Shenelle Brooks is an Associate Director on Seramount’s Advisory team, where she guides companies in developing impactful HR strategies through a DEI-focused lens. A SHRM-certified HR professional, Shenelle has over eight years of experience specializing in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Her passion for creating inclusive workplaces is evident in her expertise with Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), where she has played a pivotal role in shaping their strategic direction and aligning them with global DEI initiatives.

Beyond her professional work, Shenelle serves on the boards of the Independence Business Alliance (IBA), City Year Philadelphia, and HopePHL, championing initiatives that uplift diverse communities. She holds a BA in Business Administration and Communications from The College of New Rochelle and an MS in Human Resource Management from Capella University, which she leverages to implement innovative strategies across both corporate and non-profit sectors.

A proud Bronx native, Shenelle is deeply attuned to the challenges faced by underserved communities and uses her platform to advocate for equitable opportunities. She is committed to educating others on the importance of inclusion and celebrating the unique stories that shape our identities. In her free time, Shenelle enjoys exploring new destinations, outdoor activities, and volunteering to support those in need.

Nancy J. Di Dia is a celebrated leadership advisor, executive coach, and certified DEI practitioner. As the former Chief Diversity Officer at Boehringer Ingelheim USA, she reimagined diversity and inclusion strategies that shaped the company’s culture and elevated diverse talent representation at all levels. A PCC-certified executive coach with more than two decades of experience, Nancy has developed and facilitated leadership programs that empower leaders to connect authentically, foster innovation, and build resilient teams. 

Nancy’s career spans global organizations in pharmaceuticals, financial services, and technology, where she has been instrumental in crafting leadership pipelines and advancing inclusion initiatives. Among her accomplishments, she designed the Women in Leadership Pipeline and multicultural integration frameworks that have been adopted as best practices. Her efforts have garnered national recognition, including honors from the Human Rights Campaign and DiversityInc. Magazine. 

As founder and CEO of Di Dia Executive Coaching Group, Nancy continues to champion inclusive leadership, partnering with executives to create cultures of belonging and achieve measurable impact in global organizations.  She is currently a global advisor for Seramount. 

Christena Pyle is the first Chief Equity Officer at dentsu Americas and joined the network in 2020. Christena has spent her entire career working in and advocating for the advertising industry, having worked for agencies, holding companies, and non-profits. Christena has received countless honors but most recently recognized by Ad Age’s 40 under 40 list and inducted into the America Advertising Federation’s Advertising Hall of Achievement. In addition to being inducted into the 2021 AAF Advertising Hall of Achievement, Christena also received the Jack Avrett Volunteer Spirit Award for industry service.

Christena serves on committees, councils, and boards supporting the advertising industry including the GLAAD Advertising Council which launched the GLAAD Advertising Visibility Index helping to ensuring fair, accurate, inclusive and diverse visibility for LGBTQ people in marketing and advertising campaigns. Christena believes in the power of Media to be a force for good in the world. She believes Media can introduce new narratives, challenge legacy thinking, accurately portray people, and combat harmful stereotypes.

Christena is recently married to Rosemary and call NYC their home. In 2019 they ran all 26.2 miles of the New York City Marathon together! If you want to hear more from Christena, you can check out the Adweek Podcast “Home / Work” on iTunes or where ever you get your podcasts.

• Black Enterprise’s “Top Executives in Global Diversity and Inclusion”
• Diversity Global Magazine’s “Influential Women in Global Diversity” 
• National Minority Supplier Development Council’s 2024 Chief Diversity Officer of the Year. 

Adrienne Trimble is the Senior Vice President and Chief Inclusion Officer for Visa. She is a known thought leader for advancing corporate diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. She has led DEI and Social Impact initiatives for large, global organizations. Additionally, she has served as the leader of a non-profit national organization, with global affiliates, providing certification, advocacy and development for minority owned businesses.

Trimble began her work in inclusion at Toyota Motor North America, and during her tenure, she aligned diversity, equity and inclusion with the business strategy to help position Toyota as the #1 sales leader in the African American, Hispanic American and Asian American markets.

She oversaw Toyota’s Supplier Diversity initiative and grew the company’s diverse supplier spend that exceeded a 300 percent increase, topping nearly $3B in spend with diverse suppliers. Toyota received numerous accolades under Trimble’s direction, including Corporation of the Year by the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) as well as Corporation of the Year honors from several of the organization’s affiliates.

Ms. Trimble served as an Executive on Loan as the President & CEO for the National Minority Supplier Development Council from August 2018 – February 2021. Within 18 months, she reversed the organization’s decline in corporate members and certified minority business enterprises. In the spring of 2019, Trimble testified before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Financial Services Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, to further underscore the economic benefits of supply chain inclusion.

Ms. Trimble served as the first Vice President and Chief Diversity & Culture Officer for Sysco Corporation, the world’s largest food distributor, from 2021 – 2023. Under her leadership, the company saw a dramatic increase in representation of women and people of color in leadership roles, with the Executive Leadership Team having more than 40% representation from under-represented demographics. The company also topped more than $1B in spend with certified diverse suppliers, an increase of more than 50%.

