Lambda Legal is pleased to announce it has elected Bendita Cynthia Malakia to its Board of Directors. Ms. Malakia is a talent cultivation and leadership executive, attorney and certified coach who currently leads diversity and engagement at the global law firm O’Melveny & Myers and is the founder of an eponymous talent, inclusion and strategy consultancy and coaching organization that supports boards and executive teams.
“We are excited to welcome Ms. Malakia onto Lambda Legal’s board,” said Kevin Jennings, CEO of Lambda Legal. “As a past president of the National LGBTQ+ Bar and a respected leader across the legal profession, she brings a deep understanding of our community and the institutions that shape it. Her experience will be invaluable as we continue our fight for LGBTQ+ rights and justice.”
Ms. Malakia began her career as a finance lawyer at a large law firm and later served in-house at the International Finance Corporation and Goldman Sachs. She went on to advise mid-size law firms on complex talent challenges and served as global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at an AmLaw 10 firm, where she was also Deputy Head of Responsible Business globally, overseeing citizenship, fundraising partnerships, pro bono and sustainability. A certified coach for more than two decades, she coaches executives, board members and high performers, trains other coaches and previously co-taught a leadership course for lawyers at Howard University School of Law.
“Lambda Legal is the civil rights organization of this time – fighting for trans and queer people when all others have retreated. There is no better place for me to serve to preserve the successes of our past and right the future for the LGBTQ+ community,” said Ms. Malakia.
Ms. Malakia brings extensive leadership experience in the LGBTQ+ legal community to Lambda Legal. She served as President of the National LGBTQ+ Bar (2023 – 2025), following roles as President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary and At-Large Board Member dating back to 2015, and currently serves as Co-Chair of its Alumni Council. She is Vice President of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion for the National Association of Law Placement (2026 – present), serves on the advisory board of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, and was a founding advisor to Keep Company. She previously served on the board of the Harvard Real Estate Academic Initiative (2008 – 2018).
Her honors include commendations from the Financial Times for her work as a global DE&I professional (2021) and for innovative racial justice initiatives (2020), as well as recognition as Top Global DEI Professional by the National Diversity Institute (2022) and Most Inspirational D&I Leader by d&i Leaders (2022). She is a graduate of Harvard Law School (J.D., cum laude) and Barnard College (B.A., summa cum laude).