October 4, 2021 – Ulmer & Berne LLP is proud to announce that Partner Inajo Davis Chappell will be recognized this week by Smart Business magazine as a Smart Women Award honoree in the Progressive Woman category. She will be among a group of distinguished women receiving the award during the magazine’s Smart Women Breakfast & Awards program, an event that highlights the most pivotal issues facing women in the workplace and celebrates the achievements of leading businesswomen.
“Working with Inajo over the last 25 years, I’ve witnessed her incredible leadership both inside and outside our firm,” said Patricia A. Shlonsky, Partner-in-Charge of Ulmer’s Cleveland office. “We are extremely proud of her continuous commitment to assisting nonprofits, supporting voting rights, and improving college access for students, and we are so pleased that she is being honored for her significant accomplishments and dedication to our community.”
Chappell weaves her deep passion for volunteerism and civic engagement into her practice at Ulmer. As Group Leader of the Nonprofit Practice Group, she has supported numerous nonprofit organizations in their missions to positively impact the world. Under her direction, the practice has grown to represent more than 100 exempt organizations, ranging from social service agencies to arts groups, health organizations, foundations, community development corporations, and educational and governmental institutions. She also represents for-profit businesses in a variety of legal matters, including corporate law and governance, general business transactions, and commercial real estate acquisition, development, construction, and financing.
A respected civic leader, Chappell has served in dozens of key roles on the boards of nonprofit organizations, foundations, and professional groups throughout her career. She has held key leadership roles with The Cleveland Foundation and the Medical Mutual of Ohio Charitable Foundation, and currently serves on The MetroHealth System Board of Trustees, the ERIEBANK Ohio Advisory Board, the Cuyahoga County Board of Elections, and the Say Yes Cleveland Scholarship Board. She is also committed to supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and serves as Chair of Ulmer’s DEI Committee, which guides the firm in its diversity efforts and hosts educational programming that enhances the firm’s culture of inclusion.
Chappell has received numerous civic and professional awards and is consistently honored for her contributions to the legal profession and the community. She was recently recognized for the second time by The Best Lawyers in America© as its “Lawyer of the Year” for Nonprofit/Charities Law in Cleveland. She has also been named a “Black Leader Worth Watching” by Profiles in Diversity Journal and a “Notable Woman in Law” by Crain’s Cleveland Business, and Savoy Magazine lists her as one of the “Most Influential Women in Corporate America” and “Most Influential Black Lawyers.”
Each year, the Smart Women Breakfast & Awards program recognizes the achievements of Greater Cleveland’s most committed and accomplished women, provides a platform for dynamic networking, and addresses the important issues facing women in the workplace and in life. This week’s program will take place on October 7 at the Westin Cleveland Downtown. For more information about the event and this year’s honorees, click here.