Kristine McKinney is the first to admit that her trajectory, from diversity and inclusion leader to chief operating officer, is “unique.”

Most recently she was the chief legal talent and inclusion officer at Fish & Richardson, in which she led the professional development, legal recruiting, diversity and inclusion, and pro bono teams. Now, she is the firm’s chief operating officer and plans in part to use her new position to reframe how DEI efforts are seen in the legal community.