Yoonhwi Cho
Global Senior Diversity & Inclusion Manager, K&L Gates
Yoonhwi Cho is the global senior diversity & inclusion manager at K&L Gates in Austin, Texas. With almost nine years of diversity and inclusion (D&I) experience, Yoonhwi works closely with leadership to advise, direct and manage the firm’s global D&I programs. Since joining K&L Gates in 2020, Yoonhwi has successfully grown the firm’s D&I programs by hosting an inaugural Diverse Lawyers' Retreat, implementing their first nationwide mentorship program and establishing K&L Gates as a trailblazer for disability rights and inclusion in the legal industry. K&L Gates is one of only nine law firms to be recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion by Disability:IN in 2024 and the only law firm to pledge for Disability:IN’s CEOs Are IN initiative. Under Yoonhwi’s leadership, they achieved the highest recorded local D&I engagement, with 92% of the firm’s global offices participating in a single voluntary D&I initiative.
Prior to joining K&L Gates, Yoonhwi managed and coordinated D&I efforts in the U.S. for Norton Rose Fulbright, driving a three-fold increase in attorney and business professional participation in firm D&I events. She also led innovative D&I programs, such as hosting Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender person elected to Congress, as a guest speaker, building the firm’s first Pride Parade float that was reported in the local news, and coordinating the first firmwide event for global D&I month. Yoonhwi also led the development of the firm’s first sponsorship program with the Professional Development team.
Before transitioning into the legal industry, Yoonhwi served in the public health sector with nonprofit and government agencies. As a public health practitioner, Yoonhwi published Human Rights Campaign accredited courses focused on transgender population health and supported a national LGBTQ+ demographics campaign as a lead facilitator for Houston.
Yoonhwi earned a Master of Public Health from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas at Austin.