I, Lou Patalano, personally commit to the following:

Personal Commitment 

• I will personally champion diversity, equity and inclusion in my organization, my community, the health care industry, and the legal profession through leading by example. 
• I will use my voice, influence and resources to publicly advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion and uplift and amplify other diverse voices.
• I commit to continuous learning about diversity, equity and inclusion generally and Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) development programs specifically. 
• I will participate in and support LCLD development programs that aid me in continuing to build diversity in the legal profession.

Organizational Commitment 

• I will support Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana’s diversity and inclusion strategy. 
• I will use diverse interview panels and actively participate in the recruitment of a talent pool that is diverse. 
• I will mentor and retain diverse team members and focus on their development, advancement and succession planning.  
• I will build partnerships with local law schools to promote minority student development while sponsoring an internship program. 
• I will build a tradition of hiring diverse legal interns and construct a pipeline for our future staff attorney rotational program. 
• I will create a culture of communication and transparency within the department that will allow for a safe, open dialogue about diversity, equity and inclusion matters.
• I will seek an annual report from our outside law firms highlighting their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.