Urban League, he was instrumental in integrating American businesses and providing economic and social support to the expanding Black middle class. After surviving a white racist’s assassination attempt in 1980, he returned to practicing law and became a pillar of America’s legal, corporate and political arenas.

A key strategist and advisor to many prominent civil rights leaders over the years, Jordan also developed relationships with many U.S. presidents from Lyndon Johnson to Bill Clinton.

Jordan is a senior managing director at Lazard, a preeminent financial advisory and asset management firm, and senior counsel at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. He has served on the Board of Directors of numerous Fortune 500 corporations and as a trustee to Howard University and DePauw University.

“Mr. Jordan’s record of achievement in so many different arenas can be matched by few others,” commented Don Liu, Past Chairman of the MCCA Board of Directors and General Counsel for Xerox Corporation. “His business acumen is highly regarded, for he brings his insights to the corporate board rooms where he serves as a director, including at Xerox, where he was a board member for many years. He has worked tirelessly in business, law, politics and education to create opportunities and improve the lives of countless Americans. His impact on society has been profound, and MCCA is honored to present him with our first Lifetime Achievement Award.”

“Vernon Jordan is a hero to me and countless others who are the fortunate beneficiaries of his lifetime legacy of advocating for civil rights and opening doors of opportunity in all sectors of our society,” said Veta T. Richardson, MCCA’s Executive Director. “Mr. Jordan’s achievements in law and business helped to usher in a new generation of post-civil-rights era leaders of color who now serve at the highest levels in corporate executive suites, Wall Street, governors’ mansions, the nation’s capital, and the White House.”

Being held at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Diversity Honors Gala will honor those who have made outstanding contributions to diversity in the legal field. It 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. About 1,200 attendees are expected.

To learn more about MCCA’s Diversity Honors Gala and sponsorship opportunities, visit MCCA Diversity Honors Gala or contact Jennifer Chen, Vice President, External Relations at JenChen@mcca.com or 202-739-5902.

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.