Acosta, Laura

Laura Acosta helps organizations unlock collaboration and innovation by disrupting the status quo. She is Managing Director of Diversity, Equity + Inclusion at Goodwin, a global 50 law firm with a history of working on groundbreaking matters and an increasingly focused approach to working with clients in the financial, private equity, real estate, technology and life sciences industries.

In her role, Ms. Acosta serves as a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) thought leader and ambassador who partners with leaders to promote a fully equitable and inclusive workplace and a highly diverse workforce, in which each individual and team can thrive. She helps design best-in-class initiatives that foster collaboration and innovation; drive excellence; cultivate leadership; promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging; enhance engagement; and dismantle barriers to success. Ms. Acosta seeks to incorporate DEI practices into all aspects of a business’s life cycle — and empower leaders to own responsibility for DEI. She also strives to amplify voices that are unheard, stand beside people who are suffering and be an ally to all.

Specific areas of focus include:

• Developing and implementing a global DEI strategy and culture change campaign that weaves DEI principles into every aspect of firm life;
• Partnering with Management and Black leaders to disrupt systemic and everyday racism through a Black Antiracism Task Force;
• Supporting the strategic and programmatic elements of the firm’s BOLD@Goodwin, CRED@Goodwin, Pride@Goodwin and Women@Goodwin initiatives;
• Designing and implementing systems and strategies for enhancing inclusive leadership, effective teaming, employee engagement, and organizational belonging;
• Disrupting bias and other barriers to success through talent cycle interrupters; 
• Using data and DEI dashboards to track progress and motivate change;
• Supporting DEI action plans for the firm’s business units, offices and GO! team departments;
• Implementing Diversity Lab’s “Mansfield Rule” slate diversity initiative;
• Developing client, community and pro bono partnerships; and
• Engaging in external DEI consulting.

Ms. Acosta has significant experience in: 

• Strategic plan development and execution;
• Team leadership;
• Committee oversight;
• Consultation on talent development and diversity and inclusion best practices; and
• Thought leadership and external relationship building.

Ms. Acosta’s background in executive coaching, employment law and management consulting gives her a unique perspective in her line of work. She is a trained executive coach and was previously a senior associate in Goodwin’s Labor + Employment practice. She also clerked for the U.S. Court of Appeals, served as Editor in Chief of the Houston Law Review, and worked as an analyst at Accenture.