Meet the Team test

Born in Cuba, Maria immigrated to the U.S. with her family as a four-year old. Her formative experiences as an immigrant is partly what drew her to work in the diversity and inclusion (D&I) field. Throughout her career of 35 years, Maria has developed inclusion and diversity training and successfully trained thousands of executives, managers, and employees across a wide range of industries.

Maria stood out in the field because of her compassionate approach, powerful ability to connect people, and success at building inclusive cultures. In 2013, she launched Inclusity to pursue an empathetic, inclusion-focused approach to D&I work, believing that when we “lead with inclusion, diversity will follow.”

Prior to Inclusity, Maria was executive vice president of Pope & Associates, a leading D&I training and consulting firm, and vice president of human resources for R. R. Donnelley Logistics. She began her career at Procter and Gamble Company, where she became the company’s first Hispanic sales and marketing manager.

Maria’s compassion also extends to the community. She currently serves on the board of the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, is a Rotary member, and previously served in an advisory capacity on the U.S. Senate Task Force on Hispanic Affairs.

Maria has an M.A. in counseling from Xavier University and a B.A. in communications from the University of Toledo. She holds a certification in PROSCI change management. She works out of the central Inclusity office in Perrysburg, Ohio.

As a presenter and champion of the business case for diversity and inclusion in her community, Latonya is a trailblazer. Her dedication for D&I and her effortless skill with people have made Latonya a sought-out leader for consulting and facilitating workshops and business conversations. In her work, Latonya applies this passion and business acumen to identify solutions that enhance the business climate in her community. She diligently advocates for the business community, with the ultimate goal of helping to build cultures in which all employees can thrive.

Over her 28+ years of leadership, Latonya has worked in multiple leadership positions in the financial industry. She achieved notable success in sales management, professional development of others, team engagement, organizational leadership, and strategic thinking, which improved revenue for the organization.

Mitchell is passionate about developing evidence-based solutions to promote inclusion that are supported by data. He uses his skills as a PhD in Psychology to inform Inclusity’s programs and services and performs evaluations to determine their effectiveness.

In his work with the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Mitchell developed several effective initiatives that increased the well-being of students belonging to marginalized backgrounds, reduced the achievement gap, and increased the diversity of students’ social networks. He loves working to better understand the unique challenges, climate, and opportunities that exist in each new context and employing scientifically grounded tactics to promote behavior change.

Mitchell grew up in Duluth, MN and earned his bachelor’s degree at Carleton College. His interest in inclusion was sparked by getting to know people with very different experiences from his own: a few of his closest neighbors in his freshman dorm included a Latino football player from south Texas, a Bhutanese refugee, and a black lesbian woman from Georgia. By learning more about their lives and through his own journey as a gay man, Mitchell became interested in inclusion. Since then, he has worked in numerous advocacy roles in addition to his scientific work.

After graduating from Carleton, Mitchell went on to earn his MS in Psychology and PhD in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

An experienced writer, editor, speaker and facilitator, Terrance is passionate about making a difference in the lives of others. He takes pride in building relationships with people and helping them gain the tools, skills and resources needed to get them from where they are to where they want to be.

Over the past 20 years, Terrance’s career path has included working as a journalist and non-profit professional. As an accomplished journalist, Terrance worked at the Detroit Free Press for ten years. He honed the craft of compelling storytelling, winning multiple writing awards, including Michigan Associated Press writer of the year honors. He has an impeccable sense for a great story and has used this skill to identify and shape excellent stories at a top-20 newspaper, where he managed and mentored fledgling reporters.

At United Way for Southeastern Michigan, Terrance first served as director of high school success then as work-based learning director. In his tenure there, he partnered with high school principals to help connect them with critical resources. He also collaborated with corporate partners to bring real world experiences to the classroom and engaged volunteers in capacity-building initiatives.

Terrance has a proven track record for developing content and facilitating training for professionals, including building opportunities for meaningful interaction with young people from diverse social and economic backgrounds. He is adept at developing strong teams and has experience managing staff and grooming young professionals to help them achieve their career goals.

Terrance is a Detroit native and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Western Michigan University. He is a volunteer pastor at his church.

José is a management consultant and trainer with Inclusity. He is an expert in leadership development, executive coaching, D&I business strategies and community relations, having worked as a translator, facilitator and project manager.

His primary focus is leadership development: coaching and skill building managers to face the challenges of leading multicultural and global teams. He works to establish a level playing field for performance excellence, leading the way to long-term enterprise sustainability.

