Member Conference: Moving the Needle: Advance Your Global Inclusion Strategy

Karla oversees GDIS external affairs in more than 50 countries working to accelerate Intel’s strategy to become the most inclusive and responsible company on the planet. A 25-year Intel veteran, advanced her career into different management and leadership positions. She is a best-selling author of Unleash Your Career Potential, a speaker, coach, and trainer certified through John Maxwell’s leadership training. Karla has received numerous leadership recognitions, including “El Financiero,” top 40 under 40 country leader, PBWC industry leader award, recognized as woman of excellence by the Women Economic Forum and women leader in Latin America by the Continental University in Mexico. Aspen Institute Fellow, member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Karla completed her undergraduate studies in customs administration at the University of Costa Rica and pursued an advanced MBA in international business.  Connect with her on LinkedIn.

Carlos is a business-minded, nationally recognized leader who understands the demands companies face in balancing the need to drive industry-leading financial and operational performance while working to create and foster best-in-class teams and a winning inclusive culture that allows diverse perspectives to thrive and play a critical role in maximizing results. In his role as VP of DE&I, Carlos collaborates with and supports leaders across Constellation Brands, Inc. to accelerate the adoption and execution of its evolved DE&I strategy in alignment with the company’s vision and strategic priorities. Carlos joined Constellation Brands from McDonald’s where, as Global Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, he led a cross-functional team responsible for the creation and development of the company’s global DE&I strategy. He also developed the strategy and governance structure for the company’s employee resource groups, and provided support to McDonald’s corporate employees, franchisees, suppliers, customers, and communities across the globe. Prior to his tenure at McDonald’s, Carlos served as Head of Diversity Recruitment and Diverse Stakeholder Engagement at Groupon.

Carlos is active in the DE&I community and serves on several industry-leading organizations, including the National Beer Wholesalers Association and the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. A native Spanish speaker, Carlos is originally from Puerto Rico and currently resides in the Greater Chicagoland area.

Deb Dagit is a sought-after consultant and speaker on the topics of diversity and inclusion. She started Deb Dagit Diversity LLC in 2013 to deliver the practical, just-in-time services and products she wished were available when she was a Chief Diversity Officer.  As Merck’s VP and CDO for almost 12 years, Deb was responsible for global equal opportunity, employee relations, recruiting and staffing, and diversity and inclusion. Under her leadership, the company was recognized for its exemplary work in diversity and inclusion by a wide range of business publications, government agencies, and professional organizations.  A sampling of recognition includes:  Diversityinc Top 50 for nine consecutive years, 100 score on HRC Corporate Equality Index for eight consecutive years, Disability U.S. New Freedom Award, Military U.S. Freedom Award, Out and Equal Trailblazer award, Black Enterprise Top 100, Working Mother Top 100 for 20 consecutive years, to name a few.

She played a role in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act through her lobbying efforts, and testified before the U.S. Senate Health Education Labor and Pensions Committee in 2011 regarding best practices for improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Sanjyot P. Dunung is a serial entrepreneur and global business executive with expertise in managing businesses through economic cycles and transformational change. A business evangelist and catalyst of growth, she has multidisciplinary skills in strategic planning, business development, raising venture and private capital, proprietary product development, channel partner strategy, and leading global teams. She has a track record of helping businesses optimize costs and efficiencies by developing and implementing innovative digital learning and content solutions, including SaaS B2C and B2B, across multiple vertical markets.

Sanjyot has extensive global expertise with intuitive and seasoned in-depth knowledge of the intersection of business, global affairs, culture, technology, and education. Sanjyot is a recognized thought leader integrating strategic global business and cultural leadership. Additionally, blending the practitioner-academic mindset, she provides consultative mentoring and problem-solving to boards and senior management.

Sanjyot is currently CEO and founder of Atma Global, an award-winning developer of innovative learning content and solutions, focusing on countries, cultures, business and global topics for the corporate, education, government, and travel markets. The firm recently launched Atma Insights, an award-winning digital streaming, subscription service, featuring proprietary engaging and essential culture, country, business and global topics learning videos.

