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.

Elizabeth A. Vazquez is the CEO and Co-Founder of WEConnect International, a global network that educates and connects women-owned businesses to qualified buyers around the world. She is a world leader in women’s economic empowerment and global supplier diversity and inclusion.

As the head of WEConnect International, Ms. Vazquez is responsible for mission delivery and measurable impact. WEConnect International identifies, educates, registers, and certifies women’s business enterprises that are at least 51% owned, managed, and controlled by one or more women, and then connects them with member buyers. The WEConnect International WECommunity supports and promotes women-owned businesses based in over 130 countries. The organization also helps to develop the capacity of large buyers to source more products and services from underutilized suppliers, including women-owned businesses globally.

Ms. Vazquez is the co-author of the book, “Buying for Impact: How to Buy from Women and Change Our World.”

Nichelle Wash is a Director on the Advisory team at Seramount. She is a results-focused DEI leader who specializes in supporting key areas of DEI strategy. She has been the chair of DEI councils and quasi-government boards, building support for the senior leadership team to integrate DEI throughout their lines of business. This work resulted in culture and change management for employees across the enterprise that was focused on sustainability and scale. She has also overseen diversity recruitment and outreach efforts for organizations, providing real solutions to attract and retain employees with a focus on diverse hiring strategies. Nichelle is a sought-after facilitator who has delivered workshops around DEI for over a decade. She was recently recognized as Woman of the Year for her role in designing and delivering DEI education; hosting a precollege camp to increase the number of girls interested in coding and entrepreneurship; and she sourced projects to address homelessness and support pathways to housing security across her home state of Indiana.

Nichelle is an alumna of Indiana University Bloomington, where she started her career in health care and biomedical research before pivoting to a career in higher education. In her self-healing time, Nichelle enjoys listening to audiobooks, playing basketball, dancing to live music, and traveling.

Safiya “Saf” Osei (they/she) is an Associate on the Advisory Team at Seramount. In this role, Saf supports advisory on the Talent Terrain, assists the CDO collaborative, designs and scripts partner intensives, and creates new processes to increase accessibility in the workplace. Saf worked as a Research Associate on the Market Insights team at EAB before transitioning to Seramount in July 2022, continuing her commitment to making communities stronger.
Saf graduated from Bowdoin College with a BA in Sociology and a minor in Africana Studies. They are committed to cultivating safe and accessible communities, organizing social events, and facilitating creative gatherings in their free time. Saf is also interested in music, reading, writing, yoga, and imagining a world where all people are liberated. Raised in Maryland and Virginia on occupied Piscataway land, Saf is the proud cat parent to Raven.

Heba Mahmoud is Senior Manager of Inclusion & Diversity at MITRE Corporation.  In her role she is responsible for designing, leading, executing, and integrating strategic enterprise-wide I&D initiatives, practices, and processes that cultivate an inclusive culture and reinforces a sense of belonging.  A mission-driven professional, Heba spent the last 17 years working with membership associations to create inclusive, diverse, and equitable professional sectors that welcome and engage underrepresented communities.

Prior to MITRE, Heba was the senior manager of diversity initiatives at the Consumer Technology Association, where she was responsible for building and implementing initiatives to advance inclusion in the tech ecosystem. Previously, Heba worked at the Association of Fundraising Professionals where she took the lead in launching the Women’s Impact Initiative, a program to help advance female fundraisers into leadership roles.

Heba holds an MBA in Business Management from Strayer University and a Bachelor of International Business and Marketing from Howard University. She is also a scholar in the 2018-2020 class of the American Society of Association Executives’ Diversity Executive Leadership Program (DELP). Heba is passionate about youth engagement and actively volunteers with several Washington, D.C. area groups. Heba started a small non-profit organization focused on supporting and engaging Nubian-Egyptian Youth in the DC metro area, and she is a featured author in Collecting Courage: Joy, Pain, Freedom, Love, a collection of stories from fourteen Black writers detailing their experiences in the non-profit sector in the US and Canada.

Stephanie E. Turner is Vice President, Inclusion, Diversity, and Social Innovation at MITRE. She works collaboratively to develop and drive an integrated inclusion and diversity strategy that will also represent the other two functions she oversees—new employee experience and social innovation. Under her leadership, MITRE is strengthening and expanding relationships with external organizations whose perspectives are important in shaping the national social landscape. Her initial focus is on STEM education in underserved communities. Turner is also responsible for MITRE’s new employee experience, ensuring that MITRE’s new hires are engaged and connected during their first year, so they can continue to grow, thrive, and prosper in their careers.
Turner has served over 25 years championing inclusion and diversity and most recently served as vice president of diversity and inclusion, strategic engagement, at Liberty Mutual Insurance. There, she optimized sponsorships and brand presence at national diversity conferences, increased membership in employee resource groups, established governance models to improve customer service, and launched a new employee referral program with talent acquisition.
Her previous leadership roles include managing diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition, and employee engagement at Lockheed Martin, Kaiser Permanente, ESPN, and Motorola. Turner also worked in the oil industry as a marketing and diversity consultant.
Savoy magazine named Turner to its list of the 2022 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. The Washington Business Journal named Turner to its list of Business of Pride honorees for 2021. The award recognizes business leaders for outstanding practices in advancing LGBTQ leadership and equality. She represents MITRE on the AMIE (Advancing Minorities’ Interest in Engineering) board of directors and sits on the advisory board for Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. Turner also sits on the Northern Virginia Chamber of Commerce board of
directors.
Turner earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Spelman College and a master’s degree in agricultural economics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Alex is a Senior Director for Partner Development and oversees the Health Care, Insurance, Biotech and the Non-profit sectors at Seramount. She is responsible for supporting new partner organizations by setting them up for success in unlocking the value of Seramount’s DEI research membership.

Alex is an experienced public health professional with more than 15 years of expertise addressing social determinants of health/HRSN and health equity in the public and private health care sector. She’s leveraged her health care experience to address social determinants of health and implement health care IT for the federal government and served as a local elected official in Washington, DC. She is passionate about equity, justice, and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to thrive professionally in the workplace.

Alex holds a BA in Neuroscience from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a Master of Public Health in Community Health from the University of North Texas Health Science Center. When she is not working, you might find Alex listening to podcasts on 2x speed, teaching roller skate classes, or serving her community in Washington, DC.