Doneene Damon Honored as a Diversity Leader in Business
August 17, 2021
Firm News| Corporate Trust & Agency Services
WILMINGTON, Delaware (August 17, 2021) – Doneene K. Damon, president of Richards, Layton & Finger, has been named among the Philadelphia Business Journal’s 2021 Diversity Leaders in Business. Shining a light on the breadth of diversity and the wealth of talent in the Greater Philadelphia business community, the Diversity Leaders in Business awards showcase individuals who have made a significant impact through their professional accomplishments, philanthropic contributions, and community leadership. Doneene and her fellow honorees will be celebrated at a live virtual event on Aug. 26 and profiled in a special edition of the Business Journal on Aug. 27.
Doneene’s leadership within Richards Layton, the legal profession, and the community at large sets the standard for community involvement and professional excellence. In addition to serving as Richards Layton’s president, she is co-chair of the firm’s Business Department and chair of the Corporate Trust and Agency Services Group. Doneene focuses her legal practice on the use of Delaware and New York trusts in a wide range of commercial transactions, and represents banks and trust companies in connection with their trust and agency services under Delaware and New York law.
Long an advocate for diversity, Doneene is a member of the Steering Committee for the Delaware Bench and Bar Diversity Project. She previously served on the board of directors for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law. Doneene was chair of the ABA Business Law Section’s Lawyers of Color Subcommittee, was Diversity co-chair of the Committee on Partnerships and Unincorporated Business Organizations, and was co-chair of the Committee on Corporate Director Diversity, which is committed to promoting the placement of women and minorities on boards of directors. Doneene chaired Richards Layton’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee for many years and is one of the leaders of the firm’s Women’s Initiative.
Doneene is the chair of the board of directors of Christiana Care Health System, Inc., Delaware’s largest health system. She also serves on the boards of the Forum of Executive Women, the Delaware Prosperity Partnership, the Structured Finance Association, the First State FinTech Lab, the Cameron Kravitt Foundation, and two privately held companies. In addition, Doneene is a member of the Temple University Beasley School of Law Board of Visitors, St. Joseph’s University HAUB School of Business Board of Visitors, and the American Law Institute.
Doneene’s many awards include Savoy magazine’s Most Influential Black Lawyers, the National Association of Professional Women VIP Woman of the Year Circle, the American Bar Association’s Jean Allard Glass Cutter Award, the National Diversity Council Leadership Excellence in the Law Award, and the International Women’s Review Board for Excellence in Law. She is also regularly named in several distinguished legal directories.
About Richards, Layton & Finger
Delaware’s largest law firm and one of its oldest, Richards, Layton & Finger helps sophisticated clients navigate complex issues and the intricacies of Delaware law. We advise global companies, business partnerships, leading financial institutions, local businesses, and individuals across a wide range of practices, including corporate law, alternative entities, commercial law, bankruptcy and restructuring, and litigation.