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Meet Our Speakers

We're excited to introduce you to the exceptional lineup of speakers for our 5-Day DEI Challenge.

Each of these thought leaders is a valued member of the DEI Pro Finder community, bringing years of experience and proven expertise in driving diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives across various industries.

Our speakers are not just seasoned professionals—they are pioneers in the DEI space, each offering unique and innovative approaches to tackling the complex challenges organizations face today. Throughout the challenge, they will share their insights, strategies, and actionable tools, providing you with the knowledge and inspiration to transform your DEI efforts.

Get ready to learn from the best as they guide you through our powerful DREAM framework and help you unlock the full potential of your organization.

Jennifer Brown

Diversity & Inclusion Consultant, Speaker, Author

Jennifer Brown (she/her) is an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, author, and expert in diversity and inclusion.

Jennifer is the bestselling author of four books, starting with "Inclusion" and culminating in her award-winning "How to Be an Inclusive Leader, " now in its second edition. This book delves deeply into identity, privilege, and equity, providing practical tools for becoming an inclusive leader. She also co-authored the book "Beyond Diversity," a Wall Street Journal bestseller.

As a sought-after keynote speaker, Jennifer addresses creating cultures of belonging and the future of work. She has spoken at organizations like Google, LinkedIn, IBM, and Toyota, as well as at leading business schools and academic institutions.

Jennifer also serves on DEI advisory boards for Sparks & Honey, L’Oreal, and the Gates Foundation.

Her podcast, "The Will to Change, " has nearly 15,000 monthly listeners. More about Jennifer can be found at www.jenniferbrownspeaks.com

Zhou Fang

Founder & Principal EDI Practitioner - Intersectional Group

Zhou is an advocate for pay transparency and equity, mental wellbeing, immigration reform, and climate justice, as well as a committed ally for the LGBTQ+ and Indigenous communities.

Currently, Zhou serves on the board of Portland HR Management Association. She also hosts The Intersection, a podcast program about identity, personal journey, and leadership.

Intersectional Group is a leadership practice that uses the framework of intersectionality, as well as the help of technology, empathy, compassion, and curiosity. It emphasizes on the importance of making EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) part of a company's business and strategic planning, instead of an add-on or stand-alone function. Intersectional Group builds relations and works with clients based on their needs.

Dr. Steve Yacovelli

Owner and Principal - Top Dog Learning Group

Dr. Steve Yacovelli (a.k.a. “The Gay Leadership Dude®”) is an expert in diversity and inclusion, change management, and leadership. He’s worked internal for folks like The Walt Disney Company, IBM, Tupperware Brands, and several universities before starting his own consulting firm, TopDog Learning Group in 2008.

TopDog works with both Fortune 500s and not-for-profit organizations to bring about a more inclusive and effective workplace through on-site and virtual workshops, keynotes, 1:1 and group coaching sessions, and custom learning solutions.

Steve’s also an award-winning author, speaker, and catalyst. His latest book, “Pride Leadership: Strategies for the LGBTQ+ Leader to be the King or Queen of their Jungle” 'came out’ in 2019 and his next book, "Your Queer Career®: Workplace Advice from ‘The Gay Leadership Dude®’” hit shelves earlier this year.

Steve’s not-so-hidden agenda is to make the world a bit more inclusive for us all.

Dr. Brent Scholar

Founder and CEO - Scholar Consulting

Dr. Brent Scholar is an Organizational Consultant who partners with individual leaders and organizations on strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, team building, and creating diverse and inclusive work spaces. After spending nearly a decade teaching and designing courses on business strategy, leadership, and effectiveness for several universities and colleges with diverse pools of learners, Brent knows that personal and team development are key to making organizations truly effective.

He’s always believed that bringing people together and giving everyone the opportunity to be included is what makes any company, and any society, stronger. Since founding Scholar Consulting LLC in 2009, Brent’s work has focused on bringing leadership to everyone and on providing strategic planning and organizational effectiveness solutions to leaders committed to growing their organizations. His programs are based on a three-part Educate, Empower and Engage model to create inclusive environments. In his work, he’s collaborated with organizations such as The Federal Bureau of Investigations, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters and SmartyPants Vitamins, among others. He also routinely presents on topics such as teamwork, diversity & inclusion, gender identity, creating safe spaces, leadership and collaboration.

Brent has been an active member and supporter of the Diversity Leadership Alliance, the premier diversity education organization in Arizona, since 2011. As part of their Education Committee, he provides ongoing diversity training, leadership guidance and continued support to help cultivate an inclusive community where everyone is valued and respected. In 2019, he was honored with their Diversity Volunteer of the Year Award.

Joana Dos Santos

Co-Founder and Co-CEO - cosyn

Joana (SHO-AH-NA | she/they) is the co-founder of cosyn, a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) coaching and consulting firm. With over 20 years of experience working to advance social justice, Joana has dedicated their career to fostering inclusive environments and driving systemic change.

Joana began their journey in the nonprofit sector, where they served as a Community Organizer and later, Executive Director for a community-based organization. In this role, they led major advocacy campaigns, regional coalitions and transformed their organization to have an explicitly anti-racist vision and strategic plan. Their commitment to equity and inclusion led them to pursue a role as the Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at an architecture and urban planning college. Here, Joana spearheaded initiatives that transformed the campus culture, promoting diversity and ensuring equitable opportunities for all students, faculty, and staff.

