Gena Pemberton is the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at OmniCom Health Group and in this role she is responsible for developing and driving forward the diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy for the network. Her background includes corporate finance roles over 13 years at Johnson and Johnson, an MBA from the University of Phoenix, and a diversity and inclusion certificate from Cornell University.

Welcome to season 2 of our Uplifting Impact! We have some exciting changes heading your way this season, and one of those is that we have added Justin Ponder as our co-host. Justin is the Chief Information Officer of Uplifting Impact, as well as an educator in the area of ethnic studies. In this episode, we talk about some of the updates and changes we’re making to the podcast, we introduce Justin and the work he has done, and he talks about some of the trends he is seeing in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space.

Daniel Shaffer is a freelance nonprofit consultant and grant writer, focusing on women and minority owned businesses. After graduating with a degree in international relations, he joined a program working in predominantly Black and underserved communities within Pittsburgh, and shortly after found himself wanting to leverage his privilege to help open doors for members within his network that may not have had the same access otherwise.

Mita Mallick is the head of inclusion, equity, and impact at Carta, and has previously served in cross-cultural marketing roles, such as the Head of Diversity and Cross Cultural Marketing at Unilever and worked on projects like the Vaseline Healing project. She has been named Working Mother of the Year by She Runs It, as well as being listed as one of the 50 People Under 40 who are shaking up beauty. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of diversity within an organization from end-to-end, meaning, all aspects of the business. I was also personally excited to share with her how much I loved a recent article she wrote, “I don't want to be a super mom. I just want to be a mom” and the expectations our society has on mothers and motherhood. To learn more and connect with Mita, you can find her on Linked In.

Laura Kriska is an internationally recognized expert, with over 30 years of experience in cross-cultural relationships and providing that to help organizations bridge gaps in diverse workplaces. Early in her career, she worked for a large Japanese corporation, where she got first-hand experience in what it was like to be an outsider of what she calls a company’s “home team”. From that experience, and throughout her career, she developed strategies to help create inclusion and has written all about the “us versus them'' dynamic in her book, The Business of We. To learn more, connect with Laura, and order her book, you can find her on LinkedIn or at her website, https://www.laurakriska.com/.

Lori Costew is the Chief Diversity Officer and Director of People Strategy at Ford Motor Company. In her role, she oversees corporate diversity, equity, and inclusion and all of the efforts within the company to cultivate a sense of belonging and to advance the company’s mission and business objectives, and ensures that Ford strategy supports all of the corporate goals and the transformation efforts within the organization. In our conversation, we talk about the importance of DEI for such a large enterprise and some of the strategies Lori has used, particularly in the area of leadership and listening. To connect with Lori and learn more, you can find her on LinkedIn.

Leyla Okhai is the founder and director of Diverse Minds UK LTD, which aims to create a positively productive workplace for all through training, coaching and consultancy, by focusing on wellbeing and mental health. Leyla is also the host of the Diverse Minds podcast, a weekly show about race equality, mental health, and inclusion for a modern world. In our conversation, we discuss the eurocentric approach to mental health, particularly in the workplace. And we also talk about some of the shifts she is seeing and that she recommends to employers in order to recognize the needs of a diverse workforce.

Paula Phillips is a school board member for Milwaukee Public Schools and currently with the YWCA Southeast Wisconsin. Her mission is to actively build a society in which all of us are seen, heard, and cared for. Throughout her career, she has served in many different leadership roles across different industries, from academia to large corporations and the nonprofit space. With the experiences she has had across different sectors, she has built expertise in sharing and teaching the skills of diversity, equity, and inclusion in each of her roles. In my conversation with her, we talk about her work, the importance of creating space for learning and growth, and how to build programs with accountability and consistency.

Ify Walker is the Founder and CEO of Offor, a national talent brokerage, working to place board members and CEOs, create high-performing teams, and break up the myth of meritocracy. She is also an advocate for a 30-hour workweek. We discuss how organizations can begin to make the shift to a 30-hour workweek, why they should, and how it benefit Black women in particular. We also dive into the topic of how companies can begin the work of DEI, the importance of data, and the willingness it takes to confront the status quo.

Donald Thompson is a serial entrepreneur, public speaker, author, podcaster, and executive coach, using his skills and expertise to serve as a thought leader on goal achievement and company culture, and I am very excited to have him on the show today. We have an insightful conversation about the relationship between C-Suite executives and the diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives within an organization. He shares with us some of the tools he finds helpful in starting conversations around DEI, and the importance of expanding our networks, both personally and professionally.