Alvin E. Mathews, Jr.

Alvin E. Mathews, Jr.
Chief Diversity Officer

Ulmer & Berne
Headquarters: Cleveland, Ohio
Industry: Law Firm
CEO: Scott P. Kadish, Managing Partner
Website: www.ulmer.com

Credentials: J.D., Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law; A.B., Miami University

Philosophy: We are better equipped to achieve our goals and conquer our challenges in society at large or within organizations when we harness the drive, creativity, and diversity of all who are able and willing to contribute to the common good.

Ulmer & Berne hosted a variety of internal and external educational program and events for clients and friends to promote and celebrate diversity including a webinar on understanding race and racism, a webinar on the state of LGBTQ equality in Ohio and a discussion on Roe v. Wade and on constitutional rights.

In addition, Ulmer & Berne sponsored and participated in a number of important external events including the 27th Annual Human Rights Council Greater Cleveland Dinner, the YWCA Greater Cincinnati Racial Justice Breakfast, and the Cleveland International Film Festival, where it sponsored a screening of “Refuge,” which documents the lives of a white supremacist and a Kurdish doctor as they intersect.

In honor of Veterans Day the firm prepared care packages and notes of encouragement for the 37th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, an Ohio-based Army unit that deployed to Iraq in November. It also added a number of diverse attorneys to Ulmer’s team and officially began the process to achieve the Mansfield Certification by the end of 2023.

In an effort to better capture our internal metrics, the firm updated HR forms to ask employees about their gender identities (including pronoun preferences), disabilities, veteran status, and other categories considered historically underrepresented populations. It is also dedicated to measuring DEI efforts, improving partner participation in DEI events and creating relationships with schools and recruiters to bolster diverse hiring.