Moody steps in as Legal Momentum President and CEO after serving on its Board of Directors and many acclaimed years as a corporate leader of diversity and inclusion.

(December 11, 2018 | NEW YORK) – The nation’s first and premier women’s legal defense fund, Legal Momentum, announced today that as of April 2018 Carol Baldwin Moody, renowned corporate diversity champion and acting Chief Operating Investment Officer of CalPERS, the nation’s largest public pension fund, joined Legal Momentum as its new President and CEO. Immediate past Legal Momentum President and CEO Carol Robles-Roman as of March 2018 became Co-President and CEO of the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality.

“I am excited to be able to continue to work with Carol as Legal Momentum continues to be one of the lead ERA Coaltion partners,” stresses Moody. 

Moody assumed the President and CEO role in April 2018 after serving on the Legal Momentum Board for two years and receiving its prestigious Aiming High Award in 2011.

“I have been deeply honored over my career to be a transformation agent and champion for inclusion and diversity in the corporate world,” shares Moody. “It’s an unmatched privilege to helm the nation’s leading defender of women’s legal rights and usher in the next fifty years of even greater impact and change-making.” 

Moody is widely recognized for her broad regulatory experience, domestically and internationally. With a strong focus on organizational culture, her specialties include expertise in global risk management, regulatory compliance, and corporate governance. In 2010, Black Enterprise named Carol as one of the 75 most powerful women in business. Carol moved to full-time service in the public sector in 2011, taking on the role of acting Chief Operating Investment Officer for CalPERS, overseeing its pension fund at fair value of investment of over 300 billion dollars. 

Over the arc of her corporate leadership career, Moody developed a reputation as a tireless mentor and advocate for diversity – especially educational, economic and gender equality. Honoring her work and influence on diversity, Nationwide Insurance African American Women’s ARG established the Carol Baldwin Moody Impact Award.  For the University of Pennsylvania, she served on the Minority Permanence Committee, this year celebrating the 25th anniversary of its launch of the Brister Society of the University of Pennsylvania.  She served on the board of the Toigo Foundation, an organization dedicated to preparing under-served professionals for leadership roles. And Moody held a prominent seat on the Board of the New York Chapter of INROADS, working to help businesses gain greater access to diverse talent.  She served as pro bono counsel to the 214 Bradhurst Housing Development Fund and served as Associate for the seminal case of Berkman v. the City of New York.

Moody also sits on the Boards of Security Mutual Life Insurance Company of NY and the School Committee of Germantown Friends School. Her professional associations include the Executive Leadership Council and the Council on Foreign Relations. Carol holds a JD from Columbia University School of Law and a BSE from the Wharton School.

“It's terrific to have a President and CEO of Carol Baldwin Moody’s caliber as we prepare for Legal Momentum’s upcoming anniversary of a half-century of unparalleled influence – leading action for the legal rights of women,” emphasizes Elaine Wood, Chair of Legal Momentum Board of Directors and Managing Director for Duff & Phelps. “Picture it laying the groundwork for even greater impact over the next fifty years. Carol is the right leader at the right time for the right organization – Legal Momentum.”