At one of the largest gatherings for legal professionals, the 2016 American Bar Association (ABA) annual meeting in San Francisco, the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section (TIPS) presented the annual Liberty Achievement Award to Wendy C. Shiba.

Shiba is a retired corporate attorney and business executive whose 30-year career spans time in private practice, teaching, government service and as an executive officer of three publicly traded companies. In the announcement from ABA TIPS, chair G. Glennon Troublefield stated, “As a true pioneer of promoting diversity and justice in our profession and community, Shiba is at the forefront of assuring that there is justice for all and is incredibly deserving of this award.”

Sharon Sayles Belton, vice president of Government Affairs & Community Relations for Thomson Reuters, presented the award and said, “Wendy has been first in a number of areas. She was the first Asia-Pacific American woman at O’Melveny & Myers. First Asia-Pacific American woman law professor to receive tenure at Temple University School of Law. She was the first person of color to serve as Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association Commission on Judicial Selection and Retention, and first woman and person of color to serve as executive officer of Bowater Incorporated and PolyOne Corporation. But in my conversation with her, she stressed that while happy to play the part of ‘the first,’ she never wanted to be the ‘one and only.’ She said that it has always been important to her to lay a foundation and  create opportunities for others.”

Shiba is currently a member of the ABA Diversity & Inclusion 360 Commission where she is co-chair of the Economic Case Working Group, and the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession, where she co-chairs the Women of Color Research Initiative. She also is vice chair of the Board of Trustees for the Japanese American National Museum and a past president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association.

The Liberty Achievement Award is given to a legal professional that has demonstrated their commitment through their career, volunteer service and leading by example in promoting diversity in the law.

To see past TIPS Liberty Achievement Award winners, click here.