Furman trustee Yendelela Neely Holston ’03 honored nationally for fostering legal talent

Yendelela Neely Holston, a 2003 Furman graduate and board secretary of the Furman Board of Trustees.

Yendelela Neely Holston, a 2003 Furman graduate and board secretary of the Furman Board of Trustees, was named the winner of the Chambers Diversity and Inclusion North America 2020 Award.

 “Yendelela Holston is a leader who lifts as she climbs,” said Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in a statement. Holston serves as the firm’s chief diversity and inclusion officer.

“In addition to building a legal pipeline program to prepare diverse 1Ls for law school, Yendelela actively mentors and coaches law students, associates and young lawyers inside and outside the firm. Further, as Kilpatrick Townsend’s chief diversity and inclusion officer and labor and employment partner, Yendelela gathers and reviews metrics and data to help ensure that the firm’s diversity and inclusion strategy permeates all practices and policies,” the statement continued.

Noah Trotter ’19, pictured in 2019, as an AT&T Legal Scholar. She is now a 2L at Elon Law.

In the summers, Furman students from underrepresented groups pile into a van driven by Maya Russell, Furman’s pre-law advisor to visit Kilpatrick’s Atlanta office building as part of the AT&T Legal Scholars Program. There, Holston and a team of diversity advocates work with rising first year law students on case briefing, issue spotting, exam drafting and networking in order to prepare students for the rigors that become apparent on the first day at any law school.

Stephie Arrington ’19 (right) pictured in 2019 when she was an AT&T Legal Scholar. She is now a 1L at Berkeley Law.

The AT&T Legal Scholars Program, designed and led by Holston, helps to provide students, most of whom are the first in their families to attend law school, a chance to excel in the field of law.

“Furman participants are eternally grateful for Holston’s tenacity and grit as she leads by example and encourages and supports students on their path to successful careers in law,” said Russell. “Holston is a remarkable leader and truly deserving of the Chambers Award.”