Oppenheimer Investigations Group (OIG) congratulates managing partner Vida Thomas for being named a Champion for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) by the Sacramento Business Journal. The Champions for DEI Awards, now in its third year, honor exceptional individuals and organizations making a difference in DEI in the Sacramento region. Vida is one of six individuals, and the only attorney, to receive this year’s honor.
In the outlet’s coverage of the award winners, Vida sheds light on her career path and how the 1960 novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” inspired her focus on DEI-related issues. “I was one of those unusual kids who knew I wanted to be a lawyer from a young age,” she says in the publication’s profile. “I was fascinated by the character Atticus Finch and his ability to use the legal system to help this falsely accused Black man. I loved the idea of using language and logic to advocate for people. My path to becoming a lawyer was straightforward and set pretty early.”
Since reading the novel in fifth grade, Vida has leveraged more than 25 years of legal experience to become a leading expert in the field of workplace and school investigations, and she leads one of the largest and most diverse law firms of its kind in California. Her entire career has focused on handling labor and employment matters for private businesses, state agencies and public-school districts.
In addition to overviewing Vida’s professional trajectory and achievements, the profile notes her involvement at McGeorge School of Law, where she serves on the law school’s diversity board and advises on how to best support and advance DEI initiatives. Dean and law professor Michael Hunter Schwartz tells the business journal that “DEI seems to be infused in everything Vida does.”
Vida’s DEI efforts have been recognized by various regional and trade organizations. In addition to being named a DEI Champion, the Sacramento Business Journal named Vida to its list of “Women Who Mean Business” in 2023 and awarded her with “Best of the Bar” awards in 2015 and 2016. Other recent accolades include the “Black History Month Legacy Award of Excellence” at this year’s 36th Annual Sacramento Black History Month Black Expo, being named to the 2023 “Top Labor and Employment Lawyers” list by the Daily Journal (California’s largest legal newspaper), and inclusion in Northern California Super Lawyers.
