Spirit of Excellence and Champion Awards

Ad Astra per Aspera — “To the Stars through Difficulty”

The motto of the Spirit of Excellence Award symbolizes the struggle of racially and ethnically diverse lawyers as they travel the road to personal and professional success. Special indeed is the person who can navigate his or her way, while paving the way and assisting those who follow.  The Spirit of Excellence Award, designed by Mario Fernandez, symbolizes the dreams and aspirations that are unique to every individual. The three arms of gold, silver, and bronze reaching up and joining to hold a perfect star — reflects the common goals of equality, diversity, and justice that the Spirit of Excellence Award represents.

The Spirit of Excellence Awards celebrates the efforts and accomplishments of lawyers who work to promote a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession. Awards are presented to lawyers whose commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession is evident in their workplace and at the national, state, or local level. Participation in the Spirit of Excellence Awards event through sponsorship and attendance helps to fund the innovative projects and programs implemented by the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession. These programs work to ensure that diverse lawyers enter and stay engaged in the practice of law which benefits the profession and those it seeks to serve.

On Saturday, February 3, 2024, the ABA’s Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession held a luncheon attended by 500 and celebrated the accomplishments and service of our esteemed Spirit of Excellence Awards honorees. The Commission’s planning committee, led by German Gomez as chair, worked tirelessly to create an amazing and meaningful program.

ABA President, Mary Smith, called the Spirit of Excellence Awards “a cornerstone of the ABA Midyear Meeting” citing that “[e]ach honoree’s unique journey and achievements remind us of the importance of diverse perspectives, and the strength that comes from a legal community that truly represents the society it serves. Their efforts have not only enriched our profession but have also been instrumental in cultivating a more inclusive legal landscape where diversity is pivotal to the advancement of justice.”

Our 2024 Spirit of Excellence Award honorees come from varied backgrounds and practice areas but share a common passion for service and justice. Each embodies the Spirit of Excellence Award’s motto: “To the Stars through Difficulty.” The Commission was honored to recognize Honorable Benes Z. Aldana, Colonel Jose A. Cora, Honorable Dolly Gee, Honorable Sara Hill, and Juan R. Thomas.

Honorees

Honorable Benes Z. Aldana

With over 20 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Coast Guard, retired Captain Benes Z. Aldana has carved a legacy as a trailblazer in both the military and legal fields. He notably stands as the first Asian Pacific American chief trial judge in the U.S. military, following significant roles as an appellate judge, trial judge, and prosecutor, and once led legal services for Coast Guard operations across 26 states.

Colonel Jose A. Cora

An extraordinarily accomplished military officer and an advocate for the advancement and development of Hispanic and Latino judge advocates, Col. Jose A. Cora is an attorney in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps (JAGC) and an expert in government acquisitions and appropriations law. He currently serves as the Army’s Chief of the Contract Litigation and Intellectual Property Division.

Honorable Dolly Gee

Judge Dolly Gee combines a brilliant legal mind with an unflinching devotion to the law.  She holds the honor of being the first Chinese American woman to be nominated and confirmed as an Article III federal judge.  As a jurist, Judge Gee has presided over a number of landmark cases protecting the rights of migrants.

Honorable Sara Hill

Judge Sara Hill exemplifies Native excellence and legal leadership. She has demonstrated a deep commitment to creating a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable world for the betterment not only of her tribe and tribal members, but all Oklahomans, Native Americans, and countless others impacted by her efforts nationally and internationally. Judge Hill has also been a stalwart ally to LGBTQ2S+ citizens of the Cherokee.

Juan R. Thomas

Attorney Juan R. Thomas is a changemaker, mentor, and source of inspiration for many diverse attorneys. Mr. Thomas served as the 2022-23 Chair of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice. In December 2020, Mr. Thomas was elected by the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) to be an At-Large Delegate in the ABA House of Delegates, becoming the second African American to represent the ISBA as an At-Large Delegate in 148 years. Mr. Thomas was the first NBA President to lead the Association to Silicon Valley to promote more diversity and inclusion in the technology industry. Also, under Mr. Thomas’ leadership the NBA established its first LGBTQ+ Lawyers Division to further advance an inclusive environment for all members of the Association regardless of their sexual orientation or identity

Since the first Spirit of Excellence Awards were awarded in 1996, the Commission has annually recognized legal professionals who have demonstrated professional excellence and shown a commitment to promoting racial and ethnic diversity in the profession.

 “While the legal industry has become more diverse and inclusive over the last 28 years, there remains much work to be done. Our 2024 Spirit of Excellence Award honorees are breaking down barriers and building bridges for a more diverse, equitable and inclusive profession and society” said Chair Colleen Lamarre.

Hearing our honorees speak and looking around the room, their words clearly impacted the audience. Our honorees inspired us with the story of their journeys, separate and unique to each one but evidence of one critical and common trait, courage.

The Commission also presented the Diversity and Inclusion Champions Award which was created to honor ABA Sections, Divisions, and Forums that have demonstrated through their actions, an outstanding level of commitment and impact on issues promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. We received several nominations for the Diversity Champions award and each nominee described the thoughtful work being done within its entities to increase diversity and look for ways to create a more equitable and inclusive environment in the legal profession. This year the Commission recognized two ABA entities whose diversity efforts provide a roadmap to all in the ABA for creating and supporting diverse and emerging ABA members and leaders in the profession: (1) ABA Forum on Communications Law and (2) ABA Young Lawyers Division First Generation Initiative. 

The ABA Forum on Communications Law was recognized for its long-term work to diversify its membership and field of law through their First Amendment and Media Law Diversity Moot Court Competition, Diversity Scholarship, its Diversity and Women in Communications Law Committees, and its outreach to students including its collaboration with the Federal Communications Bar Association's Diversity Pipeline for pre-law students. At its Annual Conference, the Forum has provided scholarships to their moot court and scholarship winners and has also hosted panels for local law students and pre-law students at a nearby HBCU. As a result, the Forum enjoys increased diverse membership, leadership, programming and outreach to law students. The Forum on Communications Law was recognized as a Diversity Champion for both its rich history and recent accomplishments in fostering diversity in our profession.

The ABA Young Lawyers Division First Generation Initiative was recognized for its efforts to destigmatize first-generation status, empower, support, educate and assist first-generation law students, graduates, attorneys and other legal professionals as they navigate our profession. Through CLE's, webinars, Social Media and an upcoming First-Gen Summit, the YLD First Gen Initiative aims to provide community for networking and belonging, provide educational/professional/financial transparency for first-gen professionals and develop resources/policy and financial education not readily available to outsiders of the legal profession. As it is often the case, first-gen lawyers share other marginalized identities and the First Generation Initiative is particularly valuable to those facing dual stereotypes/biases and systemic obstacles to our profession. In the words of Nicole Crossey, a First Generation Initiative Team member, the program was recognized as a Diversity Champion for providing "a space for first-generation attorneys and law students with opportunities to connect with and support each other as well as develop their skills so that we can ensure that the legal profession is more inclusive."

Congratulations to our 2024 Spirit of Excellence awardees and Champion Award recipients!

The Commission hopes that we will all continue our commitment to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the profession.