“There's definitely been a bit of an evolution. In the very beginning of doing this work, companies were very focused on diversity—just counting heads and making sure that there was a particular percentage of people with certain backgrounds. And that has evolved. There's still a focus on having a more diverse workforce, but inclusion is really important. Belonging is really important. I think what we all have learned along the way is that you can spend millions of dollars bringing in more diverse talent, but if you do not have an environment in which they can thrive, they will leave. 

“Companies hadn't really taken time to focus within to look at the entire employee life cycle. Who are you giving opportunities to? Do you have a place where differences are celebrated and you're learning from each other? Psychological safety has been something that has come up in recent years and has become a focus within the DEIB+ spectrum of work. 

“Equity has taken center stage, as well. We are all equal but, of course, we know that societal issues don't really lend to that equality. So equality is an end state—the society we would like to have—but until then we have to have equity. And the fact that everyone isn't starting from an equal playing field is part of some discomfort right now, but it is through that discomfort that I think we will be able to make the most progress.”

“I got into this role by happenstance. When I was at Google, I was one of the founding members of the Black Googler Network, which was the second or third ERG [Employee Resource Group] at Google. We went from a mailing list to a strategy within 60 days around attracting, recruiting, retaining, and developing more Black talent within Google. 

“At the time, Google had what was called an 80/20. So 80% was your core role, and then 20% would be a passion project or something else across the company. So my role was 80% operations and 20% a leader of this ERG. And it flipped and I joined the very first diversity team at Google. 

“Initially, the focus was external: How do we recruit, how do we focus on HBCUs—historically Black colleges and universities—and other MSIs—minority-serving institutions? We built the first faculty summit, bringing in faculty from the schools so they could see what kind of industry Google was and what tech was looking for. Then my role changed to focus internally, and that was the first foray into looking at the programs, policies, processes—the HR stuff. It wasn't until I started to move throughout other companies and over time that that has evolved past that core recruiting and diversity focus.”

“I do get questions like, ‘What degree do I need to get? What field do I need to go to get the skillset?’ And I always talk about the fact that I don't have a college degree. I didn't go to school for this. This was a very hands-on experience and being in a place where I wanted to make sure, as a personal need, that there were more people that looked like me. There were more people that didn't look like me. There were more people with different backgrounds than I had. And being in a space where there's a lot of on-the-job learning, the skillset is that intellectual curiosity. It is understanding historical context and the bias and barriers that we all have to endure in some form or fashion. 

“Having the spirit of fighting for everyone, honestly, served me really well along my career. That is just inherent in me. So I often will say there's no core degree. There are certification programs that are great, but to be honest with you, it really starts from this core belief that everyone has something great to bring to the table, and how we fight for an environment and a society ultimately that values and cherishes those things.”

“I normally say something kind of controversial. When people say, ‘How do I get into this field?’ I say, ‘Don't.’ The reason is that this is not something you should do if you're just passionate about diversity. A lot of times people will see maybe the fun aspect of it or some event-based focus aspect of it, not knowing that this is really, really hard work. You are not only taking on the strategic aspect of it, but you also have to be empathetic. You have to lead with both head and heart, and that can be heavy, especially with all of the things that are happening in the world around us. 

“The other aspect is the company. There are companies that do care and will make change, and that drive has to come from the top. There are also companies that are very performative, who will say the things because you're supposed to say the things and do more check-the-box exercises. So I caution when people want to get into the space: Make sure that where you want to make change, that they're actually susceptible to creating change, that there's leadership accountability. 

“Burnout is very real. There are a lot of DEI professionals who go company to company because they haven't been able to do, in essence, what has been promised, until they find that place where they're actually able to make change. I would say find that place where you can feel that there is a true commitment to diversity and then drive it. Start making that a part of your job and then you get a little bit more exposure with executives and building out plans. There's a lot that you can do, but just make sure that it's worth it.”