Omar Davis, Special Counsel to Saxena White P.A., has been named a recipient of the 2022 Profiles in Diversity Journal® Black Leadership Award. Each of the awardees represent accomplished leaders of color who have also supported and furthered the careers of others. The honorees display talent and skill, a commitment to excellence, a passion for mentoring and advocating for the next generation, and an ongoing involvement with the community as a whole.
As Special Counsel to Saxena White, Mr. Davis is a trusted advisor to pension funds and institutional investors across the country, protecting the retirement plans of police officers, firefighters, teachers, myriad state and municipal employees, labor union workers, pipefitters and machinists, among a multicultural array of other workers.
Mr. Davis’ commitment to creating opportunity for minorities led him to Saxena White, a women- and minority-owned firm strongly committed to the advancement of people of color, women, and the LGBTQ+ community. His seat on Saxena White’s Diversity and Social Responsibility Committee has helped cultivate policies, practices, and activities ensuring minority opportunity and the advancement of Saxena White’s social responsibility mission. Saxena White’s commitment to and mentoring of female and minority attorneys is a model for the legal industry, drawing praise from clients and courts, while producing definitive results: 40% of the Firm’s directors are minority attorneys.
Interviewed by Profiles in Diversity Journal® about the most important trait that has led to his success, Mr. Davis commented, “it’s about being comfortable being uncomfortable. You need some discomfort to create the positive stressors that force you to move forward.”
In addition, Omar Davis recognizes the importance of paying it forward by mentoring and sponsoring others. According to Mr. Davis, “The mentoring is more the advising part, and the sponsoring is more what I will call the “access” part. A mentor is typically a confidante, a colleague with whom you can talk through challenges, strategy, and opportunities, someone to make you feel included and valued. A sponsor takes the mentorship role a step further, making certain that you have a seat at the table, that you are getting recognition for the work you are doing and ultimately, putting you forward to other senior colleagues and decisionmakers.”
To read Omar Davis’ advice in its entirety and learn more about this year’s honors, please click here and advance to page 83.
