Skip to Main Content
Amanda Garcia-Williams

Amanda Garcia-Williams

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer
Overview

As the firm’s Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Amanda supports the development of an inclusive culture so that attorneys and staff are best equipped to meet client needs.

The granddaughter of migrant workers, Amanda has a lifelong passion for diversity and inclusion. Her enthusiasm for civil rights matters led her to begin her legal career in labor and employment, helping clients create more inclusive environments. She soon joined Michigan State University’s Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, where she led Title IX investigations and delivered educational programs across the campus on inclusion, anti-harassment and implicit bias. Amanda later took a role with Jackson National Life Insurance, serving in the General Counsel’s office while simultaneously building the company’s first diversity and inclusion working group and developing an initial diversity and inclusion strategy.

Amanda is especially passionate about the diversity, equity and inclusion work she does today at Husch Blackwell: law firms, she believes, are uniquely positioned to affect their communities for good and to encourage the spread of best practices. Law firms have the opportunity to connect clients with talented teams of diverse individuals. Many Husch Blackwell clients already identify diversity as an important issue, and Amanda loves supporting a diverse pipeline of talented professionals who can assist with their legal needs.

However, Amanda sees her most significant role as ensuring that the firm acts on its goals of equity and inclusion. Diversity is a matter of representation, of working to recruit and retain a diverse group of professionals. Inclusion, on the other hand, means creating a culture where individuals of all backgrounds feel that they belong and are valued. At Husch Blackwell, we don’t merely hire diverse professionals; we make it a high priority to support the equitable and inclusive environment that will allow our diverse teams to function at their best. An important part of our commitment to employee engagement, Amanda ensures that diverse team members have a supportive environment where they can thrive. At the end of the day, Amanda’s efforts support the firm’s clients as well: attorneys and staff who perform at their best deliver excellent client service.

In addition to her diversity work, Amanda also oversees the firm's pro bono efforts and Communities for Change program.

Recognition

  • Michigan Lawyers Weekly, Influential Women of Law, 2022

Education

  • J.D., University of Michigan Law School
    • Michigan Journal of Gender and Law, Associate Editor

Admissions

  • Michigan

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • State Bar of Michigan

Languages

  • Spanish, conversational

My counterparts at other firms say, 'If only we had X, Y and Z we could do this.' I’ve been told, 'Here’s X, Y and Z.'

Firm News | February 26, 2024
2023 DE&I Impact Report
Firm News | February 14, 2023
2022 DE&I Impact Report
Outside the Office

If Amanda isn’t in the office, you can usually find her on a ride at Disney World, or perhaps in a forest taking a picture of a bald eagle.

She and her husband, Brian, a science teacher, have two sons, and the family loves to travel. They’re long time Disney fans who enjoy visiting Walt Disney World nearly every year, and they also love exploring national parks. Amanda names Yellowstone as her personal favorite.

At home, Amanda loves to read and is usually in the middle of both a fiction and nonfiction book at the same time. Her favorite novel is Pride & Prejudice, and in the nonfiction realm, she’s fascinated by books that explore diversity, psychology and the intersections between the two.

Community Leadership

Small Talk Children’s Advocacy Center, Board Secretary, 2015-2021

Amanda is a supporter of Small Talk Children’s Advocacy Center, an organization that provides forensic interviews and therapy for children who have been physically or sexually abused. In addition to offering counseling and care, the center helps kids and their families navigate the legal process. After serving on the board for six years, Amanda currently helps plan fundraisers.