José has designed and facilitated D&I workshops to improve employee relationships, increase appreciation of cultural differences, create effective team interaction and develop conflict management strategies for major companies. He coordinated a supplier diversity program aimed at developing business partnerships between corporate business units and ethnic minority- and women-owned enterprises.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, José is bilingual and bicultural in American English and Latin American Spanish. He has utilized his culture-spanning skills to conduct translations and market research focus groups, as well as facilitate workshops, negotiations, presentations and consultations about Hispanic markets throughout America and Latin America. José has directed marketing campaigns to introduce energy assistance and conservation, electrical safety programs and health services to new markets. One of his proudest accomplishments was managing a $1.5 million budget for corporate social responsibility projects.

José holds a BS in Science Education from Temple University and a BS in Education from the University of Puerto Rico, with certificates in Corporate Community Relations, Organizational Development, Gender Communication Facilitation and Executive Coaching. He works out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Deseri is a passionate coach, facilitator, and speaker whose goal is to genuinely connect with people to help them improve both team and personal effectiveness. Calling on nearly 20 years of corporate experience in the transportation industry, Deseri has been providing coaching and leadership development since 2004.

As a gifted team builder, Deseri works with executives, directors, managers, and business owners to support leadership development and team continuity. She is an accredited facilitator of “The 5 Behaviors of a Cohesive Team,” and holds certifications from the Association for Challenge Course Technology, the Coaching Clinic-Corporate Coach U and the Predictive Index.

A venture capitalist, entrepreneur and strategist, Shaun brings a robust business background to his work as an Inclusity consultant. He founded ProSyte Companies, a diversified holding entity investing in businesses and real estate in the U.S. and Europe, after an 18-year career at Eli Lilly and Company.

From 2012–2015, Shaun was vice president of new ventures and private equity investing at Eli Lilly. In 2009, he was promoted to chief diversity officer to lead the development and implementation of Lilly’s global diversity and inclusion strategy. Lilly received national recognition for its efforts and progress during Shaun’s tenure.

Prior to serving as chief diversity officer, he was director of private equity, where he built strategic investment syndicates and new entities to accelerate the development of early-stage innovation. In 2007, he was certified as a Six Sigma black belt.

Shaun currently serves on the board of directors for Invesque, Inc., where he chairs the governance and nominating committee and is a member of the audit committee. In 2017, Shaun earned a Board Governance Fellowship from the National Association of Corporate Directors (US).

Shaun graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Tennessee. He has a master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

As director of communications for Inclusity, Lisa blends her talent and interest in written and visual communications to engage clients in meaningful ways. With 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector, she developed a well-rounded skillset in communication, graphic design, and marketing.

Through her professional career, Lisa has developed and implemented organizational branding, created and executed marketing plans, coordinated events, and facilitated media relations and coverage. Most recently, she served the Jewish Community Board of Akron as an editor, designer, and communications coordinator.

Based in Cleveland, she enjoys reading, gardening, yoga, and being involved in the community. Lisa is mom to one kid, two cats, and many plants.

Patrick brings 20+ years of facilitation experience to Inclusity’s team as a management consultant and facilitator. His work as an organization development consultant cultivated the ability to effectively work with all levels of any organization. Whether coaching individuals, improving team dynamics, assessing organizations, or managing change efforts for a system, Patrick is always focused on supporting the client’s goals and vision. He is recognized for motivating and partnering with leaders to create lasting and sustainable change, for both individuals and organizations.

Patrick completed his Master of Science in Organization Development (MSOD) at American University. Prior to his higher education experiences, he first became immersed in group theory, inclusion, leadership development, and experiential education while working in camp settings and leading high ropes courses. When he isn’t working, you will find him running around with and after his four kiddos: Zachary, Alexander, Benjamin, and Emma. He is based in Indianapolis.

With demonstrated skill and a sincere interest in helping people develop professionally, Tina coaches clients and facilitates training for Inclusity. Workshop participants have noted her “contagious energy” as well as her “warm and welcoming” approach.

For 20 years, Tina has merged her people skills and strong business aptitude to successfully manage programs in various industries. She has served as an IT relationship manager and global vendor manager. At Eli Lilly, Tina created and implemented diversity and inclusion programs as its Inclusive Leadership program manager. She also created two-year Leadership Academy as a leadership development consultant to the corporation.

Based in Toledo, Tina holds certifications as a Project Management Professional, Diversity and Inclusion Change Agent, and personal and professional coach. She has completed coursework toward a PhD in international psychology with a specific focus on corporations. She has an Executive MBA and a BA in economics with specialty areas of management and communications from Purdue University.

Lynn has 30 years of experience in corporate America, where she worked in human resources as the Manager of Learning and Development for The Andersons (a diversified agribusiness headquartered in Maumee, Ohio).

