Theresa Cropper Featured in Chicago Lawyer Magazine

Chicago Lawyer magazine recently profiled Director of Diversity and Professional Development Theresa Cropper in an article titled, "A ‘Soldier’ Armed with Love." The article traced Cropper's 20-year career working to develop diversity in the legal field, including holding positions as the first director of minority affairs at Northwestern University School of Law, and eventually as the school's associate dean for student affairs and dean of students, as well as national director of diversity at DLA Piper before joining Perkins Coie.

Theresa credits her grandmother and mother with instilling in her a "passion" for diversity at an early age. She shared that sense of mission with her mother, who once marched with Dr. King. Cropper has carried that passion throughout her career, joining organizations such as Free South Africa, which worked to free Nelson Mandela, and later working with Operation PUSH. She has also collaborated with musician Stevie Wonder on many projects, including his grassroots efforts to make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a national holiday.

As Perkins Coie's Director of Diversity and Professional Development, she is focused on "creating an inclusive community, where everybody gets a shot, and everybody knows what the shot is."