Member Webinar: International Women’s Day 2025: Session Two

Diana Forster is a Senior Director of Qualitative Research at Seramount. She is a survey researcher, statistician, and writer with experience delivering actionable research to government, corporate, and academic clients.

In this role, she has helped lead several of Seramount’s recent projects: “Keeping DEI Strong in Volatile Times,” “Gen Z Decoded: New Data on How Your Youngest Employees Want to Experience Work,” “Understanding Global DEI Success: Corporate and Local Implications,” and “DEI Backlash: What Employees Really Think.” She joined Seramount in 2022 as an Associate Director on the Consulting team.

Previously, Diana was a researcher with the American Institutes for Research (AIR). There, she worked with the Department of Education on projects related to K-12 education. Diana was also a founder and vice-chair of Women in Support of Equity (WISE), AIR’s first employee resource group for women.

 Prior to her time at AIR, Diana worked for eight years with the Center for Talent Innovation (now Coqual). 

Diana holds a BA in political science and history from the College of Charleston, an MA in political science from the University of Arizona, and a PhD in political science from the University of Florida, where she used cutting-edge survey research techniques to study the intersections of religion and political behavior in the United States. A lifelong learner, she is currently pursuing her MBA at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business as a Forté fellow. Diana lives in Bethesda, Maryland, and in her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing fiction, riding her Peloton, and going to the movies. She also volunteers as a dramaturg with local theatres.

Janessa is a Partner in KPMG’s Deal Advisory and Strategy (DAS) practice specializing in financial due diligence (FDD). With 21 years of experience, Janessa leads our East & Southwest FDD practice, Women in Advisory efforts and serves as the Deal Advisory & Strategy People & DEI Leader. In 2018, Janessa established the Women in DAS initiative and leadership council. As part of that effort, she spearheaded the practice’s premier women’s leadership development program for high-performing DAS directors that has evolved into a broader Advisory-wide Momentum Leadership program suite for developing talent at the manager and director levels. Janessa also championed and successfully launched our exclusive KPMG Executive Leadership Institute for Women (KELIW) program in our Boston market, which is KPMG’s commitment to skills development, leadership training and network advancement for women executives that continues to be a market leader today.

Miracle Olatunji is a Gen-Z leader, changemaker, and author of Purpose: How To Live and Lead With Impact.

Miracle is a mission-driven entrepreneur, community builder, and author of Purpose: How To Live and Lead with Impact. She is an advocate for gender and racial equality, mental health, and financial literacy. She is also the creator of Her Wallet Media, an inclusive financial literacy and wellness platform. She has been honored as a “Young Futurist and Game-changer” by The Root Magazine and her work has been featured in Forbes, The Female Lead, and other publications. Miracle was part of a campaign by Melinda Gates and the Harvard Business Review called ‘Equality Can’t Wait’ focused on accelerating progress towards gender equality globally. Recently, Miracle partnered with Colgate on ‘The Optimism Project’, an initiative to empower fellow Gen Zers.

Thelma Tamez is a Director of Research Development and Member Advisory at Seramount. A dedicated and experienced Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) leader, she brings over 15 years of expertise in fostering inclusive workplaces and advocating for equitable practices.
Fluent in English and Spanish, Thelma leverages her skills in strategic planning, training and development, and community engagement to drive meaningful impact. She actively serves on the boards of Easter Seals, SHRM, Comfort House, Junior League of McAllen (JLM), CASA, and TEDx McAllen, where her passion for building inclusive communities is evident.
A SHRM-certified professional and Certified Diversity Professional, Thelma remains committed to advancing DEI within organizations and the communities she serves.