At cosyn, Joana leverages their extensive experience to guide organizations in building inclusive cultures and implementing effective DEI strategies. They are known for their collaborative, co-creative approach, working closely with clients to understand their unique positive core and develop practical plans of action to execute DEI goals at the individual, team, and organizational levels. Joana’s expertise is in understanding how to work with broad constituencies, including marginalized populations, and those most affected by years of oppressive policies.

Joana holds a Master's degree in Applied Communications, a Certificate in Nonprofit Management, and is a Board Certified Coach.

Dr. Jennifer Sarrett

Founder and Director - Disruptive Inclusion

Dr. Jennifer Sarrett is dedicated to eradicating inequity by recognizing our shared humanity. As the Founder and Director of Disruptive Inclusion, she has spent over a decade researching and understanding the histories and perspectives of diverse groups, leveraging her expertise for the benefit of all.

With expertise in foundational DEI concepts like microaggressions, allyship, intersectionality, cultural humility, anti-ableism, and inclusion for veterans and people with conviction histories, Dr. Sarrett & Disruptive Inclusion is equipped to address a wide range of challenges. With a background in academia, bioethics, and nonprofit, Dr. Sarrett is well equipped to work closely with a range of sectors, including science, education, health, and nonprofit.

Dr. Sarrett's innovative "Universal Design for Equity" approach is proactive, attentive to intersectional identities, and has received widespread acclaim within the DEI community.

From classrooms to corporate seminars, Dr. Sarrett has educated diverse audiences, including business leaders, college and medical students, and community members, on the concepts of discrimination, privilege, and inequity. She collaborates with subject matter experts to bring engaging and informed practitioners to address your organization's DEI needs.

Dr. Jen O'Ryan

Founder and CEO - Double Tall Consulting

Dr. Jen O'Ryan is an Organizational Change strategist specializing in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). She works with business leaders to remove bias, stereotypes, inequities, appropriation, and similar issues from their messaging, content, and human interactions.

Jen combines a PhD in Human Behavior with 15 years of leading organizational change, designing new experiences for customers, and transforming enterprise-wide workflows. After an extensive career of instigating change at Fortune 100 companies, and a few small-but-mighty startups, Jen created Double Tall Consulting. This new company would fill a gap faced by many organizations – how to get their DEIB initiatives from “good intentions” to effective, measurable, meaningful results.

Jen brings people along on the journey—meeting them where they are and showing them a way forward. She is passionate about making real and sustainable change possible for organizations of all sizes.

Sharitta Marshall

Founder and CEO - Visionary Development Consulting

Sharitta is committed to creating a more equitable world by sharing tools and resources that foster psychologically safe workplaces. She became a small business owner because of her personal experiences in work environments where she felt overlooked, undervalued, and subjected to harmful behaviors like gaslighting, microaggressions, and macroaggressions. These experiences were not only emotionally damaging but also hindered her professional growth and well-being. Sharitta knew that she wanted to make a positive change and prevent others from struggling through similar devaluing experiences.

Combining her MBA, DEI and Instructional Design certifications, project and program management experience, and work background in SaaS, Ed Tech, and executive leadership, she created a framework that addresses the disconnect between ERG support and organizational outcomes. Her aim was to provide value to ERG members while also demonstrating the value to organizations.

The origin story of Visionary Development Consulting, is rooted in her passion for creating more equitable workplaces. She partners with visionary leaders globally to support their ERGs and other DEI initiatives. By sharing tools and resources that foster psychologically safe workplaces, her mission is to create environments where all employees feel respected, valued, and empowered.

Vivian Acquah

Founder and CEO - Amplify DEI

Vivian Acquah, CDE®, is a renowned certified diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) executive with extensive expertise in creating inclusive workplace environments. Her strategic approach combines insightful analysis with practical tools to address systemic barriers and promote both equity and equality within organizations.

Vivian is passionate about educating leaders and teams on the importance of DEI. She often employs innovative methods like virtual reality to immerse participants in real-world scenarios. Recognized for her engaging and impactful training sessions, she has helped numerous organizations transform their cultures and enhance employee engagement.

Her name, which translates to 'water,' symbolizes her role as an extinguisher of DEI-related fires. Vivian provides tangible strategies for embracing inclusive changes, benefiting high-profile clients such as Heineken, LinkedIn, Google, Indeed, Deloitte, TIBCO, Cargill, Swift, Acrolinx, KLM, and Zalando.

Kari Heistad

CEO - Culture Coach International

Kari Heistad leads the Culture Coach team. She has spent 30 years working to help people better understand each other across differences with the goal of creating workplace cultures where everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Culture Coach International is a DEI consulting and training firm with three decades of experience. We started thinking about what diversity in the workplace meant for companies in 1998 – this thinking has evolved over the course of twenty-six years as diversity has taken on different meanings while presenting a variety of challenges and opportunities for our clients. We believe in coaching our clients to understand key principles about creating inclusive workplace cultures.

We see workplace diversity as all of the ways we are similar to and different from one another. Diversity to us is not an exclusionary concept based on "us understanding them" but rather the inclusive concept of "us understanding us.” This paradigm shift brings together the ideas, backgrounds, and innovation that come from all employees.