Washington Business Journal Names Jean Veta as “LGBTQ Business Leader”

WASHINGTON—The Washington Business Journal has honored Covington partner D. Jean Veta with the 2018 LGBTQ Business Leader Award. This award is given to 20 business leaders in the Washington area who are “blazing the trail for diversity and inclusion in the corporate world.”

Ms. Veta, Covington’s first openly gay partner and a member of the firm’s Financial Services practice, has focused on LGBT+ equality for decades. At Covington, Ms. Veta has served as a mentor to LGBT+ lawyers for over thirty years, is a leader in the firm’s LGBT+ Affinity Group, and promotes the recruitment and retention of LGBT+ lawyers. Ms. Veta has also focused on advancing the rights of the LGBT+ community through pro bono work, dating back to the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal litigation, and including marriage equality and the protection of transgender student rights. Beyond her work at the firm, Ms. Veta also serves on the leadership committee for Out Leadership, the first global senior LGBT+ leadership organization that partners with senior LGBT+ leaders and allies in the business community to promote equality globally.

The Washington Business Journal’s inaugural Business of Pride Awards “honor companies and business leaders for outstanding practices in advancing LGBTQ leadership and equality.” The awards ceremony will take place on June 7, 2018.