BBP Welcomes Gough as Chief Diversity Officer

Burke Burns & Pinelli, Ltd. is pleased to announce the addition of partner Josie M. Gough as its Chief Diversity Officer.

Ms. Gough joins the firm after more than 10 years as an assistant dean and law professor at Loyola University of Chicago School of Law, where she founded the school’s Office of Inclusion, Diversity and Equity and served as its Director of Experiential Learning and Professional Development. During that time, she earned numerous awards and honors for her work in promoting diversity and equity in the workplace, including the law school’s Medal of Excellence (2022), which honors members of the community who exhibit the qualities of character, intellect, and social and professional responsibility. Prior to joining Loyola, Ms. Gough served as senior staff attorney and then Deputy General Counsel at the Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority from 2000-2010.

“We are so thrilled to have Josie join our team,” BBP President Mary Patricia Burns said. “As anybody who has ever met her knows, she is not only a great attorney but a wonderful human being. We look forward to working with her both on client legal matters and the firm’s ongoing efforts to promote diversity and equity both internally and externally.”

As the firm’s Chief Diversity Officer, Ms. Gough will help develop strategic partnerships and opportunities that focus on pipeline programs that directly benefit diverse law students as they prepare for entry into the legal profession. She will work to strengthen the firm’s recruitment and hiring practices for staff and administrative positions as well, and seek ways to bolster its supplier diversity efforts.

Ms. Gough will also provide legal counsel services to BBP clients on both litigation and transactional matters, mainly in the areas of employment and labor, human resources, diversity, procurement, real estate premises liability and personal injury tort defense on behalf of public entities.

Ms. Gough is a proud Triple Rambler, having earned her undergraduate degree (B.A. 1974), her master’s degree (M. Ed. 1978) and her law degree (J.D. 1984) from Loyola University of Chicago. She is a member of the state bar of Illinois.