José Bahamonde-González leads the diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programming at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton’s Washington DC office and is a member of their Global DE&I team.  In this role, he provides direct support in the hiring, retention and promotion of women, members of underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, and the LGBTQ+ community firm wide.  He also plans and presents programing aimed at raising awareness and understanding on issues impacting members of underrepresented groups.  Prior to joining Cleary Gottlieb, José was the chief officer for DE&I and professional development for a AMLaw 200 law firm in the greater Washington DC area.  He continues to counsel and lecture students at the University of Maryland Carey School of Law on topics related to professional identity formation, career development and diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal workplace.  He earned his BS from the University of Massachusetts and his JD from the Syracuse University College of Law.