Kansas City DEIS Board & Executive Leadership Hiring Initiative
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INITIATIVE OVERVIEW
Since June 2020, CEOs, and philanthropies began a series of impressive commitments to fund and support Black communities, organizations, and Black-owned businesses. Collectively their investments in the missions and capacities of racial justice institutions will help ensure crucial resources reach long underserved communities. Yet philanthropy itself cannot address the complex problems and history of structural racism. Rather than be treated as a charity, Black people want meaningful economic opportunities. We seek Board roles, good jobs, and genuine chances for advancement in the industries of the future. Black parents are eager to translate their earnings into wealth they can pass on to their children, ending the intergenerational immobility and downward mobility that has plagued even Black college graduates. We want economic dignity. As my Brookings colleague and expert, Andre Perry, often says, “We can’t nonprofit our way out of poverty and economic justice.”
With this, OHUB, the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, KC Rising, and Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce are joining forces to launch the DEIS Board Bank & Executive Leadership Ecosystem Development Initiative. The specific purpose of the initiative is to (1) increase the expertise of member CEO’s, their Boards, and Executive Leadership Boards’ ability to operationalize racial equity across their governance, human resources, procurement, product development, investment, and impact, (2) increase the percentage of Black, Latinx and Indigenous Board Members, Executive Leadership and beyond and (3) sustain OHUB’s equity-based technology, startup, and venture development programming in collaboration with the Keystone Innovation & Equity District.
MEET OUR KANSAS CITY DEIS LEADERSHIP COMMITTEE

Sheri Gonzales
Vice President & Director of KC Rising

Tahir Atwater
Dir. Donor of Engagement, Jackson County CASA

Kelly Reed
Managing Director of Talent and Culture, Lockton

Carolyn Watley
VP Community Engagement, CBIZ

Chantell Garrett
Diversity & Inclusion Manager, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

Greg Valdovino
Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, Greater Kansas City Chamber

Neal Sharma
CEO & Co-Founder, DEG Digital

Davyeon Ross
Co-Founder & President, ShotTracker

Colette Black
Vice President & Chief Development Officer, Urban League

Rosisella Blakney
Scholarship Supervisor, Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
TAKE ACTION IN THREE SIMPLE STEPS

Take The DEIS Pledge
In our continued effort to improve racial equity and inclusion, we’re asking you to use your influence, power, and resources to learn trusted tactics, strategies, and techniques to dismantle the inequities that stand in the way of national progress. The OHUB DEIS Pledge is designed to increase racial equity in the Kansas City area corporate community and grow the prevalence of companies that actively work towards creating equitable work environments. This pledge along with your real work to incorporate it’s 7 Core principles into your organization, will demonstrate a holistic and mutually reinforcing approach to creating an equitable workplace and future for everyone, everywhere.

Get DEIS Certified!
This one-of-a-kind certificate program is designed as an immersive, six-month engagement to create and integrate solutions that effectively operationalize diversity, equity and inclusion solutions (DEIS) into all key facets of your company. It features a framework of best practices and culturally competent insight to help you identify and implement the actions that will lead to advancing your organization’s market share, economic output and shareholder value while developing your strengths as a transformational leader in your industry and ecosystem.

Partner With OHUB to Appoint & Hire!
OHUB is driven by its committment to delivering diversity and inclusion solutions that helps businesses find, connect with, and hire diverse talent. We specialize in connecting businesses to top candidates who are ready for meaningful opportunities at competitive salaries. Our unique approach combines our expertise in diversity recruitment with our understanding of today’s corporate realities to help businesses find, connect with, and hire diverse talent.
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