Lynn’s major responsibilities at The Andersons included leadership and management development for all levels of the organization as well as employee relations. She dealt with many HR issues including harassment and discrimination cases, performance improvement, team building, team performance issues, employee engagement, mentoring and more.

In addition to Lynn’s learning and development responsibilities, she spearheaded the inclusion and diversity initiative at The Andersons. Her experience in this role, with its successes and challenges, equipped her to skillfully handle the issues that can surface as a company embraces inclusion.

Lynn has a BS degree from Ohio State University and a MEd degree from the University of Toledo. In addition to holding many leadership and training certifications, she is a certified SPHR (senior professional in human resources).

Born in Cuba, Maria immigrated to the U.S. with her family as a four-year old. Her formative experiences as an immigrant is partly what drew her to work in the diversity and inclusion (D&I) field. Throughout her career of 35 years, Maria has developed inclusion and diversity training and successfully trained thousands of executives, managers, and employees across a wide range of industries.

Maria stood out in the field because of her compassionate approach, powerful ability to connect people, and success at building inclusive cultures. In 2013, she launched Inclusity to pursue an empathetic, inclusion-focused approach to D&I work, believing that when we “lead with inclusion, diversity will follow.”

Prior to Inclusity, Maria was executive vice president of Pope & Associates, a leading D&I training and consulting firm, and vice president of human resources for R. R. Donnelley Logistics. She began her career at Procter and Gamble Company, where she became the company’s first Hispanic sales and marketing manager.

Maria’s compassion also extends to the community. She currently serves on the board of the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, is a Rotary member, and previously served in an advisory capacity on the U.S. Senate Task Force on Hispanic Affairs.

Maria has an M.A. in counseling from Xavier University and a B.A. in communications from the University of Toledo. She holds a certification in PROSCI change management. She works out of the central Inclusity office in Perrysburg, Ohio.

Mitchell is passionate about developing evidence-based solutions to promote inclusion that are supported by data. He uses his skills as a PhD in Psychology to inform Inclusity’s programs and services and performs evaluations to determine their effectiveness.

In his work with the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Mitchell developed several effective initiatives that increased the well-being of students belonging to marginalized backgrounds, reduced the achievement gap, and increased the diversity of students’ social networks. He loves working to better understand the unique challenges, climate, and opportunities that exist in each new context and employing scientifically grounded tactics to promote behavior change.

Mitchell grew up in Duluth, MN and earned his bachelor’s degree at Carleton College. His interest in inclusion was sparked by getting to know people with very different experiences from his own: a few of his closest neighbors in his freshman dorm included a Latino football player from south Texas, a Bhutanese refugee, and a black lesbian woman from Georgia. By learning more about their lives and through his own journey as a gay man, Mitchell became interested in inclusion. Since then, he has worked in numerous advocacy roles in addition to his scientific work.

After graduating from Carleton, Mitchell went on to earn his MS in Psychology and PhD in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

José is a management consultant and trainer with Inclusity. He is an expert in leadership development, executive coaching, D&I business strategies and community relations, having worked as a translator, facilitator and project manager.

His primary focus is leadership development: coaching and skill building managers to face the challenges of leading multicultural and global teams. He works to establish a level playing field for performance excellence, leading the way to long-term enterprise sustainability.

José has designed and facilitated D&I workshops to improve employee relationships, increase appreciation of cultural differences, create effective team interaction and develop conflict management strategies for major companies. He coordinated a supplier diversity program aimed at developing business partnerships between corporate business units and ethnic minority- and women-owned enterprises.

Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, José is bilingual and bicultural in American English and Latin American Spanish. He has utilized his culture-spanning skills to conduct translations and market research focus groups, as well as facilitate workshops, negotiations, presentations and consultations about Hispanic markets throughout America and Latin America. José has directed marketing campaigns to introduce energy assistance and conservation, electrical safety programs and health services to new markets. One of his proudest accomplishments was managing a $1.5 million budget for corporate social responsibility projects.

José holds a BS in Science Education from Temple University and a BS in Education from the University of Puerto Rico, with certificates in Corporate Community Relations, Organizational Development, Gender Communication Facilitation and Executive Coaching. He works out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A venture capitalist, entrepreneur and strategist, Shaun brings a robust business background to his work as an Inclusity consultant. He founded ProSyte Companies, a diversified holding entity investing in businesses and real estate in the U.S. and Europe, after an 18-year career at Eli Lilly and Company.

From 2012–2015, Shaun was vice president of new ventures and private equity investing at Eli Lilly. In 2009, he was promoted to chief diversity officer to lead the development and implementation of Lilly’s global diversity and inclusion strategy. Lilly received national recognition for its efforts and progress during Shaun’s tenure.