A graduate of Wilberforce University, Ms. Trimble holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Organization Management. In 2014, she was appointed to the Board of Trustees of her alma mater.  Additionally, Ms. Trimble is a graduate of The Herndon Institute Corporate Board Director Development Cohort and a member of the Executive Leadership Council (ELC).

Ripa Rashid (she/her) is the Managing Director of Seramount’s Chief Diversity Officer Collaborative and a member of Seramount’s leadership team.  In this role, she oversees the CDOC research agenda, driving innovation, and collaborates with Seramount’s partners to foster inclusive cultures and systems where all talent can thrive and business outcomes are maximized. Ripa is a senior executive with over 20 years of experience in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and has held C-suite roles across talent, DEI, and culture, with deep expertise in the media and financial services sectors. Most recently, she served as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO) at Consumer Reports and previously held leadership roles at Cowen (a Wall Street investment bank acquired by TD Bank), Time Warner, and MetLife.

In 2018, Ripa co-founded and co-led Seramount’s consulting division, advising Fortune 500 companies and professional services firms on innovative DEI practices to shape inclusive, high-performing cultures. Earlier, she served as Co-President of the Center for Talent Innovation (CTI, now CoQual), a renowned think tank in the DEI space, and founded Hewlett Consulting Partners, CTI’s advisory arm. Her early career includes global consulting roles at Booz & Company (now Strategy&), PwC, and Mitchell Madison Group, where she advised financial services and media clients on strategic growth, risk management, and operational excellence.

Ripa is an adjunct professor of management at NYU Stern School of Business, where she teaches an MBA course on inclusive leadership. She is the author of three books on DEI: Winning the War for Talent in Emerging Markets: Why Women are the Solution (Harvard Business Review, 2011), Growing Global Executives (Rarebird, 2015), and Disrupt Bias, Drive Value (Rarebird, 2017). Her thought leadership also extends to over two dozen articles and insights papers featured in publications like Harvard Business Review and Strategy & Business.

A sought-after speaker and panelist, Ripa has addressed audiences at the UN, OECD, International Women’s Forum, Diversity Woman, ADCOLOR, ASCEND, and the National Diversity Council, among others. She has been invited by companies such as Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Aetna, Infosys, and Standard Chartered Bank to share her expertise on DEI.

Ripa holds an AB cum laude in Astronomy and Astrophysics from Harvard University, an MA in Cultural Anthropology from NYU, and an MBA in Finance and Management from INSEAD. She has been named one of the “Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business” by the Asian American Business Development Council Ripa is an active member of the Harvard and INSEAD alumni communities, the INSEAD Global Women in Business Club, and the South Asian Executive Women’s Network. She serves on the Board of One To World, a nonprofit dedicated to global education, and advises Monumental Me, a professional development platform. Ripa has lived and worked in over a dozen countries and currently resides in New York City with her husband and their two sons.

Erika is Citi’s Head of Talent Management and Engagement, responsible for developing global diversity, equity and inclusion strategy and driving Citi’s agenda on talent planning, succession planning and leadership development.

Prior to joining Citi, Erika was Chief Diversity Officer at Goldman Sachs from 2018 to 2021 and Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion at Bloomberg from 2015 to 2018. Prior to this, she led executive and diversity hiring efforts at Bank of America and Lehman Brothers. Erika’s background includes a range of banking and finance roles, including Head of Business Development for Black Entertainment Television, Senior Associate in High Yield Capital Markets at Morgan Stanley and Senior Policy Analyst for Domestic Finance for the United States Department of the Treasury. She began her career as an Analyst in Public Finance at Lehman Brothers.

Erika is Vice Chair of the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation and serves on the Boards of Columbia Business School and the Riverside Hawks. Erika earned a BS in Economics from the State University of New York at Albany and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

Shardé Marchewski is the Global Head of Purpose & Inclusion at Wayfair. She owns Wayfair’s DEI and Social Impact initiatives and ensures that Wayfair is an inclusive organization that is driving positive impact in the community. Sharde has been at Wayfair for 6 years and began her career at the company in Category Management.

Prior to Wayfair, Shardé had a career in Investment Banking covering the Consumer Retail industry. Shardé has a B.A. in Economics from Spelman College and an M.B.A. from Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. She lives in Boston with her husband and three kids.

Karmin Bailey is the Supplier Diversity Manager for Southwest Gas. Karmin brings over 23 years of experience in various finance, procurement, compliance, and supplier diversity roles.

Recognized as an Outstanding Diversity Champion by Columbus Business First in 2020, Karmin strives to think beyond compliance and achieve measurable results in supplier diversity programs.

Karmin currently serves on the Board of Directors for Pacific Southwest Minority Supplier Development Council. Karmin has also served on the Global Board of Directors and the Diversity & Inclusion subcommittee for the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA).

Karmin is a graduate of The Ohio State University with dual degrees in Accounting and Finance, and is a Certified Management Accountant, Certified Public Finance Officer, and Contract Compliance Administrator.