Recruitment
Al Cave
Chief Operations Officer, Apprenti

Al Cave is the Chief Operations Officer at Apprenti. As such, Al and his terrific team are responsible for optimizing operational processes, developing/maintaining a framework to support the company’s strategy and change management, and fostering organizational health and development.

Prior to Apprenti, Al was the Chief Compliance and Ethics Officer at The Northern Trust Company, a global financial services firm, and also held senior roles in Legal, Human Resources, and Employee Relations functions. Al has deep experience in DEI, having co-led the creation/revitalization of diversity programs in several companies. Al holds a JD from Georgetown, a BA in political science from Duke, and an SPHR certification. Al, his wife Lisa, and 2/3 of their kids reside in Northern California and actively support the Sacramento Kings!

Recruitment
Nina Baliga
Founder & producer, Choose Inclusion

Nina is an accomplished leader and TEDx speaker on accessible technology and digital inclusion.  As a child of immigrants, Nina has always been passionate about social justice and improving the lives of marginalized people.  She began her career in the nonprofit world working to empower underrepresented communities, then went on to get an MBA before she decided to teach herself front-end web development and user experience design. In 2017, she and her team became finalists at the Go Code Colorado hackathon, and co-founded <div>ersity, a women-founded startup focused on creating an equitable and inclusive tech industry. With nearly twenty years of experience in nonprofit and for-profit organizations, she is passionate about combining her community organizing, business, leadership, and product development skills.

Recruitment
Jonni Ressler
CEO, Eleven11 Solutions

Jonni Ressler is the CEO of Eleven 11 Solutions and believes successful marketing is another form of storytelling and that relationships are everything. A natural connector, Jonni has built a multimillion-dollar consulting business by connecting like-minded consultants of Global clients on the basis of trust, integrity, and a deep feeling of community. Jonni is ruthlessly committed to helping consultants and clients bring their “full selves” to their professional roles.  When she’s not leading Eleven 11 Solutions, and actively supporting her family and their respective interests, you can find Jonni on stage doing Improv.

Moderator – Recruitment
Adrienne Lawson, Ed.D.
Director of Diversity, Inclusion & Compliance, Pride Industries

Adrienne has more than 30 years of experience in academia and is a known diversity leader with expertise as a workplace inclusion strategist. In leading DEI, she anchors the institution’s mission to DEI principles, employee engagement, health equity framework, human rights equality, and community partnerships. At PRIDE Industries, she is responsible for developing and implementing PRIDE’s diversity and inclusion strategies across all its lines of business. She works closely with the nonprofit’s executive and Human Resources teams. In addition, she oversees the administration of PRIDE’s compliance efforts and its activities related to the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). 

Retention
M. Yvonne Taylor
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Instruction and Research Lead at OpenStax, Rice University

Yvonne specializes in DEI, organizational change toward equity, strategic communication, and relationship building. In her current role at OpenStax, Yvonne supports the Equity Program for Educational Technology Providers. The Equity Accelerator program mission is to help educational technology providers learn about equity, the equity imperative, and how to apply that knowledge to improve overall student outcomes and achieve parity in successful college outcomes across race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. Yvonne curates and creates content for an Equity Course for educational technology providers and conducts field research with OpenStax product teams and technology partners to develop learning content and case studies for the course that are tailored to ed-tech companies. A 4th-year doctoral student in Educational Leadership and Policy at UT Austin, Yvonne is a critical organizational scholar. Her research centers the experiences and agency of historically marginalized staff, faculty, and students in the pursuit of equitable organizational change.

Retention
Elizabeth Sato, MPA
Founder & CEO, Rise to Excellence

Elizabeth Asahi Sato is the Founder/CEO for Rise to Excellence (RTE), LLC, which provides comprehensive and high-quality organizational consulting and training services for private, public, nonprofit, tribal government, and tribal enterprise as well as inclusive faith-based ministries. Founded in 2007, Rise to Excellence coaches C-Level Executives, Executive Directors, Boards of Directors, emerging minority (MBE) and women Businesses (WBE) toward organizational excellence. Elizabeth served for twelve years as Vice President of Human Resources and Operations for a successful Pacific Northwest Distributor of medical devices, surgical tools and Osteobiologics for Johnson and Johnson DePuy Spine. In her HR, DEI and Workforce Development work with tribes, Elizabeth was elected by her professional colleagues to the National Native American Human Resources Professionals Association Board.

Elizabeth was appointed to the National Council of Churches USA, Inclusiveness and Justice Commission, a gubernatorial appointee to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education and the Washington Secretary of State’s Advisory Council for the Washington Combined Fund Drive. Recognized as a Southwest Washington Women of Achievement and recipient of the White House Project/American Express Women Rule! Featured in November 2008 O-Oprah Magazine and Ms. Winfrey’s book Dream Big. Elizabeth received the International Soroptimist “Women Who Make a Difference” award and is an alumnus of Leadership Clark County (Vancouver) and a Senior Fellow with the American Leadership Forum.

