Randall J. Boe
General Counsel
AOL LLC was founded 20 years ago with a single vision: to make the power of the online medium available to the average person. In the years since, AOL has grown to serve a community of nearly 27 million members worldwide—and to manage an AOL network of web sites that draws more than 112 million monthly online users in the United States alone. Its mission has expanded, too: AOL strives to build a global medium as central to people’s lives as the telephone or television—and even more valuable. In short, AOL works to make consumers’ lives better by creating an online experience that helps, informs, and delights them.
(L to R): Veta T. Richardson of MCCA; Randall J. Boe of AOL LLC; and Glenn M. Engelmann of AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
AOL believes that a diverse workforce is an essential element of organizational success. The law department, led by Randall J. Boe, executive vice president and general counsel, consists of more than 60 lawyers worldwide. Twenty percent of the attorneys are minorities and over 50 percent are women. “Diversity is as important to us as legal skills,” says Boe. “It is on an equal footing.” In fact, making diversity a priority is one of the law department’s five goals.
The company actively recruits individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and wants to employ people as diverse as its customer base. AOL partners with and recruits through a variety of organizations, including Network of South Asian Professionals, LatPro.com, and many minority bar associations. The law department has initiated a summer intern program, and students from a wide variety of schools are encouraged to apply. As a result, the AOL law department gains exposure to law schools with which it was not previously familiar.
To formalize its efforts, AOL created the Diversity Leadership Action Team (DLAT) to ensure its diversity initiatives are aligned for the success of employees and the organization. Team members represent a variety of levels and interests within the company. The DLAT touches every aspect of the company’s business, including content generation for diverse audiences, employee interest groups, and business resource groups.
For AOL, the definition of inclusion incorporates people with different levels of physical ability. Within its workplace and around the world, AOL integrates accessibility considerations into the research and design of products and services. Under the guidance of its director of accessibility and the AOL Accessibility Advisory Committee, AOL keeps employees informed about the challenges faced by people with disabilities.
The Self Help for Hard of Hearing People (SHHH) Board of Trustees presented AOL with the SHHH National Access Award in 2004. This award is given to organizations that provide and improve access in a significant way for people with hearing loss. Additionally, Time Warner, the parent company of AOL, received a top ranking from DiversityInc. magazine for its commitment to diverse recruitment.
From the November/December 2006 issue of Diversity & The Bar®