A fixture in the general counsel’s office of the Arizona Diamondbacks for more than 20 years, Nona Lee has resigned to that position to pursue her passion as the founder and CEO of a new entity called Truth DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).
“This important space has clearly become Nona’s passion,” wrote Derrick Hall, the President and CEO of the club in a letter to employees. “We are grateful for the leadership, creativity, and contributions.
“We thank her for being the founding member of and her 22 years of service in our legal department and applaud her for being a local and national role model due to her expertise, leadership, and internal rise, which ultimately made her a member of the executive leadership team as Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer.
“It is our desire to enthusiastically continue the working relationship as her first client in this new endeavor. We look forward to helping her business and resources grow in this new chapter of her life.”
Lee grew up loving sports where she medaled in the Junior Olympics for swimming and later played basketball at Pepperdine University. She went to law school where she obtained her Juris Doctor, graduated Summa Cum Laude, and was awarded “Graduate of the Year.”
While with the Diamondbacks, Lee was the only openly gay and only black woman in MLB to hold an executive vice president position at a club. During her career, she said she encountered countless acts of racism and discrimination growing up in Los Angeles, in college, throughout law school, the workplace, and even today.
“It’s time for all of us to face the truth about diversity, equity and inclusion in our organizations and educate and empower ourselves to move towards transformative change,” Lee said.
Lee’s DEI extensive training was from Cornell University along with years of experience in legal work make her one of the most sought-after DEI speakers and consultants across the nation.
To learn more about Truth DEI, visit the website at www.truthdei.com.
Caleb Jay Promoted
Hall went on to announce that Caleb Jay was being promoted to Vice President and General Counsel.
“Caleb has been here for nearly 15 years under the tutelage of Nona and has prepared himself for this opportunity,” wrote Hall. “He is a well-respected executive amongst his peers, both internally and throughout the industry.”
Jay joined the Diamondbacks after spending 11 seasons with the Oakland A’s. Jay worked his way up to Assistant General Counsel, a position he held from 2003-2005. From 2006-2007, he was an associate with Carroll, Burdick & McDonough LLP, where he practiced real estate, business, and corporate law before returning to them sports industry.
Jay is actively involved with several organizations. He is an Outreach Committee Regional Captain for the Sports Lawyers Association, on the Advisory Board for Arizona State University’s Sports Law & Business Program, and a Program Chair for the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Sports and Entertainment Network. He is a Board Member for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, where he also serves as a Big Brother.
He is also a sports law professor at Arizona State University.
Jay earned a B.A. from Emory University, where he was the president of the school’s club rugby team. He received his J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law. He also earned a M.A. in Sport Management from the University of San Francisco. Jay is licensed to practice law in Arizona, California, and Nevada.
