Leadership Through Transparency and Collaboration

In this episode of On Record PR, Jennifer Simpson Carr goes on record with Dena Calo, EVP of Human Resources and Employment Counsel at The Durst Organization, to discuss the transformative impact of transparency, collaboration, and trust in leadership, highlighting Dena’s journey from a law firm to an in-house role where these values drive cultural and organizational success.

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As Executive Vice President of Human Resources and Employment Counsel at The Durst Organization, Dena Calo spearheads innovative strategies in benefits, recruitment, workplace policies, and leadership training programs, enhancing the company's HR practices.

Dena is an author and national speaker with more than 25 years of experience working with real estate executives on leadership development, HR strategy, employment law, and culture. As legal counsel, she fosters positive employee relations, ensures labor and employment compliance, and oversees fair housing.

Before joining Durst in 2024, Dena served as Partner and Co-Chair of the Labor and Employment Group at Saul Ewing. Additionally, she spent 20 years as a professor at Holy Family University, teaching employment law to Master’s students in Human Resources.

Committed to cultivating talent, Dena was on the steering committee of Saul Ewing’s Women’s Development Initiative, co-chairing the group in her final year at the firm. In 2023, Dena won The Philadelphia Inquirer’s award for Best Legal Mentor.

Dena received her Juris Doctorate, cum laude, from Widener University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from Stockton University.