Trailblazing Leaders to Receive Awards at Annual Conference on November 5th
Washington, DC (October 24, 2025) – DFA announced today that Genhi Givings Bailey, Chief Diversity, Inclusion & Opportunity Officer at Perkins Coie LLP, and Kristine McKinney, Chief Operating Officer at Fish & Richardson, will receive the 2025 Culture Catalyst Awards.
Established in 2023, the Culture Catalyst Award recognizes leaders who have led transformative efforts to champion human-centered workplaces by driving meaningful culture change. The 2025 awards will be presented during DFA’s annual conference, Evolving Leadership: Building Human-Centered Cultures, on Wednesday, November 5th in Washington, DC. Registration is open to all and available here.
“Genhi Givings Bailey and Kristine McKinney are visionary leaders who recognize that human-centered cultures are essential to both organizational success and employee wellbeing,” said Manar Morales, President & CEO of DFA. “We are thrilled to recognize their outstanding work and their deep commitment to building workplaces where all individuals can thrive.”
Genhi Givings Bailey
Chief Diversity, Inclusion & Opportunity Officer, Perkins Coie LLP
A longtime DEI leader in the legal field, Genhi Givings Bailey has dedicated her career to embedding values-driven practices into the legal profession. At Perkins Coie, she leads the firm’s inclusion strategies with thoughtfulness, conviction, and a deep understanding of the systems that enable meaningful change.
“It is truly an honor to receive this recognition, and to have the opportunity to pause and think about why championing a values-driven and human-centered culture really matters,” said Bailey. I am also humbled to join my fellow honoree this year, Kristine McKinney, and the past honorees, as well, in accepting this award; I admire and respect all of them and the work that they do every day.”
Rather than point to one moment, Genhi is most proud of the progress she’s seen across the arc of her career—from designing inclusive policies and systems to witnessing the success of individuals she’s mentored and supported.
“When I look at the arc of my career, it is less about one moment of impact but more the progress I can see in the evolution of my work,” she said. “I am proud of the many policies, practices, and systems that I have developed and influenced over the years to help make the legal industry more inclusive for everyone. I am also very proud of the many people whose careers I have watched blossom over the years; I like to think that I contributed, in a small way, to their success today by helping to ensure they had equal opportunities to achieve their career goals.”
When asked why creating human-centered cultures is important to her, Genhi shared a perspective that grounds her work in both principle and practicality:
“What is an organization without its humans? Not much!” she said. “Even in an AI-driven world, we need our human talent to shape and fulfill the needs of an organization, and their ability to maximize their potential depends, in large part, on the culture in which they work. Human-centered cultures put the talent in the middle of that paradigm and ensure that they have the optimal environment and necessary resources to do their best work. This is essential for the success of any business, especially in an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving world.”
“Even in the face of increasing complexity and rapid change, I am enthusiastic about the opportunities we have as leaders to continue innovating and fostering human-centered cultures where everyone has the opportunity to thrive,” she said.
“We’re proud to celebrate Genhi as the recipient of the Culture Catalyst Award,” said Bill Malley, Managing Partner, Perkins Coie. “This recognition highlights her commitment to advancing diversity, inclusion, and opportunity and her impact on strengthening our culture at Perkins Coie. Genhi’s leadership continues to inspire and make a difference across the firm and the broader legal community.”
Kristine McKinney
Chief Operating Officer, Fish & Richardson
As COO of Fish & Richardson, Kristine McKinney has championed a workplace culture rooted in engagement, flexibility, and empowerment. She has been a driving force behind Fish’s commitment to innovation and excellence, ensuring that every team member is supported to contribute meaningfully and succeed.
“This recognition reflects the incredible team effort behind the firm culture we’ve built at Fish,” said McKinney. “It’s an honor to lead a workplace where our people are engaged and empowered.”
Kristine’s proudest achievement stems from the firm’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rather than return to outdated models of work, she helped Fish embrace flexibility as a lasting strategy—one that attracts top talent, promotes wellbeing, and drives superior performance.
“The COVID-19 pandemic challenged us to rethink how and where we work,” she said. “I’m proud of how we embraced those lessons and continue to champion flexibility—not just as a response to change, but as a strategic advantage to attract top talent and drive excellence.”
With a background in change management, Kristine knows that people are the heart of any successful strategy.
“It’s simple: without our people, there is no business,” she said. “My graduate studies in change management reinforced a truth I’ve seen time and again—no strategy succeeds without people aligned behind it. Creating human-centered cultures is essential to achieving meaningful impact and lasting results.”
“Kristine has long been a catalyst for positive change at Fish,” said John Adkisson, President & CEO of Fish & Richardson. “She’s shaped a culture defined by collaboration, innovation, and respect, and this award is a well-deserved tribute to her vision.”
About DFA
DFA is a premier culture accelerator helping to lead change, humanize organizations, and empower people. For more than a decade, DFA has partnered with leading organizations to co-create the future of work by bridging the gap between policy and practice. Through our membership community, research, programming, and advisory services, DFA delivers practical, research-based strategies and measurable results for sustainable and inclusive culture change.
A law firm DEI professional for nearly twenty years, Sylvia James serves as Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for international law firm, Winston & Strawn, where she develops and implements an integrated, metrics-driven DEI strategy to enhance the firm’s diversity and inclusion programs, performance, and profile. Prior to joining Winston, Sylvia served as the diversity lead for a national law firm and practiced law as a labor and employment attorney for more than a decade.
As the inaugural Senior Vice President & Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children’s Mercy Kansas City, Michelle Wimes has developed systems, initiatives and policies that ensure an inclusive and equitable environment for both patients and employees. She has been instrumental in creating a positive culture where employee recruitment, engagement and retention, supplier diversity and health equity are prioritized. During her four-year tenure at the hospital, Michelle has implemented a new DEI action plan and infrastructure, diversity workforce assessments, cross-cultural media assessments, comprehensive diversity education and training, a supplier diversity policy and program, a health equity action plan, community health equity council and much more.
“Creating flexible work environments, models, and systems allows employees to perform at their best without feeling like work is a sacrifice,” said Wendy Davidson, President & CEO of Hain Celestial Group. “Hain Celestial’s purpose of Inspiring Healthier Living goes beyond what you put in and on your body. It’s also how you live and work. We have an opportunity to demonstrate that we can attract, retain, and engage top talent…AND…deliver high performance by leveraging the lessons learned with flexible work during the pandemic. At Hain, we focus on performance outcomes rather than activities to deliver on our business goals.”
“Barri Rafferty is a powerful pioneer for gender parity who has devoted her career to transforming businesses and building organizational cultures based on diversity & inclusion, belonging, engagement, well-being and flexibility,” said Manar Morales, President & CEO of the Diversity & Flexibility Alliance. “Her commitment to leading with empathy, mentoring the next generation and uplifting others, women in particular, made her an obvious choice for our 2024 Luminary Award.”