NEW YORK, NY, January 12, 2012 – The International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution (CPR Institute), presented the organization’s third annual “Award for Outstanding Contribution to Diversity in Alternative Dispute Resolution“ to Elpidio (“PD”) Villarreal on January 11, 2012.
CPR Institute’s National Task Force on Diversity created this Award to recognize a person who has contributed significantly to diversity in the alternative dispute resolution field by providing access to or creating opportunities to people who have historically been excluded from active and meaningful participation in ADR, including, but not limited to, women, minorities and/or people of color.
Villarreal has been a proponent of diversity and, in particular, for the inclusion of African Americans, Latinos, and women in ADR for many years. He has a track record of challenging Corporate America to not simply consider diversity in the neutral selection process, but, more importantly, to actually select diverse mediators for their cases.
According to Kathleen A. Bryan, President and CEO of the CPR Institute, “We are pleased to recognize PD Villarreal for his initiative, leadership, and commitment to diversity in the legal profession, particularly in the field of alternative dispute resolution.”
PD Villarreal is currently Senior Vice President of Global Litigation at GlaxoSmithKline, and is also on the Board of Directors of Latino Justice PRLDEF, an organization that aims to protect opportunities for Latinos to succeed in work, school, and family life. Previously, Villarreal served as Vice President for Litigation at Schering Plough, as Senior Litigation Counsel for the General Electric Company, and as a partner at Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal in Chicago.
About CPR Institute
CPR Institute provides thought leadership and innovation as the global resource for conflict management and resolution of complex business-related disputes. Its wealth of intellectual property and published material has educated and motivated General Counsel and their law firms around the world toward an increased reliance on alternative forms of dispute resolution rather than litigation. CPR Institute’s membership is comprised of general counsel and senior lawyers of Fortune 1,000 organizations, partners in the top law firms around the world, as well as leading judges, government officials, neutrals, and academics. Its proprietary panel of esteemed arbitrators and mediators has provided resolutions in thousands of cases, with billions of dollars at issue, worldwide.
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