PBCBA BAR BULLETINS PBCBA Bulletin - March 2020 | Page 9

DIVERSITY CORNER
Here Are Your Nominees
DENISE MUTAMBA
MASIMBA MUTAMBA
Each year, the Committee for Diversity and Inclusion presents the Judge Edward Rodgers
Diversity Award to a member or organization who cultivates, demonstrates, and promotes
a consistent commitment to the recruitment, retention, and promotion of individuals of
underrepresented populations. Thank you to all who nominated a deserving member or
organization. This year the following members were nominated.
NICOLE ATKINSON SHARON BOCK RINA CLEMENS
Nicole Atkinson serves as a Litigation
Shareholder at Gunster. She co-chairs
Gunster’s Women’s Leadership Forum
(“GWLF”) and serves on Gunster’s
Diversity Committee. GWLF offers
in-house and external opportunities
for women lawyers to grow their
leadership potential.
Through her
work on the Diversity Committee,
she assists Gunster in its recruiting
and orientation efforts to ensure that
an emphasis is placed on hiring,
training, mentoring, and retaining
diverse talented individuals. Outside
of Gunster, she has served as the
Chair of the Board of Directors for the
Women’s Foundation of Florida where
she invested in women and girls to
encourage leadership. Her relentless
passion and commitment to diversity
and inclusion have made a significant
impact on our community by raising
the profile of women lawyers and
paving the way for future women
leaders. Congratulations, Ms. Atkinson! The Honorable Sharon Bock serves
as the Clerk and Comptroller for Palm
Beach County. She has made it her
mission to build a culture of inclusion
that embraces diversity. She has
established a Domestic Partner Tax
Equity Policy to ensure that gay,
lesbian, and other unmarried county
employees don’t face a federal tax
penalty on health insurance for their
partners. She also ensures that all
employees have an opportunity for
advancement. Over the last five years,
64 percent of promoted employees
were from diverse backgrounds.
Notably, of the 93 employees hired
by her office in 2019, 55 percent were
from diverse backgrounds. Finally,
she is a strong supporter of the
LGBT community making history
in 2016 when her office held one
of the state’s first same-sex group
weddings. Congratulations, Ms. Bock! Rina Clemens serves as a Partner in
the Palm Beach Gardens office of Traub
Lieberman Straus & Shrewsberry. In
her firm, Rina serves on its Diversity
Committee. Outside of her law firm,
she serves as the first president of color
for the Florida Association for Women
Lawyers, Palm Beach County Chapter
(“PBC FAWL”). As President, she is
an ardent proponent for increasing
diversity in all respects. In addition,
she has been unafraid to lead from the
front by tapping Palm Beach County’s
most revered female minority leaders
to spearhead many of PBC FAWL’s
initiatives. In so doing, she is ensuring
the longevity of lasting racial and
ethnic diversity within PBC FAWL. In
addition, Ms. Clemens has served on
the Board of Directors for the North
County Section of the Palm Beach
County Bar Association and on the
Board of Directors for the Children’s
Home Society. Congratulations, Ms.
Clemens!
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN
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