She leads Atma Cultural Advisory Services which provides thought leadership to global institutions, including the Fortune 500 and the government, on the impact, effectiveness, and cultural suitability of marketing, advertising, communications, and business processes and programs in target groups and across borders. The firm develops cost-effective learning solutions, enhancing the effectiveness of institutional initiatives and improving overall profitability.

Sanjyot authors articles, appears on global media, and is often a guest speaker at conferences and seminars addressing international business, global cultures, and entrepreneurship. She has written sixteen business books including International Business: Opportunities and Challenges in a Flattening World (FlatWorld Knowledge); Global Management (FlatWorld Knowledge); Straight Talk About Starting and Growing Your Own Business (McGraw Hill); and Doing Business in Asia: The Complete Guides (Simon & Schuster). Sanjyot began her career as a banker in New York with American and Japanese banks.

Sanjyot currently serves on the Board of Advisors, Truman Center for National Policy, Advisory Board of the Thunderbird School of Global Management and the Board of Trustees, National Small Business Association. Previously, she served as a member of the Board of Directors of UNICEF USA. She mentors entrepreneurs around the world. Her first activist young adult novel, Maddie & Sayara, explores the diverging paths of young girls around the world.

Sanjyot has received several awards, including the 2021 Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business Award and the 2021 AmChamRepresent Business Transformation Award: Women in Business. Her academic history includes a BA from Northwestern University and an MBA with an emphasis in International Finance from Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is a recipient of the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award and is a Professor of Practice. Sanjyot was born in India and raised in Liverpool, England, and Chicago, USA. She now lives in New York with her three sons.

Barbara Frankel is Senior Director of the Insights division at Seramount, working on global and US diversity surveys, national thought-leader projects, and groundbreaking research on inclusion and DEI topics and how to create family-friendly workplaces. She was the leader of the recent Pledge to Progress research project, which details corporate America’s progress in combating racism in the year since the murder of George Floyd.

Barbara is a thought leader, editor, writer, manager, and consultant in global and US diversity management, business development and marketing, business journalism, and human- and civil-rights advocacy.

She previously was executive editor and senior vice president at DiversityInc. Barbara has served on the national Board of Directors of GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) and the global advisory board of WeConnect International, a nonprofit that helps women entrepreneurs be corporate suppliers, as well as Garden State Equality.

As the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer for NTT DATA Services, Terri Hatcher leads the organization’s implementation of a focused diversity, equity and inclusion strategy as a business imperative, supporting world class innovation while fostering inclusion, advancement and retention at every level.  In her current role, she leverages her more than 20 years of experience in HR, driving HR programs and initiatives that support business objectives in leadership development, performance management and workplace violence awareness and safety. Hatcher has a B.A. in Business Administration from Clark Atlanta University, an M.A. in Management from Indiana Wesleyan University and a Senior Human Resource Professional (SPHR) certification.

A Human Resource Leader with 29 years of work experience spanning across multiple facets of HR. Currently leading a multidimensional global portfolio encompassing, Diversity & Inclusion, Talent Development, Employee Experience & Engagement.

The charter of Diversity and Inclusion is based on the premise that an increased degree of diversity, inclusion and a ‘sense of belonging’ in an organization translates into smarter, more creative, innovative and empathetic workforce. This in turn empowers the organization to achieve competitive business advantage. The focus is on creating a culture of Inclusion and mitigating bias.

As a Talent Development leader, her forte lies in designing and developing a Business Context based Talent Development Strategy to strengthen the organizational Culture and Capability, showcasing a clear business impact.

The third dimension to the role includes the entire spectrum of Employee Experience & engagement where the focus is to deploy effective strategies for improving performance and productivity.

An innovative thought leader and strategic business partner, Donnebra has spent over seventeen years with Ceridian cultivating leaders who are consciously unbiased and intentionally inclusive.

