I am so excited to be here with Jessica Hope, a diversity and inclusion strategist for USAA, where she develops holistic, data-driven strategies that advocate for people, marginalized populations, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a whole host of other amazing things. She shares with us how her background in the military and as a social worker, as well as through the art of storytelling, she is able to connect with others and do the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through our conversation she talks about the role of politicians in this work, and challenges us to check with ourselves, are we just checking boxes off? Or are we actually making a difference. I so enjoyed this conversation and I know you will too.

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hope-people-leader/

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I am so excited to share with you my conversation with Lesley Slaton Brown, the Chief Diversity Officer at HP Inc. Lesley was also named one of the most powerful women in corporate diversity by Black Enterprise, and a top influential woman in corporate America by Savoy Magazine. In our conversation, we talk at length about the strides HP has taken in prioritizing diversity, particularly at the board level. She also shares some of the strategies they are applying to ensure that the diversity of the board is applied throughout other levels of the organization as well.

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesley-slaton-brown-345988/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DailySlate

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Today we have an amazing guest, Sheree Atcheson - one of the UK’s most influential women in tech and an international multi-award winner for her services in diversity and inclusion in the industry. Sheree is currently the Global Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion at Peakon, an advisory board member for Women Who Code, contributor of Forbes, and author of Demanding More. In our conversation, we learn more about the reason she wrote Demanding More and the work to be done within the DEI space, how she launched Women Who Code in the UK and across Europe, and the work she does within her role at Peakon. 

This was a fascinating conversation, and I cannot wait for the release of Demanding More, coming April 2021. For pre-order information, be sure to check the resources section below.

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Other recent conversations we really enjoyed:

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I am so delighted to share with you the recent conversation I had with Michelle Bess, the Vice President of Talent and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at OppLoans. In her role, she focuses on creating systems and processes to ensure an equitable company where individuals from all backgrounds are seen, validated, and where they’re able to succeed. In this episode, we talk about the work that OppLoans is doing, what it looks like doing DEI within a company with a very small team, and some often overlooked areas of inclusion within organizations.

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Other recent conversations we really enjoyed:

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Grady Crosby is a dynamic senior-level executive leader and corporate officer for Johnson Controls, which was honored to be called one of the world’s most ethical companies under his leadership from 2014-2020, and was ranked 18th on the 2020 list of the 100 best corporate citizens by CR Magazine. In his role he is responsible for driving Johnson Controls’ global strategies regarding diversity, equity, inclusion, sustainability, government relations, and its philanthropic endeavors to maintain the company’s commitment to improvement.

In our conversation, we focus on how companies can engage with their communities, and how to create pipelines when there may be a gap within the areas of talent and diversity. As with Grady, we truly believe that this work only gets done through our collective power, and the more we can link arms and walk together to create these spaces, the more inclusive we can become, and the better we are as a country and as a people.

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Other recent conversations we really enjoyed:

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I am so excited to share with you the conversation I had with Rob Michalak, who has done some incredible things and works for a company that I love, Ben & Jerry’s. Rob is the Social Mission Special Projects Director there, and the core of his role is to ensure that their products and missions can thrive together. In our conversation, we talked about internal and external accountability, and how Ben & Jerry’s works to create equity and justice through the entire supply chain, from farmers to customers, and putting their values into action.

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Other recent conversations we really enjoyed:

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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.

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I am so excited to share with you the conversation I had with Cristy Garcia-Thomas, the Chief External Affairs Officer at Advocate Aurora Healthcare, one of the top 10 largest healthcare systems in the United States. She is responsible for shaping the overall experience for patients, team members, and community partners in a broad and very strategic way. We talk about the relationship between diversity, equity, and inclusion on overall health, and how Advocate Aurora Healthcare is investing in their community and partnering with community groups in order to address the life expectancy gap. As Cristy says, “It takes a village,” and I’m sure you will enjoy hearing how AAH is investing in theirs.

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I am so excited to share with you my recent conversation with Melinda Briana Epler, the Founder and CEO of Change Catalyst, which works to create inclusive tech ecosystems through strategic advising, startup programs, and resources. In our conversation, she shares how her personal experiences gave her the opportunity to see inequalities as a result of the corporate culture, and how it inspired her to start Change Catalyst in order to have a bigger impact in the tech space. She shares the importance of recognizing the change you can affect, and how to influence those who may be able to do more. I really enjoyed our conversation, and whether you are in tech or outside of it, I know you will too.

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Today I am talking with Sadiki Etienne, who has spent the last ten years partnering with leaders at some of the world’s most influential organizations to address global development challenges and enhance economic inclusion. Throughout his career, he has applied his experience in operational strategy, program implementation, and public policy reform in over 25 countries! I am particularly excited to talk with him from the perspective of us both doing the work of social entrepreneurship, and how we use these skills to help facilitate change in small and big ways in a consistent effort to make the world a better place.

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Thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Uplifting Impact. We would love to have you tell your friends and family and people you work with about the podcast, because we know that the more people we have who are out there in the world trying to create internal and external change, the better we’re going to leave this world for the people that follow us.

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