{"id":140269,"date":"2025-12-29T15:22:04","date_gmt":"2025-12-29T23:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/12\/29\/jen-znosko-named-co-chair-of-littlers-womens-leadership-initiative\/"},"modified":"2025-12-29T15:22:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-29T23:22:04","slug":"jen-znosko-named-co-chair-of-littlers-womens-leadership-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/2025\/12\/29\/jen-znosko-named-co-chair-of-littlers-womens-leadership-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Jen Znosko Named Co-Chair of Littler\u2019s Women\u2019s Leadership Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Littler shareholder Jen Chierek Znosko was appointed as the new co-chair of the firm\u2019s Women\u2019s Leadership Initiative (WLI). She succeeds Jennifer A. Youpa, who will be retiring this year. She will serve alongside co-chair Margaret Parnell Hogan.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The WLI was formed in 2009 to develop and retain women leaders. We sat down with Znosko to discuss her appointment and the WLI\u2019s impact on her practice.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>AALM: <\/strong>As a new co-chair of Littler\u2019s Women\u2019s Leadership Initiative, what goals do you have to better support the firm\u2019s women?<\/p>\n<p><strong>JCZ: <\/strong>My goal is to partner with my co-chair Margaret Parnell Hogan to build on Littler\u2019s strong legacy of exceptional women leaders while creating pathways for the next generation to thrive. We want to identify emerging talent, provide meaningful opportunities for growth, and foster an environment where women at every stage of their careers feel supported, empowered, and equipped to lead.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AALM: <\/strong>As a member of the firm\u2019s pay equity team, do you think you bring any particular expertise or insight into this role that will help drive the initiative forward?<\/p>\n<p><strong>JCZ: <\/strong>In my work with clients, I spend a great deal of time addressing how fair and equitable pay practices influence employee engagement and retention. Compensation reflects how individuals feel valued within an organization. That perspective has been invaluable in shaping our conversations within the Women\u2019s Leadership Initiative (WLI), ensuring that we not only advocate for equitable pay but also cultivate an environment where women feel valued, respected, and empowered to succeed.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AALM: <\/strong>Prior to your appointment, can you tell us how the initiative shaped or supported your practice?<\/p>\n<p><strong>JCZ: <\/strong>I\u2019ve been part of WLI since joining Littler 14 years ago, and it was one of the reasons I chose the firm\u2014I saw women achieving the very goals I aspired to in my own career.<\/p>\n<p>I started as Of Counsel in an 80% role when my first son was only 6 months old and we later welcomed our second. That flexibility allowed me to grow as a lawyer while prioritizing my family. Over time, I had the chance to work on some complex cases and transition to a full-time shareholder track role, which helped me advance to shareholder in 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, I\u2019ve served as the St. Louis office liaison and participated in WLI leadership training twice, first virtually during COVID and then in person. Both experiences reinforced the value of this initiative in shaping my journey. Seeing leaders like Nancy Delogu, who co-chairs our Drug and Alcohol Testing Practice Group alongside me, has been a powerful example of how WLI fosters collaboration and leadership at the highest levels.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AALM: <\/strong>Any words for Jennifer Youpa on the eve of her retirement?<\/p>\n<p><strong>JCZ:<\/strong>\u00a0Jennifer has been an extraordinary leader and trusted advisor throughout my time at Littler. As my management committee representative and the WLI co-chair, she served as both a mentor and source of thoughtful guidance and candid advice. I\u2019m deeply grateful for her wisdom and support, and I wish her every happiness as she begins this exciting new chapter. She has set an incredibly high standard of leadership, and I\u2019m committed to honoring that legacy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AALM: <\/strong>Do you believe that the labor and employment practice as a whole is welcoming to female leaders? Can you share any challenges you\u2019ve faced as you\u2019ve grown your practice and\/or any advice you have for younger women attorneys coming up in the field?<\/p>\n<p><strong>JCZ: <\/strong>I believe the culture of the firm matters more than the practice area, and Littler has been incredibly inclusive, creating an environment where we can show up as our authentic selves and define success on our own terms. One of the biggest challenges I faced came during my second year as a shareholder, when COVID shut down the courts and litigation slowed dramatically. That moment forced me to pivot, and it ultimately opened new doors. I deepened my work in the Drug and Alcohol Testing Practice Group, raised my hand for leadership, and was honored to be appointed co-chair. Around the same time, I joined the Pay Equity group and began conducting pay equity audits, a natural fit given my undergraduate degree in math background. My advice to younger women attorneys is this: work hard, embrace the unexpected turns in your career, and trust the process. Those twists and turns often lead to your greatest opportunities.<\/p>\n<p><strong>AALM: <\/strong>Anything else you\u2019d like to add?<\/p>\n<p><strong>JCZ: <\/strong>Just a heartfelt thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts on something I truly care about. It\u2019s exciting to contribute to a conversation that helps advance women\u2019s leadership in the legal profession.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/attorneyatlawmagazine.com\/tot\/jen-znosko-named-co-chair-of-littlers-womens-leadership-initiative\" target=\"_blank\">Jen Znosko Named Co-Chair of Littler\u2019s Women\u2019s Leadership Initiative<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/attorneyatlawmagazine.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Attorney at Law Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"gdpr_lightbox-hide\" role=\"complementary\" aria-label=\"GDPR Settings Screen\">\n<div class=\"moove-gdpr-modal-content moove-clearfix logo-position-left moove_gdpr_modal_theme_v1\">\n<div class=\"moove-gdpr-modal-left-content\">\n<div class=\"moove-gdpr-company-logo-holder\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/attorneyatlawmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/black%400.5x.png?resize=172%2C63&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"172\" height=\"63\" class=\"img-responsive\" title=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"moove-gdpr-modal-right-content\">\n<div class=\"main-modal-content\">\n<div class=\"moove-gdpr-tab-content\">\n<div class=\"moove-gdpr-tab-main\">Privacy Overview<\/p>\n<div class=\"moove-gdpr-tab-main-content\">\n<p>This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Read our <a href=\"https:\/\/attorneyatlawmagazine.com\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Littler shareholder Jen Chierek Znosko was appointed as the new co-chair of the firm\u2019s Women\u2019s Leadership Initiative (WLI). She succeeds Jennifer A. Youpa, who will be retiring this year. She will serve alongside co-chair Margaret Parnell Hogan.\u00a0 The WLI was formed in 2009 to develop and retain women leaders. We sat down with Znosko to [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal_matters"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140269"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140269\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xira.com\/p\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}