Kathleen Nalty is an expert in strategies for creating cultures of inclusion to retain and advance diverse talent. She specializes in helping organizations identify systemic issues that cause higher attrition rates for people in already underrepresented groups.
Kathleen has devoted her entire career to her passion for diversity, civil rights, and inclusion. She currently works with a wide variety of organizations, including law firms, corporations, and government organizations. In 2015, she published a “how to” book for law firm leaders entitled Going “All-In” on Diversity and Inclusion: The Law Firm Leader’s Playbook that includes new tools for advancing diversity and inclusion. In April 2017, Kathleen was invited to give a TEDx talk – Diversity Makes You Smarter – at the University of Colorado.
Kathleen founded the Center for Legal Inclusiveness (CLI) in Denver, Colorado in 2007 and led the nonprofit as its Executive Director through January 2013. In this role, Kathleen developed the only “how to” manual for legal organizations with a comprehensive step-by-step process for removing hidden barriers to retention and creating an inclusive workplace. In 2012, Kathleen led 10 half-day training sessions across the U.S. on diversity and inclusion for the Minority Corporate Counsel Association as part of its new Academy for Diversity & Inclusion. She also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law School from 2012-2018, where she taught a course on diversity and inclusion.
Kathleen earned a B.A. from the University of Denver and a J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School. She started her career as a law clerk to a federal district court judge in Denver. Kathleen was then selected to participate in the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. As a federal civil rights prosecutor in the Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division, Kathleen worked on cases involving hate crimes, police brutality, and slavery.
After returning to Colorado, Kathleen continued to pursue her passion for civil rights and diversity by cofounding a hate violence task force as well as a regional legal diversity job fair. She also worked for the University of Denver (DU) Sturm College of Law as a Consultant in the Career Development Office where she specialized in assisting employers and students with diversity programs and initiatives.
Kathleen has received multiple awards for her ground-breaking work in diversity, equity, inclusion and social justice from several organizations, including the University of Colorado (March 2022), Center for Legal Inclusiveness (Lifetime Achievement Award 2018), Colorado Women’s Business Chamber, Colorado & Denver Bar Associations, Colorado GLBT Bar Association, Sam Cary Bar Association, Colorado Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Colorado Women’s Bar Foundation, Colorado Lawyers Committee, Denver Urban Debate League, the University of Denver Center for Multicultural Excellence, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
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