Donnebra earned a bachelor’s degree in Educational Leadership and a master’s degree in Transformative Leadership from Bethune Cookman University. As a lifelong learner, she also earned certifications in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Cornell University and the University of South Florida. Donnebra is currently a doctoral student in Strategic Leadership at Carolina University.

Sharing her passion for reading, Donnebra established Leaders are Readers, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving literacy in underserved communities in the Tampa Bay area.

Katie Oertli Mooney is a Managing Director at Seramount. She is an accomplished DEI leader and thought partner with expertise in driving strategy and growth of diversity and inclusion change management, planning and programs. Prior to joining Seramount, she was responsible for overseeing the client delivery, staffing, operations and growth as Vice President of Jennifer Brown Consulting. She was accountable for the firm’s successful consulting project delivery to clients from the Fortune 1000, government agencies, startups, to nonprofits.

Prior to that, she managed the DEI enterprise learning and development strategy at Capital One specializing in differential investment programming to support historically underrepresented talent and communities of color. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the GSBA; the largest LGBTQ and allied chamber of commerce in North America and is supporting the organization in 2020, by advancing diversity, equity and inclusion for the Board of Directors, for the benefit of GSBA staff, members, partners and the LGBTQ+ and allied community of Washington State. Katie has a Master’s degree in Human Resource Management with a concentration on Diversity and Inclusion Management from Georgetown University. She is based in Seattle, WA.

Justin Nelson is the Co-Founder & President of the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC), the business voice of the LGBT community and the largest LGBT economic advocacy and business development organization in the world. NGLCC is the exclusive private sector certifying body for LGBT-owned businesses. In addition to over 50 LGBT affiliate chambers in the United States representing America’s 1.4 million LGBT business owners, NGLCC leads economic development opportunities for over a dozen international affiliates.

Justin is the recipient of the 2016 Excellence Award by the US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce and the 2017 Disability:IN Global Disability Leadership Award for his work in building and leading cross-segment partnerships. He has also been named to the Global LGBT Power 100 by the UK’s Guardian Newspaper, Top 20 Leaders We Admire by SmartCEO Magazine, and twice to The OUT 100, to name a few. Justin resides in Washington, DC and holds a B.A. from the University of Wyoming.

Dr. Cindy Pace is Vice President, Global Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at MetLife. In this role, Dr. Pace leads the global D&I strategy for an enterprise wide employee base of ~47,000 in more than 40 countries. Aligned to the company’s business imperative, Dr. Pace drives and promotes DEI as critical success factors to fuel innovation, cross-cultural collaboration and business success. Dr. Pace is also a leadership scholar practitioner who frequently provides thought leadership at global conferences and academic institutions where she presents on global diversity, inclusive leadership, purpose and women’s leadership. Her insights have been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Fortune Magazine and the book Women’s Leadership Journeys: Stories, Research, and Novel Perspectives.

Megan Pierouchakos is a senior director and membership relationship advisor at Seramount. In her role at Seramount, Megan advises Fortune 100 & 500 companies on their talent and DEI initiatives. Prior to Seramount, Megan spent 15 years in corporate roles as a Talent & DEI practitioner spanning the entire talent lifecycle. Most recently, she was Vice President of Human Resources at the American Bankers Association (ABA) where she set the strategic direction for learning and development, talent management, and succession planning. Prior to that, Megan was the Workforce Diversity Manager in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at Freddie Mac.

She was recently a part-time adjunct faculty member with the Georgetown HRM program, served a two-year term on the Georgetown HRM Advisory Board, and was a strategic plan task force member with the Centre for Global Inclusion. Megan holds a SPHR certification from HRCI and a Prosci ADKAR Change Management Certification.

Megan received her undergraduate degree from Mount Holyoke College with a dual major in International Relations and Spanish and has a graduate degree from Georgetown University in HR Management. She resides in Northern Virginia with her family and actively volunteers with the Girl Scouts of America and other youth organizations her children participate in.

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.