This week I’m chatting with Levi Baer, who is the Director of Training for Chicago United for Equity, an organization committed to dismantling systemic racism through training and education. He is also the co-founder and Community Builder of Second Shift Chicago, an innovative coworking space. He is very passionate about diversity, equity and inclusion. Growing up on a farm taught him the value of community, connectedness, and hard work, which he still carries with him today. He shares insights ...
Jul 03, 2020•37 min•Ep. 15
This week I’m chatting with Ericka Carmona-Vega, a part-time Human Resources Leadership Advisor for the Latin American branch of Streigenics. Growing up in the wake of the LA riots of 1992 pushed Ericka toward social justice and activism at a young age, leading her to organize protests and community efforts in her community. She shares details about her experiences in the fields of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Significant and sustainable movement toward a more equitable, diverse, and inclus...
Jun 19, 2020•36 min•Ep. 14
This week I’m speaking with Chris Lemark, a mental health advocate, hip hop artist, and founder of Coffee, Hip Hop and Mental Health. Chris shares the story of how he spent many years suffering in silence, before a pivotal moment that pushed him to first go to therapy, which resulted in him creating his business and bringing access to mental health care to more people. Right now mental health in the workplace (and home, and community) is a critical issue, particularly for black people, and too o...
Jun 05, 2020•57 min•Ep. 13
This week I’m chatting with LaTonya Wilkins, Director of Talent Management at the GIES College of Business, and the Principal of LaTonya Wilkins Coaching and Speaking. She is in a position of leadership in numerous organizations, which has given her insights into creating work environments that support diversity, equity and inclusion. LaTonya shares some of these insights and the research behind them. One observation she has made is that most people have gone through some sort of unconscious bia...
May 22, 2020•38 min•Ep. 12
This week I’m chatting with Tom Alexander, the CEO and Co-Founder of Holistic. Holistic helps people have better employee experiences through the use of data: they look at every aspect of the employee’s experience, from before they are hired until after they leave, in order to understand challenges and opportunities. Tom shares numerous findings obtained from the data collected by Holistic. One such finding is that the seriousness and timeliness with which performance reviews are performed close...
May 08, 2020•44 min•Ep. 11
Emily Blum is the Executive Director of ADA25 Advanced Leadership, an organization dedicated to advancing and developing leaders with disabilities in the workplace. It was founded during the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and born out of frustration with the lack of leaders with disabilities at tables of influence and power. With a background rooted in social justice and communications, Emily believes that disability is and should be a part of every conversation. She jo...
Apr 24, 2020•43 min•Ep. 10
Tatyana Fertelmeyster is a diversity and inclusion consultant and expert, and is the founder and Principal of Connecting Differences. For over 20 years, Tatyana has been working as an intercultural professional, having started her career as a therapist for Soviet Union refugees. She also specializes in domestic diversity. She joins me to talk about the mental strains caused by the pandemic and what leaders can do to make it easier for their employees.Here are a few highlights from our conversati...
Apr 10, 2020•54 min•Ep. 9
Torin Ellis is the Principal of the Torin Ellis Brand. He is an author, and the host of Career Mix. Torin has done work with many organizations, helping them in the diversity, equity and inclusion space, in particular around employment recruitment branding. He joins Nancy Harris to discuss talent acquisition and improving D&I initiatives in this week’s episode.Here are a few highlights from their conversation:Torin’s experience in working with different companies showed him that representati...
Mar 27, 2020•43 min•Ep. 8
Dorri McWhorter, CEO of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, is this week’s guest on The Intersection Podcast. Dorri describes herself as a socially conscious international business leader dedicated to improving the world. She chats with Nancy Harris about improving your workforce by recognizing the humanity of those around you.Here are a few highlights from their conversation:When she was 11, Dorri wrote a letter to Santa Claus asking him to make her parents allow her to be their accountant for a mon...
Mar 13, 2020•37 min•Ep. 7
Nancy Harris chats with Elena Valentine, CEO and co-founder of Skill Scout, an organization which specializes in talent acquisition and employer branding, about a more inclusive way to build your workforce.Here are a few highlights from their conversation:Elena is dedicated to looking past qualifications and sourcing talent in trendy ways: by media, which she calls the literacy of the 21st century.You cannot be what you cannot see, Elena says. The idea for Skill Scout stemmed from Elena’s and he...
Feb 28, 2020•38 min•Ep. 6
Nancy Harris speaks with Huma Qazi, global diversity, equity and inclusion expert and founder of Huma Qazi Limited, a consulting firm which focuses on creating a more diverse and inclusive work environment. Nancy and Huma discuss opportunities and actions one can take to effect real transformation in the workplace.Here are a few highlights from their insightful conversation:Huma advises organizations how to implement strategies that build a more inclusive and cohesive work environment.The bigges...
Feb 14, 2020•43 min•Ep. 5
Nancy Harris chats with Sandee Kastrul, President and co-founder of I.C. Stars, an innovative nonprofit leadership and development program that prepares inner-city youth for employment in the IT industry. Nancy and Sandee discuss how the I.C. Stars program challenges clients and the participants themselves to change their perceptions through fun and memorable experiences.Here are a few highlights from their inspiring conversation:The I.C.Stars program is not only a learning environment, but also...
Jan 31, 2020•41 min•Ep. 4
On The Intersection Podcast, host Nancy Harris and guests tackle the important issues of social justice, business and leadership, and how to bring them together to transform the workplace. In this first episode, Nancy’s guest is Ivy Walker, CEO of Purpose Workforce Solutions. Ivy’s company works with opportunity youth to not only place them in organizations, but also to create career pathways for them. She and Nancy talk about what it means to truly have an inclusive workplace, as well as the wo...
Jan 20, 2020•40 min•Ep. 2
Eddie Bocanegra brings a unique perspective to the conversation about violence prevention and criminal justice reform. He argues that formerly incarcerated persons can and should be given the opportunity to rejoin the workforce, and with the proper support, they have the potential to be great contributors to society. A former offender himself, Eddie now heads one of the largest anti violence programs in the country, READI Chicago (Rapid Employment and Development Initiative). Eddie joins Nancy H...
Jan 20, 2020•41 min•Ep. 3
Welcome to the Intersection podcast! In this show, Nancy Harris is going to be talking to experts, leaders, and entrepreneurs about the critical issues around diversity, inclusion, leadership and social justice that professionals need to navigate a changing business climate.
Dec 18, 2019•2 min•Ep. 1
