American Family Insurance, CEO Jack Salzwedel, honored with 2021 NLADA Exemplar Award for work as equal justice leader
American Family Insurance CEO Jack Salzwedel received the National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) Exemplar Award which honors members of the private bar or corporate community who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in promoting and supporting equal justice.
“While humbled and grateful for NLADA recognizing me as one of the two 2021 Exemplar Awardees, I look at this award as a recognition of our entire enterprise and the steps we take to close equity gaps and create equal access to justice,” said Salzwedel, “The work done by the American Family Insurance Institute for Corporate and Social Impact, the Dreams Foundation and the generosity of our own employees have garnered more than $15 million annually to community partners active in this work.”
Our national investments and partnerships include:
- Paladin, a justice tech startup that connects pro bono law firms with people who need their assistance. They also work with legal teams to help them run more efficient pro bono programs.
- Pigeonly, another justice tech startup connecting people who are incarcerated with family members via affordable phone calls and other affordable communications.
- Village Capital and the Institute partnered on a report examining the current status of justice tech investments and why more companies should join the cause
- Partnerships with organizations that support justice involved people in our communities, such as The Way Out and Clean Slate Milwaukee
- Continued grant opportunities through the Dreams Foundation to support those working to improve economic opportunity, healthy youth development, basic needs and more. The 2021 Grant recipients will be announced on June 24. Previous recipients can be viewed here.
“We’re dedicated to closing equity gaps, including those created by our justice system. But our success in doing so is through our community partners who have real-life experience that we can learn from,” said Salzwedel, “They’ve allowed us to play a small part in their solutions, and while I don’t think anyone would argue we’ve made progress, we need and will continue to do more.”
The NLADA leads a broad network of advocates on the frontlines to advance justice and expand opportunity for all by promoting excellence in the delivery of legal services for people who cannot afford counsel. Read more about the honorees at this year’s award ceremony here. Watch the 2021 Exemplar Awards Gala program by selecting this link.
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About the American Family Insurance group
Based in Madison, Wisconsin, American Family Insurance has been serving customers since 1927. We inspire, protect and restore dreams through our insurance products, exceptional service from our agency owners and employees, community investment and creative partnerships to address societal challenges. We act on our belief in diversity and inclusion by constantly evolving to meet customer needs and preferences. American Family Insurance group is the nation’s 13th-largest property/casualty insurance group, ranking No. 232 on the Fortune 500 list. The group sells American Family-brand products, primarily through exclusive agency owners in 19 states. The American Family Insurance group also includes CONNECT, powered by American Family Insurance, The General, Homesite and Main Street America. Across these companies the group has more than 13,500 employees nationwide.