Today I am talking with a woman who has done so many amazing things in our community and in her career. Lydia Smith is the director of diversity and inclusion at Kohl’s. She leads the development and execution of the company’s diversity and inclusion strategies. Outside of her role there, she is also the co-owner of Social X, a young professional diversity and inclusion consulting group, which provides professional development and connections in order to attract and retain talent in the city of Milwaukee. In our conversation, we discuss the importance of business resource groups and listening sessions between associates and executives in order to achieve true understanding, and how that plays out within the organization.

Topics in this episode

• Helping professionals navigate networking and development
• Being committed not only to DEI, but also ensuring that it is applied both internally and externally
• Ensuring economic empowerment as part of a larger DEI strategy
• Examining how companies can partner with external organizations
• Leveraging diversity groups within the organization
• Elevating business resource groups into business practices
• The power of not creating a solution in the moment

Connect

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Social X