Building an Inclusive, Accessible Community in Your Organization

Sandy is a master builder of a close sense of community, both within an organization and also in brokering mutually beneficial partnerships with other like-minded, outside entities and stakeholders with shared goals. She is a skilled and persuasive liaison in pulling groups together to achieve a common cause.

As her peers make clear, Sandy knows how to bring about collaboration, fostering cooperation and put plans for sustainability and growth into action. Her sharp intuition, creativity and strong interpersonal skills can help give you a fresh perspective and assist you in carrying out your goals.

Sandy is currently serving as the Chairperson of a social justice subcommittee for her Dartmouth graduating Class. She was appointed by Class Officers and class members to develop educational programs and curated resources on antiracism and anti-bias for members of the Dartmouth community, based on her unwavering truth and authenticity in tackling issues involving racism and bigotry.

The subcommittee reports to the College President and his leadership team at the end of the year. Under Sandy’s leadership, on May 5, 2021, Ijeoma Oluo, NYT and WSJ best-selling author of “So you want to talk about race” and “Mediocre: The Dangerous Legacy of White Male America,” will deliver a keynote address at Dartmouth College as part of a virtual Book Club presentation. Sandy will interview Ms. Oluo during a Q & A session for Dartmouth students, admitted students, parents, alumni, faculty and administrators.

Call Sandy if you need help with the following:

• Brainstorming ideas for creating, branding and promoting new community-based programs and partnerships where you live and work;

• Developing concrete plans and strategies for supporting and increasing your company’s participation in existing community-based programs in your locale; and

• Planning events and developing deeper relationships with other stakeholders and clients with shared goals around community work.

Community Builder and Effective Change Agent

Throughout her career Sandy has often been tapped to design, build and implement new programs from the ground up and to bring large groups together to meet challenging goals. Her strong interpersonal skills and compassionate leadership inspire people to find work creatively to find solutions to common, difficult problems.

For example, Sandy was tapped to build and launch LawyerCorps Connecticut, a one-of-a-kind legal services program resulting in a more equitable legal justice system for Black, brown and other marginalized Connecticut residents. This innovative partnership focused on funding three full-time lawyer salaries to provide legal assistance to Connecticut’s poorest and most marginalized residents living at the intersections of racism, physical and mental disabilities, poverty and other forms of systemic discrimination.

Sandy’s work as the Executive Director in forming LawyerCorps brought together a unique collaboration of Connecticut’s three largest civil Legal Aid organizations, two well-established private organizations, the Connecticut Judicial Branch and its Access to Justice Commission, and the Hartford Foundation For Public Giving. The program’s purpose was to place a lawyer Fellow at each of the three participating Legal Aid agencies. Because of Sandy’s work this purpose was achieved.

Sandy wrote winning grant proposals and, through in-person meetings with high-level corporate executives, succeeded in raising donor funds to pay the Fellows competitive salaries and benefits. Her work in securing both financial and in-kind support from corporate and also private donors made it possible to kick off the program. The noteworthy launch of LawyerCorps CT providing additional lawyer bandwidth for Legal Aid-eligible clients afforded hundreds of additional Connecticut citizens with greater access to counsel and justice in Connecticut courts that would otherwise have been unavailable. At the same time, the program also fueled a passion in newly minted attorneys to fight for equal justice, a dedication which often lasts a lifetime.

LawyerCorps Connecticut was first conceptualized by Chase T. Rogers, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court. Chief Justice Rogers brought in the Honorable William Bright of the Connecticut Superior Court, as well as two Senior Vice President and General Counsels of two major corporations, and the Executive directors of the Connecticut Legal Services, Greater Hartford Legal Aid, and New Haven Legal Assistance Association, Inc.

Sandy also has Board-level experience with the Connecticut Bar Foundation and the Urban League of Greater Hartford, where she focused on issues such as increasing access to courts and restorative justice in the legal profession, reviewing Bar Foundation grant requests and making allocations, revitalization of the City of Hartford, and mentoring and career planning for Hartford youths.

In addition, Sandy was chosen to lead an entire legal department in the annual United Way campaign for a Fortune 50 company, during which she spearheaded legal department and external community events involving Hartford’s children. She was also asked to lead the corporation’s Greater Hartford Arts Council’s campaign, working alongside Cathy Malloy, the wife of Connecticut’s former Governor. By designing and promoting an innovative series of arts events and hands-on experiences across all the company’s business locations Sandy achieved an impressive 5-fold increase in employee engagement and monetary donations across the company.

Call Sandy to discuss your ideas for community-based program building by your organization.

She is tactful, strategic and persuasive in helping to change culture from the top down that is inclusive and equitable

She established our Executive Committee’s mentoring program and other initiatives that resulted in greater diversity, retention and promotion of attorneys of color. She was also a leader of our Women Working Together program. In short, she is tactful, strategic and persuasive in helping to change culture from the top down that is inclusive and equitable. Moreover, she is an amazing human being who truly cares for people. I highly recommend her!

— Stan Twardy, Partner, Day Pitney LLP

Work with Sandy

Strategist. Leader. Educator. Changemaker.

Legal Management Consultant

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Corporate Education/DEI

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Community Building

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Public Speaking

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