Recently the first person of color to become a partner at her previous firm in its 180-year history, Emilie R. Ninan is still the only South Asian female partner in a majority firm in Delaware. “My goal is not to be the last,” she says. Recently named a managing partner of Ballard Spahr, she adds administration of the Delaware office to her long list of duties as part of the public finance group. That means helping government entities, nonprofits and others secure low-cost financing for capital projects. ”In this economy, that can be pretty complicated,” Ninan says. The founding president of the South Asian Bar Association of Delaware, she is also a winner of the North American South Asian Bar Association’s Cornerstone Award. (She will become NASABA’s president in July.) “Diversity in the legal profession has been an ongoing discussion,” she says. “Although strides have been made, studies show there is still much to do, particularly with respect to the retention of women of color. Through my work with NASABA, I hope to continue to be a change agent and pay it forward.”
Delaware Today magazine Women in Business: Emilie R. Ninan is a managing partner of Ballard Spahr
