{"id":5217,"date":"2021-12-13T12:27:30","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T17:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/?p=5217"},"modified":"2023-12-11T17:20:05","modified_gmt":"2023-12-11T22:20:05","slug":"5-influential-professionals-to-follow-in-dei-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/5-influential-professionals-to-follow-in-dei-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Guest Blog: 5 Influential Professionals to Follow in the DEI Space"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><button id=\"listenButton1\" class=\"responsivevoice-button\" type=\"button\" value=\"Play\" title=\"ResponsiveVoice Tap to Start\/Stop Speech\"><span>&#128266; Listen to this article<\/span><\/button>\n        <script>\n            listenButton1.onclick = function(){\n                if(responsiveVoice.isPlaying()){\n                    responsiveVoice.cancel();\n                }else{\n                    responsiveVoice.speak(\"There\u2019s no doubt that 2021 has seen many game-changing professionals who went above and beyond in amplifying diverse representation across several industries. From those who established inclusive learning strategies with major companies to those who founded powerful organizations bringing communities together. As we approach the end of this year, we are happy to share with you our top 5 must-follow influential professionals of 2021 -- people who have proven to be successful in uplifting diverse communities at work. 1)\u00a0Fahad Khawaja CMO & Founder \u2013 HUE After several years of working in brand innovation and development with big companies like Johnson & Johnson, Khawaja founded a fast-growing social impact brand and nonprofit organization called HUE. HUE is powered by a tech-enable,\u00a0 two-sided marketplace design to amplify voices of color and increase visibility for marginalized individuals. Khawaja focuses on three pillars of success within his line of work: human-centric design, consumer-centric and data-driven content, and purpose-driven brand building and growth. He was awarded Change Maker of the Year 2020 at the Drum Awards for Social Purpose, and his organization has recently established a strategic partnership with Walmart, which will be supporting HUE\u2019s mission to elevant more BIPOC leaders in the industry. 2)\u00a0Keni Thacker Founder & Chief Creative Officer \u2013 100 Roses From Concrete Thacker, a 2021 Adweek Creative Visionary Award Honoree, brings 10 years of experience and authenticity into DEI practices. Not only does he have a powerful and influential voice on LinkedIn, through his empowering posts for the community, but his passion for young BIPOC talent comes forward naturally. In summer 2020, Thacker established the GROWTH Initiative \u2013 a virtual agency experience for multicultural college students where they get hands-on experience working on marketing campaigns with assigned clients. He has received major recognition and exposure thanks to his authentic presentation and mentorship persona. \u201cReal, community-oriented DEI practices are all about putting in the work and building programs, practices, policies, and partnerships that will be sustainable and will continue to propel the DEI in the right direction. Truth, empathy, growth, collaboration, and connection must be the nucleus for the organization to walk the talk truly,\u201d shared Thacker. In short, sustainable and impactful DEI practices must not be self-serving or performative. 3)\u00a0Ericka Riggs Chief DEI Officer \u2013 Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group After spending years as a Foundation and Inclusion Director with the Advertising Club of New York and being a 2020 Nancy Hill Award recipient, Riggs brings real compassion, empathy, and togetherness into the DEI realm. What makes her so influential is her constant support and promotion for other DEI practitioners, influencers, champions and professionals via her social media platforms. She shares stories and narratives that are heartwarming and relatable. Riggs also makes sure to show the world that she is a caring human being and a thoughtful leader who wants every person to win. She proudly serves as a Board member and mentor for OmnicomWomen, 100 Roses from Concrete, 4A\u2019s DEI Steering Committee, #WeAllRise, Circle of Chang, and the 2020 MOBE Symposium Advisory Committee. 4)\u00a0Jessalin Lam VP Member Development & Diversity \u2013 IAB From being a Director in Precision Marketing Academy with Nissan United to co-founding Asians in Advertising, Lam is truly a jack of all trades within her specialties of learning and development, multicultural marketing, relationship building, and inclusive leadership. Her success has been notable as a speaker and panelist in colleges, Google Workshop, Ad Club of NY, and 4A\u2019s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program.\u00a0 Recently, Lam was kind enough to share with us her thoughts on what practitioners can do in this current climate of DEI practices. \u201cWhen it comes to DEI,\u201d she says \u201cthere are many areas we need to improve on to be more successful in the long-term. The ones top of mind are:\u00a0 Integrating DEI into everything you do, including learning and development to recruit and retain talent and fostering a learning culture Collaborating as consultants by aligning DEI with your business goals and strategy with clear KPIs and success metrics, and\u00a0 Ensuring your DEI team structure is provided with resources and budgets.\u201d Lam is a people connector who loves to cultivate learning cultures to allow people to thrive and seize their potential with a growth mindset. Aside from being a 2021 Nancy Hill Award Recipient, Lam has been featured in many publications including AdAge and ThinkLA. 5)\u00a0Andrew McCaskill LinkedIn Career Expert & Global Communications - LinkedIn Culture & Economics Contributor \u2013 SiriusXM McCaskill was named one of PR Week\u2019s \u201cTop 40 Under 40 PR Executives,\u201d and you may recognize him from video learning content pieces published by LinkedIn. As an influential DEI practitioner, McCaskill manages strategies to help the global LinkedIn community understand how the platform creates economic opportunity for every member. He does so through his charismatic personality, progessive knowledge of DEI issues, and storytelling approach of inclusive narratives. One of Andrew\u2019s greatest works is his release of the LinkedIn Learning course Diversity and Inclusion in Marketing: Inclusive Language for Marketers which has been used by over 11,000 professionals so far. We highly encourage business executives, practitioners, and organizational leaders to follow these influential professionals for their expert perspective and business approaches to empowering equity in the workplace. Consider how your company can benefit from their learning, insights, knowledge, and strategic approaches, and don\u2019t be afraid to reach out when you have your own questions and perspectives to share.\", \"US English Male\");\n                }\n            };\n        <\/script>\n     <\/br><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s no doubt that 2021 has seen many game-changing professionals who went above and beyond in amplifying diverse representation across several industries. From those who established inclusive learning strategies with major companies to those who founded powerful organizations bringing communities together.