The AAA’s Mission and Vision statement asserts a “shared commitment to a diverse Roster of Arbitrators and Mediators.” The AAA Roster is composed of 34% women and racially and ethnically diverse panel members, and this figure is increasing. AAA division executives around the U.S. actively recruit women and racially and ethnically diverse candidates who meet the criteria established for panels.
The AAA has the ability in its algorithms to provide arbitrator lists to parties that comprise at least 30% diverse panelists where party qualifications are met.
The AAA Higginbotham Fellows Program is a highly visible, extremely successful program created in 2009 to provide training, networking, and mentorship for up-and-coming diverse ADR practitioners. Fellows not only have advanced to appointment to the AAA Roster but also have been selected to serve on cases--one even has joined the AAA’s Board of Directors.