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.”
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.”
Washington, DC (October 24, 2025) – DFA announced today that Mike Valentine, President & CEO of BCU, will receive its 2025 Flex Leader Award, which recognizes an executive moving their organization toward a more human-centered workplace through holistic flexibility. The award will be presented on November 5th, during DFA’s annual conference in Washington, DC: Evolving Leadership: Building Human-Centered Cultures. Register here.
“Mike Valentine is a transformative leader who embodies what it means to lead with empathy, trust, and a long-term vision for workplace well-being and growth,” said Manar Morales, Founder & CEO of DFA. “What BCU demonstrates so clearly is that flexibility is not a policy but a culture. Mike’s approach shows how centering employees leads to stronger engagement, higher performance, and sustainable business growth.”
“Receiving this award is a testament to the people-first culture we foster at BCU,” said Valentine. “Flexibility isn’t the result of a policy or guideline – for me, it’s a commitment to valuing our employees as individuals, empowering them to thrive both personally and professionally. When we put our people first, everything else falls into place, and our teams and the organization grow stronger as a result.”
Under Valentine’s leadership, BCU’s flexible, people-first approach has become a strategic advantage, directly impacting employee engagement, organizational growth, and member loyalty. Since implementing widespread workplace flexibility, BCU has achieved a Gallup Q12® employee engagement score of 4.47/5.0 and a near best-in-class net promoter score (between 79–80)—nearly double that of large national banks.
BCU measures success in flexibility through ongoing employee engagement surveys, their net promoter score, and continuous feedback loops. These initiatives reflect the core belief that “a score is an indicator, but it’s what you do with the score that counts.”
https://dfalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DFA-Humanizing-Work-Cultures-scaled.png00dfalliancehttps://dfalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DFA-Humanizing-Work-Cultures-scaled.pngdfalliance2025-10-24 09:39:072025-10-24 09:39:07DFA TO HONOR BCU CEO MIKE VALENTINE FOR CHAMPIONING HUMAN-CENTERED FLEXIBLE WORK CULTURE
Washington, DC (October 24, 2025) — DFA announced today that Morgan Lewis will receive its 2025 Impact Award, which honors organizations with powerful initiatives proven to have a significant impact on humanizing the workplace. The award will be presented during DFA’s annual conference on November 5 in Washington, DC:Evolving Leadership: Building Human-Centered Cultures. Register here.
Morgan Lewis is being recognized for its firmwide Upward Feedback program, a comprehensive initiative that gives associates a formal mechanism to provide feedback on the leadership, project management, and people management skills of the partners they work with regularly. By prioritizing feedback as a two-way conversation, the firm has created a culture of reflection, accountability, and learning, benefiting both associates and partners alike.
“We are proud to recognize Morgan Lewis for building a workplace culture rooted in trust, transparency, and continuous feedback,” said Manar Morales, Founder & CEO of DFA. “The firm’s Upward Feedback initiative is a standout example of how organizations can create powerful systems that empower employees, support leadership growth, and strengthen engagement across all levels.”
“We have always believed that when one of us does better, we all do better. Our Upward Feedback lets our attorneys anonymously tell our partners what we are doing well and where we can do better, helping us to identify strengths and growth opportunities and reinforcing our continuous improvement focus,” said Morgan Lewis Chair Jami McKeon. “Our partners have welcomed added programming and training in areas of importance to our associates and the results have been fantastic–all stemming first from our commitment to hearing and learning from our talent.”
The program combines associate feedback with partner self-assessments, creating opportunities for growth, coaching, and tailored professional development. After each cycle, results are analyzed and partners receive customized support to reinforce strengths and address key leadership areas such as delegation,
https://dfalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DFA-Humanizing-Work-Cultures-scaled.png00dfalliancehttps://dfalliance.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/DFA-Humanizing-Work-Cultures-scaled.pngdfalliance2025-10-24 09:39:022025-10-24 09:39:02DFA TO HONOR MORGAN LEWIS FOR ITS UPWARD FEEDBACK INITIATIVE
DFA ANNOUNCES ITS 2025 CULTURE CATALYSTS
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,
DFA TO HONOR BCU CEO MIKE VALENTINE FOR CHAMPIONING HUMAN-CENTERED FLEXIBLE WORK CULTURE
Washington, DC (October 24, 2025) – DFA announced today that Mike Valentine, President & CEO of BCU, will receive its 2025 Flex Leader Award, which recognizes an executive moving their organization toward a more human-centered workplace through holistic flexibility. The award will be presented on November 5th, during DFA’s annual conference in Washington, DC: Evolving Leadership: Building Human-Centered Cultures. Register here.
“Mike Valentine is a transformative leader who embodies what it means to lead with empathy, trust, and a long-term vision for workplace well-being and growth,” said Manar Morales, Founder & CEO of DFA. “What BCU demonstrates so clearly is that flexibility is not a policy but a culture. Mike’s approach shows how centering employees leads to stronger engagement, higher performance, and sustainable business growth.”
“Receiving this award is a testament to the people-first culture we foster at BCU,” said Valentine. “Flexibility isn’t the result of a policy or guideline – for me, it’s a commitment to valuing our employees as individuals, empowering them to thrive both personally and professionally. When we put our people first, everything else falls into place, and our teams and the organization grow stronger as a result.”
Under Valentine’s leadership, BCU’s flexible, people-first approach has become a strategic advantage, directly impacting employee engagement, organizational growth, and member loyalty. Since implementing widespread workplace flexibility, BCU has achieved a Gallup Q12® employee engagement score of 4.47/5.0 and a near best-in-class net promoter score (between 79–80)—nearly double that of large national banks.
BCU measures success in flexibility through ongoing employee engagement surveys, their net promoter score, and continuous feedback loops. These initiatives reflect the core belief that “a score is an indicator, but it’s what you do with the score that counts.”
Long before the pandemic,
DFA TO HONOR MORGAN LEWIS FOR ITS UPWARD FEEDBACK INITIATIVE
Washington, DC (October 24, 2025) — DFA announced today that Morgan Lewis will receive its 2025 Impact Award, which honors organizations with powerful initiatives proven to have a significant impact on humanizing the workplace. The award will be presented during DFA’s annual conference on November 5 in Washington, DC: Evolving Leadership: Building Human-Centered Cultures. Register here.
Morgan Lewis is being recognized for its firmwide Upward Feedback program, a comprehensive initiative that gives associates a formal mechanism to provide feedback on the leadership, project management, and people management skills of the partners they work with regularly. By prioritizing feedback as a two-way conversation, the firm has created a culture of reflection, accountability, and learning, benefiting both associates and partners alike.
“We are proud to recognize Morgan Lewis for building a workplace culture rooted in trust, transparency, and continuous feedback,” said Manar Morales, Founder & CEO of DFA. “The firm’s Upward Feedback initiative is a standout example of how organizations can create powerful systems that empower employees, support leadership growth, and strengthen engagement across all levels.”
“We have always believed that when one of us does better, we all do better. Our Upward Feedback lets our attorneys anonymously tell our partners what we are doing well and where we can do better, helping us to identify strengths and growth opportunities and reinforcing our continuous improvement focus,” said Morgan Lewis Chair Jami McKeon. “Our partners have welcomed added programming and training in areas of importance to our associates and the results have been fantastic–all stemming first from our commitment to hearing and learning from our talent.”
The program combines associate feedback with partner self-assessments, creating opportunities for growth, coaching, and tailored professional development. After each cycle, results are analyzed and partners receive customized support to reinforce strengths and address key leadership areas such as delegation,