2025 Spirit of Excellence honorees announced

• Col. James M. Durant III, chief counsel for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science-Chicago, where he leads a legal staff across the United States that serves 11 of the 17 U.S. National Laboratories.
• Craig B. Glidden, president and chief administrative officer of General Motors-subsidiary Cruise. At Cruise, Glidden has infused GM’s commitment to safety, transforming GM’s global legal operations to support the company’s vision of a future with zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion. 
• Judge Diane J. Humetewa, a U.S. district judge for the District of Arizona since 2014. Prior to her confirmation, she was special counsel to the president of Arizona State University, taught at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and practiced federal Indian law.
• Kalpana Kotagal, a member of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission since August 2023. The first female commissioner of Indian descent, Kotagal is committed to ensuring the EEOC is accessible to underserved communities.
• Karol Corbin Walker, a partner with Kaufman Dolowich LLP. She is the first African American president of the Association of the Federal Bar of New Jersey (2015); first New Jersey attorney appointed as chair of the ABA Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary (2015); first African American female president of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (2012); first African American and youngest female president in the then 105-year history of the New Jersey State Bar Association (2003-2004).

Related links:

• Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession
• ABA Midyear Meeting
• ABA Journal:
  • “Kalpana Kotagal’s inclusion riders promote equality in the entertainment industry”
  • “Firms should consider billable hour credit for DEI and bar association work”