Carla Madeleine Kupe is a highly experienced general counsel and litigator, legal strategist, educator, and collaborative leader. She was included in the Crain’s Chicago Business feature, “Notable Executives in HR and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (August  2022). In addition to her work at CZL P.C., Carla serves as the Vice President of Racial Equity and Inclusion for the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago. She is also the founder and CEO of The Impact Alliance LLC, a diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism/colonialism consulting enterprise through which she provides advising, consulting, education, and leadership coaching for organizations across industries.

Until 2022, Carla served as a Managing Partner at Ebony Law LLC, and as the director of the Professional Identity Formation Program at Loyola University Chicago School of Law. Carla founded the Speak Truth Summit, a platform giving voice and visibility to the particular and unique experiences of women of color (2018). In addition, Carla’s many accomplishments include her work as:

• The first Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Compliance Director at the City of Chicago Office of Inspector General;
• Associate General Counsel and Title IX Coordinator for Chicago State University;
• Director of Community Relations for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) Chicago Metropolitan Chapter;
• Assistant Corporation Counsel for the City of Chicago Law Department in its Federal Civil Rights Litigation Division;
• Victim Witness Advocate, Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, Boston, Massachusetts.

At CZL P.C., Carla’s work focuses on corporate governance and operations as seen through a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and anti-racism/oppression lens. Carla is skilled in assisting commercial, governmental, and non-profit organizations develop strategies that minimize internal and external risk while maximizing resources. Carla is an expert at interacting with stakeholders and community groups and providing counsel for development of diversi­ty, equity, and inclusion.

Carla received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Psychology from Kalamazoo College in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and Juris Doctor from Loyola University Chicago School of Law, Chicago, Illinois.

I am the first of five children of Congolese parents, and I speak eight languages. Born in Europe, I have called the U.S. my home since 1997.

My unique personal background and lived experience both here and abroad give me deep insight into the fundamental need for social justice awareness in corporate planning and governance.

My goal for all my clients is to provide sound legal guidance, innovative strategies, and problem-solving approaches by centering equity, inclusion, and anti-oppression in their organizational frameworks and cultures.