Angela Smith Jones serves as the vice president of diversity and inclusion at Health & Hospital Corp. In her role, she oversees the strategic implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion across all entities of Health & Hospital, including Eskenazi Health, Indianapolis Emergency Medical Services, and Marion County Public Health Department, ensuring that all employees, patients, clients and vendors feel welcome and valued.   

Host Angela B. Freeman talks with Angela Smith Jones about how she has incorporated learnings from her previous role as deputy mayor of economic development for the city of Indianapolis into her new role focusing on DEI in the health care sector

Holli Harrington is the diversity officer and senior director of supplier diversity for the Indianapolis Airport Authority. She joined the airport in 2013, became the organization's first diversity officer in 2018 and joined the executive team in 2020. 

Host Angela B. Freeman talks with Holli about her efforts to promote equity in the airport's operations and among its vendors. And they discuss the importance of developing a culture in which employees can bring their authentic selves to work.

Karrah Herring, a South Bend native, never had any interest in working in government or politics. But when she heard Gov. Eric Holcomb explain why he wanted to create the state's first Office of Equity, Inclusion & Opportunity—and create a data portal to track diversity issues—she felt a calling to be part of the effort.

Since then, she's traveled the state, talking to businesses and organizations—as well as state agencies—about how to find and retain diverse talent, how to create equitable workplaces and how to invest in inclusion efforts. 

"We have to be comfortable challenging ourselves to take this pivotal moment in Indiana's history to change the narrative, to change the faces around the table," Herring told host Angela B. Freeman. "If we say we want to be a premier state, ... we're going to have to make some adjustments so that we can get that talent here."

Herring also explains why she believes the office and her position as chief equity, inclusion and opportunity officer should be codified into state law.

In this episode of The Freedom Forum podcast, Jimmie McMillian tells his story about growing up in a dangerous area of Chicago and in an abusive home, struggling in college but then finding his stride in law school.

McMillian, who took a pay cut to move from a prominent law firm to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, also talks about the struggles that Black men have in opening themselves up to mentorship, the importance of fathers in raising children, and the need to find happiness in work and at home.

And he details the hard work of corporate inclusion efforts with examples of what the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is doing to diversify its workforce, its racing teams and its fan base.

In 2020, Karen Bravo was appointed to be dean of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis, where she is the first woman of color to hold the position.

She joined the law school faculty in 2004 and has served in a number of leadership roles, while also developing specialties in human trafficking and international affairs.

Since becoming dean, she has made increasing equity and inclusion for students, professors and administrators at the law school and IUPUI one of her top priorities.

Host Angela B. Freeman talks with the dean about voting rights, human trafficking and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Karen Bravo in the IBJ Podcast studio, talking with The Freedom Forum host Angela B. Freeman. (IBJ photo/Joe Ulery)

Sharon Barner has spent a lifetime doing things that people told her she couldn't, starting with a high school guidance counselor who told her that she wouldn't succeed at a predominantly white college. 

But not only did Barner graduate from Syracuse University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology, she went on to earn a law degree from the University of Michigan. Throughout her career, Barner has specialized in the complex area of intellectual property law, eventually landing at Cummins Inc., where she is vice president and chief administrative officer, responsible for communications, government relations, ethics and compliance, legal and several other areas.

Barner talked with host Angela B. Freeman about the challenges she faced building her career, how she has helped others overcome similar barriers and what companies and law firms can do to increase diversity.

Sharon Barner (IBJ photo/Joe Ulery)

In this month's episode, host Angela B. Freeman talks with Angel Henry, author of "Dents in the Ceiling: Tools Women & Allies Need to Breakthrough," which tells the stories of 30 women of color who have survived and thrived in tech and corporate America. 

Henry—who is the senior director of professional services and the diversity, equity and inclusion chief of staff at tech firm Genesys—talks about her own experiences as a Black woman climbing the corporate ladder and about the all-too-common challenges that women of color face in the workplace. And she explains how writing the book helped her make sense of her own experiences.

After working in IT for several years for various organizations, Lamont Hatcher got an unexpected itch to start his own company. So in 2012, he launched Apex Infinite Solutions—now called AIS—to provide IT solutions to other companies. In 2020, the company landed on IBJ's Fast 25 list.

He talks to host Angela B. Freeman about the challenges of being an entrepreneur and how he's had to push through his introverted nature to become a leader.

Hatcher credits his success to diverse founders who came before him and talks with Freeman about the need to help future generations continue celebrating those trailblazers.

IBJ's The Freedom Forum with Angela B. Freeman is sponsored by Cummins Inc.

Dawn Rosemond is the first African American woman to make equity partner at Barnes & Thornburg and is now diversity partner, in charge of activating the firm's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. She's also an author, a keynote speaker and the founder of Reign, a company aimed at helping people find their greatness.

But success hasn't been an easy road. Dawn tells podcast host Angela B. Freeman about her experiences blazing a trail for Black women in law, her journey to finding herself and how she's changed since the death of George Floyd.

"I'm a 180-degree different Dawn than I was before 2020," Dawn tells Angela during the podcast. "I just refuse now to downplay my Blackness, to downplay my Black womanness, to apologize for not liking your joke, to apologize for you not seeing me."

IBJ's The Freedom Forum with Angela B. Freeman is sponsored by Cummins Inc.

In this week's podcast, host Angela B. Freeman talks with Jessica Gendron, CEO of The Center for Leadership Excellence, about the challenges that women face in life and their careers.

And they discuss why those challenges are even more daunting for women of color, plus what non-minority women can do to help.

IBJ's The Freedom Forum with Angela B. Freeman is sponsored by Cummins Inc.