Michele C. Meyer-Shipp joined KPMG LLP as Principal and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer in August 2018. In this role, she leads the National Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) team and oversees its strategy and objectives, including supporting the recruitment, retention, and development of a diverse workforce; inspiring broad perspectives and innovative client solutions; and fostering an inclusive and accessible culture. Michele will work closely with KPMG’s leadership teams to advance its inclusive and diverse culture, which has earned the firm recognition as a top workplace by FORTUNE magazine, DiversityInc, Working Mother, and The Human Rights Campaign.
Michele most recently served as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. In this role, she was responsible for developing and promoting all diversity management practices across the firm, and ensuring that the firm’s foundational principles of inclusiveness and diversity were reflected in its internal and external policies, work and practices.
Prior to that, Michele was employed by Prudential Financial Inc., where she served as Employment Counsel from 2010 to 2012, and then as Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer from 2012 through 2017. In the latter role, Michele was responsible for leading and supporting all diversity and inclusion efforts for the company, and for ensuring ongoing compliance with equal employment opportunity laws. During her tenure, the organization was consistently recognized by DiversityInc as among the “Top 50 Companies for Diversity,” including multiple appearances in the top 10.
Prior to her employment at Prudential, Michele worked in the public sector as General Counsel of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor and as Director of the New Jersey Division of Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action. Michele also worked at Merrill Lynch as Employment Counsel and Northeast Regional Diversity Lead in the global wealth management business. She started her career in private practice as an employment litigator after serving as a law clerk for the New Jersey Supreme Court.
Michele currently serves as a member of Twitter’s Diversity Advisory Council and Working Mother Media’s Multicultural Women’s Advisory Board. She is also an active Board member of the National Organization on Disability. She has previously served on the boards of GLSEN, Inc. (the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network), the Women Presidents’ Organization, and the American Conference on Diversity. She is an active member of several professional associations and recently completed her tenure as co-chair of the Asia Society Global Talent and Diversity Council.
Awards & Accolades
In 2017, Michele was honored with the “Winds of Change Award” in the individual category by The Forum on Workplace Inclusion and has been recognized by Seton Hall Law School for her work in advancing diversity in the New Jersey legal community. She was also recognized by Diversity MBA as a “Top 100 Under 50 2017 Executive Leader.”
Among other recognitions, Michele was selected by Black Enterprise as one of the “Top Executives in Corporate Diversity” for four consecutive years, was named among the “Diverse Attorneys of the Year” by the New Jersey Law Journal, received the Oliver Randolph Award from the Garden State Bar Association and received the New Jersey Women Lawyers Association’s “Women’s Initiative and Leaders in Law (WILL) Platinum Award” for the Corporate Sector. In 2016, Michele was inducted into the Rutgers African-American Alumni Alliance Hall of Fame.
Articles and Speaking Engagements
Michele has been featured in numerous magazine articles, including:
“Diversity Leader,” Profiles in Diversity Journal, March 2016
“Building Bridges at Prudential,” Diversity Woman, Summer 2016
“Diversity by Design: Sponsor Spotlight,” Forbes Custom, October 2016
“Powering the Future: Diversity, Collaboration and Innovation,” Diversity Woman, Winter 2018
“Women Worth Watching,” Profiles in Diversity Journal, Winter 2018
Michele is a sought-after speaker on topics relating to diversity and inclusion management and inclusive leadership. She has delivered dozens of keynote speeches on these topics over the past several years. Her most recent speaking engagements include:
How to DeBias Your Talent Systems, Podcast, Thomson Reuters
Sexual Harassment & The Law: A Call To Action In the #MeToo Era, New York City Bar Association
Women Blazing Trails Panel, The Tri-State Diversity Council
The Future is Female: The Case for Optimism from Female Leaders, American Constitution Society for Law and Policy
Best Practices to Avoid Legal Traps Associated with Affinity Groups, ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law’s Annual Conference
Diversity & Inclusion Best Practices, Garden State Bar Association Best Practices Symposium
Transitioning from the Law Department Into the Business, Corporate Counsel Women of Color Conference
2017 Election Implications from a Diversity & Inclusion Perspective, Workforce Opportunity Network Conference
Michele and her family reside in New Jersey. She is the proud mom of three sons: Miles (20), Marcus (17) and Mason (16). She is married to U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp. She loves to travel and spend quality time with her husband, children and extended family.