Thompson Hine’s Tony White Recognized With Diversity Honors

COLUMBUS, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Thompson Hine LLP is pleased to announce that Anthony C. (Tony) White, partner-in-charge of the firm’s Columbus office and a member of its executive committee, is the recent recipient of two prestigious honors recognizing his commitment and contributions to diversity issues in the workplace and in education.

“It’s an honor to receive this recognition”

White was honored with the Multicultural Leadership Award last week in Columbus at the 5th Annual Ohio Diversity & Leadership Conference. The event, hosted by the Ohio Diversity Council, celebrates the best practices that initiate and fuel diverse leadership in Ohio’s business world. White is the only lawyer representing a law firm to be honored this year. He shares the award with a number of Thompson Hine’s clients, including Bob Evans Farms, CareSource, Diebold, Inc., Duke Energy, First Energy, KeyCorp, Luxottica, McDonald’s, The Ohio State University, Nationwide Insurance, The PNC Financial Services Group and Scotts Miracle Gro Company. The goal of the conference is to highlight organizations that promote environments of inclusion.

White was also honored with an appointment to the Big Ten Conference Advisory Commission, representing The Ohio State University for a four-year term. Formed in 1972 in response to reports that detailed racial unrest and academic shortcomings surrounding African-American student-athletes at the time, the Advisory Commission is comprised of one former African-American student athlete from each Big Ten member institution. Its purpose is to examine and identify academic achievement and well-being issues that face African-American student-athletes. It is the only conference-based commission in the NCAA dedicated to addressing diversity and the needs of African-American student-athletes.

“It’s an honor to receive this recognition,” said White. “These accolades are a testament to the firm’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. I firmly believe our commitment is illustrated by the widespread participation in the firm’s Diversity & Inclusion Initiative and in our collaborations with clients and community organizations with similar values.”

White is a member of the Business Litigation practice. He is admitted to practice in Ohio and received his J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.S. from The Ohio State University. He serves the Columbus community in a number of leadership roles, including president of the board of the Varsity “O” Men’s Alumni Association, representative to the office of the vice president of health services for the OSU Alumni Advisory Council and citizen member of the board of The Ohio State University Medical Center. He also is active in United Way of Central Ohio, serving as a member of the board of trustees and chair of the Building Vibrant Neighborhoods Impact Council. In addition, White serves as a basketball commentator for local radio station 610 WTVN-AM.

“Tony’s work shows that bringing together different experiences, perspectives and backgrounds is crucial to innovation. Simply put, diversity fosters creativity,” said Robyn Minter Smyers, chair of Thompson Hine’s firmwide Diversity & Inclusion Initiative. “It also helps organizations like Thompson Hine contend in today’s competitive marketplace.”

White’s recent recognition is the latest in a series of accolades the firm has received this year for its commitment to workplace diversity. The firm was recognized in MultiCultural Law magazine’s 2012 rankings of the Top 100 Law Firms for Women, the fourth time the firm has been listed by the publication. The firm also received the Best-in-Class award for Middle Market Senior Management Diversity from the Commission on Economic Inclusion, a program of the Greater Cleveland Partnership, for “building and maintaining a diverse and inclusive organization,” the first law firm to receive such an award. Additionally, the firm received the Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association’s Diversity & Inclusion Trailblazer Award, presented to a law firm or corporate legal department that contributes to an inclusive culture for its workforce, with its clients and/or within the community.

About Thompson Hine LLP. Established in 1911, Thompson Hine is a business law firm dedicated to providing superior client service. The firm has been recognized for ten consecutive years as a top law firm in the country for client service excellence in The BTI Client Service A-Team: Survey of Law Firm Client Service Performance. With offices in Atlanta, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, New York and Washington, D.C., Thompson Hine serves premier businesses worldwide. For more information, please visit www.ThompsonHine.com.