Grant Thornton named a “Leader in Diversity” by the Dallas Business Journal

The firm also received a “Working Parents Innovator” award from the Dallas Regional Chamber 

DALLAS — Grant Thornton LLP, one of America’s largest providers of audit and assurance, tax and advisory services, has been named a “Leader in Diversity” by the Dallas Business Journal. More than 100 companies and individuals were considered for the award, and Grant Thornton is one of just nine organizations recognized by this year’s honors. The award recognizes the expansive diversity and inclusion efforts Grant Thornton has implemented in both Dallas and throughout the country.

The firm was also one of three organizations to be named a “Working Parents Innovator” by the Dallas Regional Chamber, after three consecutive years on the Chamber’s “Best Place for Working Parents” list.

Doreen Griffith, the firm’s market managing partner in Dallas, says both honors are the result of a firmwide effort to ensure all people receive the respect and care they need to be happy and healthy at work. These efforts take many forms, including a comprehensive slate of wellness benefits and a deep roster of diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) programs.

“We’re making business more personal, and that means getting closer to each other, to our clients, and to our communities,” Griffith said. “I’m inspired every day by the way our people use their skills and interests to make a difference, and ultimately, our team’s genuine passion for diversity and inclusion benefits everything we do.”

The firm’s many DE&I initiatives include the long-running “Fearless Conversations”: a town hall series where colleagues address topics like code-switching, racism and much more. The goal of the series is to curate a supportive environment where people feel comfortable speaking their truth, and these conversations help inform programming for the firm’s many Business Resource Groups (BRGs) — teams of colleagues from across the firm who work together to cultivate belonging at Grant Thornton. The firm’s BRGs, which are open to everyone at the firm, include dedicated groups for Black, Latinx, Pan-Asian, veterans, and LGBTQ+ professionals and allies, as well as teammates with disabilities and their advocates, among many more.

Further, these BRGs host programming and work with the broader firm to support nonprofits such as the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), the National Association of Black Accountants, and other organizations dedicated to creating opportunity and helping people of color advance their careers.

In Dallas, Grant Thornton leaders are immersed in the local philanthropic community, often serving on nonprofit boards. For instance, Audit partner and newly appointed Partnership Board member Joseph Loretto has worked for years with ALPFA chapters in Texas and beyond. He has also served on multiple local boards, including the board of YMCA Dallas (Oak Cliff branch) and the Y’s DE&I committee, and he frequently speaks with students at universities across North Texas. Meanwhile, Pat Andrews-Osula, the firm’s Central region IT Assurance leader, is heavily involved in Grant Thornton’s ongoing work with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and other DE&I initiatives across the firm.

Nichole Jordan, a longtime firm leader and board member for multiple nonprofits, associations and advisory councils, says community involvement is a key facet of Grant Thornton’s holistic DE&I work.

“Fostering a culture of belonging is part of our DNA at Grant Thornton, and awards like these belong to all of our teammates — in Dallas and across our firm — who work hard to take care of each other and elevate diverse perspectives in and out of the office,” said Jordan. “Because we actively listen to each other and engage in honest, critical conversations, our DE&I work will continue evolving to meet our people’s needs.”