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we approach the end of this year, we are happy to share with you our top 5 must-follow influential professionals of 2021 &#8212; people who have proven to be successful in uplifting diverse communities at work.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-5219 size-thumbnail lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1619373840498-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Headshot of Fahad Khawaja\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1619373840498-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1619373840498-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1619373840498-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1619373840498.jpg 400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/>1)<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/fahadhk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Fahad Khawaja<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>CMO &amp; Founder \u2013 HUE<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After several years of working in brand innovation and development with big companies like Johnson &amp; Johnson, Khawaja founded a fast-growing social impact brand and nonprofit organization called<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wearehue.org\/amplify\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HUE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. HUE is powered by a tech-enable,\u00a0 two-sided marketplace design to amplify voices of color and increase visibility for marginalized individuals.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Khawaja focuses on three pillars of success within his line of work: human-centric design, consumer-centric and data-driven content, and purpose-driven brand building and growth.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">He was awarded <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thedrum.com\/news\/2020\/11\/05\/finalists-announced-2020-the-drum-awards-social-purpose\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Change Maker of the Year 2020<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the Drum Awards for Social Purpose, and his organization has recently established a strategic partnership with Walmart, which will be supporting HUE\u2019s mission to elevant more BIPOC leaders in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-8876 size-large lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-1024x341.png\" alt=\"TDM Library: your one-stop-shop for update, expert DEI Resources. Explore the platform with a free trial. Click here to learn more.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"341\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-1024x341.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-600x200.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-300x100.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A-768x256.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/NEW-TDM-Library-Display-Ad_Large-A.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/341;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-5220 size-thumbnail lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1636393794550-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Headshot of Keni Thacker \" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1636393794550-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1636393794550-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1636393794550-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1636393794550-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1636393794550-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1636393794550.jpg 800w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/>2)<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/keni-thacker-82308b4\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Keni Thacker<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>Founder &amp; Chief Creative Officer \u2013 100 Roses From Concrete<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thacker, a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.adweek.com\/creativity\/27-innovators-who-are-unlocking-the-creative-potential-of-social-media\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2021 Adweek Creative Visionary Award Honoree<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, brings 10 years of experience and authenticity into DEI practices. Not only does he have a powerful and influential voice on LinkedIn, through his empowering posts for the community, but his passion for young BIPOC talent comes forward naturally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In summer 2020, Thacker established the<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.100rosesfromconcrete.com\/growth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GROWTH Initiative<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 a virtual agency experience for multicultural college students where they get hands-on experience working on marketing campaigns with assigned clients. He has received major recognition and exposure thanks to his authentic presentation and mentorship persona.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cReal, community-oriented DEI practices are all about putting in the work and building programs, practices, policies, and partnerships that will be sustainable and will continue to propel the DEI in the right direction. Truth, empathy, growth, collaboration, and connection must be the nucleus for the organization to walk the talk truly,\u201d shared Thacker. In short, sustainable and impactful DEI practices must not be self-serving or performative.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-5221 size-thumbnail lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1638458216145-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Headshot of Ericka Riggs\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1638458216145-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1638458216145-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1638458216145-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1638458216145-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1638458216145-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1638458216145.jpg 800w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/>3)<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/ericka-riggs-94a55827\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Ericka Riggs<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>Chief DEI Officer \u2013 Omnicom Specialty Marketing Group<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After spending years as a Foundation and Inclusion Director with the Advertising Club of New York and being a<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/3percentconf\/status\/1282779837887844359?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2020 Nancy Hill Award recipient<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Riggs brings real compassion, empathy, and togetherness into the DEI realm. What makes her so influential is her constant support and promotion for other DEI practitioners, influencers, champions and professionals via her social media platforms. She shares stories and narratives that are heartwarming and relatable. Riggs also makes sure to show the world that she is a caring human being and a thoughtful leader who wants every person to win.