Prior to serving as chief diversity officer, he was director of private equity, where he built strategic investment syndicates and new entities to accelerate the development of early-stage innovation. In 2007, he was certified as a Six Sigma black belt.

Shaun currently serves on the board of directors for Invesque, Inc., where he chairs the governance and nominating committee and is a member of the audit committee. In 2017, Shaun earned a Board Governance Fellowship from the National Association of Corporate Directors (US).

Shaun graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Tennessee. He has a master’s degree in business administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

As director of communications for Inclusity, Lisa blends her talent and interest in written and visual communications to engage clients in meaningful ways. With 15 years of experience in the non-profit sector, she developed a well-rounded skillset in communication, graphic design, and marketing.

Through her professional career, Lisa has developed and implemented organizational branding, created and executed marketing plans, coordinated events, and facilitated media relations and coverage. Most recently, she served the Jewish Community Board of Akron as an editor, designer, and communications coordinator.

Based in Cleveland, she enjoys reading, gardening, yoga, and being involved in the community. Lisa is mom to one kid, two cats, and many plants.

With demonstrated skill and a sincere interest in helping people develop professionally, Tina coaches clients and facilitates training for Inclusity. Workshop participants have noted her “contagious energy” as well as her “warm and welcoming” approach.

For 20 years, Tina has merged her people skills and strong business aptitude to successfully manage programs in various industries. She has served as an IT relationship manager and global vendor manager. At Eli Lilly, Tina created and implemented diversity and inclusion programs as its Inclusive Leadership program manager. She also created two-year Leadership Academy as a leadership development consultant to the corporation.

Based in Toledo, Tina holds certifications as a Project Management Professional, Diversity and Inclusion Change Agent, and personal and professional coach. She has completed coursework toward a PhD in international psychology with a specific focus on corporations. She has an Executive MBA and a BA in economics with specialty areas of management and communications from Purdue University.

For over 25 years, Dr. Lewis has helped organizations and executives address challenges and implement innovative solutions. Specializing in organizational and leadership development, as well as diversity and inclusion, Dr. Lewis has worked extensively with teams and individuals around leadership style, high-potential development, and mobility, incorporating 360 assessments and psychometric instruments.

She has led diversity and inclusion initiatives, employee engagement action plans, change management strategies, and talent development programs to create diverse and inclusive work environments. Dr. Lewis has facilitated corporate workshops and taught undergraduate and graduate courses as an adjunct professor online and in the classroom.

She has held positions with the Church Pension Group, Guardian Life Insurance Company, Sony Music Entertainment, NYU Medical Center, Medgar Evers College, and CUNY School of Professional Studies.

Dr. Lewis has an EdD in organizational leadership; a M.S. in human resource management; an MBA in management and a BS in business administration. Her extensive professional experience and industry research contributed to her doctoral dissertation, which examined the impact of career development opportunities on employee engagement. She is a Certified Diversity Executive and a Certified Professional Coach.

Dr. Lewis believes in giving back and using her knowledge to help others. Her volunteerism includes serving as a board member of CUNY SPS Advisory Board and a D&I committee member for the Alzheimer’s Association.

Zaida brings 32 years of extensive experience as an HR professional to her role as a facilitator. Passionate about encouraging and connecting people, she excels in developing talent through coaching, training, and mentoring. Most recently Zaida served as vice president of human resources and director of employee and organization development for Goodwill. She formerly worked with migrant workers for Red Gold, Inc. in Indiana and held HR management positions with Ethicon, LLC and Hanes Menswear, Inc.

Zaida holds a master’s degree in positive organization development and change from Case Western Reserve University and is also a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico with a degree in psychology. Committed to continuous improvement, she holds numerous certifications including Senior Professional in Human Resources (SHRM-SCP), Certified Change Practitioner (PROSCI), and Certified Diversity Professional (Institute for Diversity Certification).

In her community, Zaida has served as a community liaison for English for Students of Other Languages (ESOL) and a board member of Indiana INTERNnet. She is based in Indianapolis.

As an experienced non-profit professional, Stormie has a proven track record for strategic planning, relationship management and talent development. She served as Learning & Development Manager at City Year Chicago, where she created and implemented tiered professional development programs for City Year Staff.

In her role as training manager, Stormie uses her deep understanding of program development, facilitation and strategy to help ensure consistently excellent experiences for our clients. As a D&I champion for at her previous employer, Stormie co-created and chaired a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging committee for four years, designing programming, policies and strategies. She also developed a library of D&I learning content for professional development.

Stormie holds a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Michigan State University’s James Madison College. She holds a certificate from Northwestern University in leading diversity equity and inclusion. Her passions include golfing with family and friends, cooking and baking gluten-free recipes, and spending time with her two rescue dogs, Sweet Pea and Dunkin.