Retention
Kim Vu
Global Head, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Remitly

Kim (she/her) is the global head of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Remitly, a fintech company serving over 5 million immigrants throughout the world to conveniently send money safely and securely to their families across global borders. She has been a banking executive and fintech startup advisor for over 20 years. The first half of Kim’s career was spent building and growing new lines of business. The latter half has been dedicated to scaling the social impact of financial institutions, developing and leading corporate social responsibility and ESG strategies — including how companies build trust and rapport with customers and communities and empower and engage employees.

Moderator – Retention
Monica Williams
Executive Producer, The Equity Project

Monica is a dynamic and proven leader with in-depth experience implementing strategic, enterprise-wide initiatives for Fortune 200 companies. Her experience and expertise span the breadth of diversity and inclusion; sales and employee referral programs; rewards, recognition, and employee engagement; operations, reporting, analysis, and budget management. In her current role at The Equity Project, she creates and produces tangible and measurable results for national organizations seeking to dismantle systematic racism and deconstruct equity. In leading equity work, Monica combines her strong business acumen with skills as a diplomatic Influencer and strategic visionary. She is driven by the challenge of creating meaning, impact, and value in diverse workplaces.

Organizational Development
Linda Jordon, Ph.D.
LRJ Coaching & Business Solutions; DEI faculty for Cornell University D&I Certification

Linda is an accomplished leader with 25+ years of working in corporate leadership, coaching, human resources, diversity & inclusion, and change management. She has served as an online faculty for Cornell University’s Diversity and Inclusion Certification Program. She has counseled leaders in Fortune 500 companies on various leadership topics. She has extensive coaching and training experience on diversity, equity and inclusion, international outsourcing, business process improvement, facilitation, and personal development coaching.

Organizational Development
Deena Pierott
Founder, iUrbanTeen and Black Women in STEM 2.0

Deena Pierott is also a Social Impact Entrepreneur and the Founder of the award-winning and nationally recognized STEM+Arts program for youth of color called iUrban Teen which has chapters in four states and most recently launched Black Women in STEM 2.0. She is also a diversity strategist and international public speaker. Deena has served on several boards and commissions including a Gubernatorial appointment to the Commission on African American Affairs in the State of Washington. She has been recognized by Essence Magazine’s “Top 50 Black Female Founders” (2018) and Top Black Women in STEM (2017). Deena also received the Washington State African American Achievement Award in 2017. Deena has been quoted in numerous publications, including Government Technology, Essence Magazine, Working Mother Magazine, Black Enterprise, Ebony Magazine, Geekwire, the Chicago Tribune, and on NPR.

Organizational Development
Terri-Nichelle Bradley
Founder & CEO Brown Toy Box

Founder and Principal of Play at Brown Toy Box, Bradley believes that Black children should see themselves positively represented in every space they experience regularly, starting with their toybox and the toy aisle. Bradley, an equity in play advocate, is on a mission to disrupt the $27B toy industry by creating a brand that reflects the world we live in today.

Launched in 2017 as a STEAM kit, Brown Toy Box evolved into a full-scale educational toy company producing and curating STEAM toys, media, and experiences for centering and celebrating Black children in a manner that allows all children to enjoy, learn, and have fun.

Prior to starting Brown Toy Box, Bradley led a communications consultancy, working with Fortune 500 companies in campaigns designed to connect with the African American community. Bradley was awarded the 2019 Civic Impact Award, recognized as a 2019 Atlanta’s Top 100 Businesswomen of Influence by the Atlanta Business League, acknowledged on the 2020 Who’s Who in Black Atlanta list of influential leaders, and most recently named to Inc. Magazine’s 2020 Female Founders 100 list.

Moderator – Organizational Development
Yolánda Chase
Chief Diversity Officer, WTIA

Yolánda brings 30+ years of HR expertise developing solid workplace DEI program frameworks and optimizing and leveling up existing ones. Throughout her career, she’s built a solid reputation as a trusted advisor/ expert, spending many years consulting in leadership capacities for a variety of industries within the public, private, non-profit, and government sectors. 

Drawing upon her SHRM Senior Certified Professional certification, project management, and conflict resolution certifications, complemented by her BA education in Organizational Development from Regis University. She demonstrates adept knowledge in strategic planning and program improvement by crafting solutions designed to evolve DEI practices that ultimately promote employee personal and professional well-being and equity for all.

Interactive Breakout Session
Shatana Allen
Vice President of People & Culture, Eberl Claims Service

Shatana Allen (she/her), is the Vice President of People & Culture at Eberl Claims Service, the nation’s leading tech-empowered insurance solutions provider. With over 16 years of experience in the field of human resources, Allen’s professional background includes a history of driving globally recognized talent priorities, HR leadership in public and private sectors, and a deep understanding of the talent opportunities that a constantly evolving business environment presents.

In addition to her leadership role at Eberl, Shatana is a 2020-2021, CiviCO Colorado Governors Fellow, and serves on the Board of Directors for Pop Culture Classroom, a non-profit organization whose mission is “to inspire a love of learning, increase literacy, celebrate diversity and build community, through the tools of popular culture and the power of self-expression.”

Shatana holds a master’s of education in Organizational Performance and Change from Colorado State University, a BA in communications, and a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification. She resides in Texas with her son and Boston Terrier, Oreo.