Breaking Silos, Building Trust: Nurturing Psychological Safety within Teams

Richelle Caday is a Senior Associate on the Advisory team at Seramount. In her role, she supports advisory on Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) by developing presentations, generating resources, and conducting research that synthesizes complex ERG and DEI ideas into actionable solutions and best practices for partners. Richelle also leads Seramount’s ERG Impact Awards program by managing application and judging processes to  recognize ERGs and their leaders for championing best practices that drive measurable impact within their organizations and communities

Driven by community organizing and social advocacy, Richelle has a strong commitment to uplifting marginalized and underserved communities. Prior to Seramount, Richelle led student development and inclusion programs within higher education student affairs via cultural centers, cultural assemblies, and undergraduate student government. Heavily involved in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) spaces, Richelle has worked for and volunteered with various AANHPI nonprofits and community-based organizations at both local and national levels.

Richelle holds a BA in Psychology and in Nongovernmental Organizations and Social Change from the University of Southern California (fight on!). She is based in Los Angeles, California, where she was proudly born and raised. Richelle enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and going to the beach during her free time.

A consultant, speaker, and coach serving as a strategist and thought partner to business leaders around the globe, focusing on human centered work experiences.
My current role at EAB is in Talent Operations and Strategy, works with both human resources business partnership and learning and development teams with a central Talent perspective across the employee lifecycle.
A founding partner at PPL MGT, an HR Solutions consulting firm, where I specialize in facilitating behavior change to drive impact for individuals and teams.
In my spare time, I volunteer as a board member, as a National Advisor to ATD chapter leaders across the country, and at a makerspace as a Textile Steward to promote learning and creation.

Experienced and accomplished leader in the health and wellness industry known for effectively guiding individuals and organizations towards improved functioning. Demonstrates exceptional facilitation and influencing skills, adept at cultivating strong relations with key partners. Extensive experience in individual and corporate consultative sales. Challenges the notion of work/life balance by equipping individuals with essential life tools to achieve overall balance in all areas of their lives.

Dr. Shyama Venkateswar is currently the Senior Director, Learning, at Seramount, where she heads up the development and design of tailored DEI curriculum and workshops based on client needs to tackle complex workplace culture and talent challenges.

In 2021, she was appointed to the NYC Commission on Gender Equity by the Mayor of New York. She has more than 20 years of experience in addressing social and policy issues, and has built her career in the higher-education and nonprofit space.

Most recently, Shyama served as director of the Public Policy Program at Roosevelt House and as a faculty member at Hunter College, City University of New York, a position that she held for eight years. There, she led the expansion and governance of the program, crafted new and innovative curriculum, taught the Capstone curriculum, and played an instrumental role in implementing initiatives for student and faculty development, with a focus on providing opportunities for first-generation learners, immigrants, undocumented and other underrepresented students through comprehensive mentoring programs.

Before arriving at Hunter College Public Policy Program, Shyama was director of Research and Programs at the National Council for Research on Women (now merged with the International Center for Research on Women). In this role, she helped provide the vision and strategic direction of the council’s policy agenda on economic security and women’s leadership, and received grants from foundations and corporate philanthropy. Shyama has also served as the founding director of Mercy Corps’ Action Center to End World Hunger, and as director of the Asian Social Issues Program at the Asia Society.

Shyama is a graduate of Smith College and received her Ph.D. from Columbia University in political science.