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">She proudly serves as a Board member and mentor for OmnicomWomen, 100 Roses from Concrete, 4A\u2019s DEI Steering Committee, #WeAllRise, Circle of Chang, and the 2020 MOBE Symposium Advisory Committee.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-5222 size-thumbnail lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jessalin-Lam-150x150.png\" alt=\"Headshot of Jessalin Lam\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jessalin-Lam-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jessalin-Lam-100x100.png 100w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jessalin-Lam-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Jessalin-Lam.png 400w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/>4)<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/jessalinlam\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Jessalin Lam<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>VP Member Development &amp; Diversity \u2013 IAB<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">From being a Director in Precision Marketing Academy with Nissan United to co-founding Asians in Advertising, Lam is truly a jack of all trades within her specialties of learning and development, multicultural marketing, relationship building, and inclusive leadership. Her success has been notable as a speaker and panelist in colleges, Google Workshop, Ad Club of NY, and 4A\u2019s Multicultural Advertising Internship Program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recently, Lam was kind enough to share with us her thoughts on what practitioners can do in this current climate of DEI practices. \u201cWhen it comes to DEI,\u201d she says \u201cthere are many areas we need to improve on to be more successful in the long-term. The ones top of mind are:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Integrating DEI into everything you do, including learning and development to recruit and retain talent and fostering a learning culture<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Collaborating as consultants by aligning DEI with your business goals and strategy with clear KPIs and success metrics, and\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ensuring your DEI team structure is provided with resources and budgets.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Lam is a people connector who loves to cultivate learning cultures to allow people to thrive and seize their potential with a growth mindset. Aside from being a 2021 Nancy Hill Award Recipient, Lam has been featured in many publications including<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/adage.com\/author\/jessalin-lam\/4475\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">AdAge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkla.org\/page\/JessalinLamSpeakerThinkLA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ThinkLA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-5223 size-thumbnail lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1592327483253-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Headshot of Andrew McCaskill\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1592327483253-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1592327483253-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1592327483253-600x600.jpg 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1592327483253-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1592327483253-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/1592327483253.jpg 800w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 150px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 150\/150;\" \/>5)<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/drewmccaskill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u00a0Andrew McCaskill<\/a><\/h3>\n<h3>LinkedIn Career Expert &amp; Global Communications &#8211; LinkedIn<\/h3>\n<h3>Culture &amp; Economics Contributor \u2013 SiriusXM<\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">McCaskill was named one of PR Week\u2019s \u201cTop 40 Under 40 PR Executives,\u201d and you may recognize him from video learning content pieces published by LinkedIn. As an influential DEI practitioner, McCaskill manages strategies to help the global LinkedIn community understand how the platform creates economic opportunity for every member. He does so through his charismatic personality, progessive knowledge of DEI issues, and storytelling approach of inclusive narratives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of Andrew\u2019s greatest works is his release of the LinkedIn Learning course<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/feed\/update\/urn:li:activity:6864203718057857024\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diversity and Inclusion in Marketing: Inclusive Language for Marketers<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> which has been used by over 11,000 professionals so far.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We highly encourage business executives, practitioners, and organizational leaders to follow these influential professionals for their expert perspective and business approaches to empowering equity in the workplace. Consider how your company can benefit from their learning, insights, knowledge, and strategic approaches, and don\u2019t be afraid to reach out when you have your own questions and perspectives to share.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/library\/%20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-8041 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-1024x85.png\" alt=\"Display ad for TDM Library. Text says &quot;Find more content like this in TDM Library. Start my free trial&quot;\" width=\"1024\" height=\"85\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-1024x85.png 1024w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-600x50.png 600w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-300x25.png 300w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A-768x64.png 768w, https:\/\/thediversitymovement.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/TDM-Library-Footer-Ad-A.png 1200w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1024px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1024\/85;\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There\u2019s no doubt that 2021 has seen many game-changing professionals who went above and beyond in amplifying diverse representation across several industries. From those who established inclusive learning strategies with15<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5234,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,5],"tags":[],"tdm_type":[92],"class_list":["post-5217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trends-industry-insights","category-blogs","tdm_type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Guest Blog: 5 Influential Professionals to Follow in the DEI Space - The Diversity Movement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As we approach the end of this year, we are happy to share with you our top 5 must-follow influential professionals of 2021 -- people who have proven to be successful in uplifting diverse communities at work.\" 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