If you want to go fast, go alone; but if you want to go far, go together.
—African proverb
This African proverb is a direct reflection of my life. I was brought up to value community, and I owe my deepest gratitude to the people who are part of my personal and professional communities. I am deeply grateful to all who have helped me with this project and continue to help me on my own necessary journey.
Family is my foundation.
To my father, Colonel Charles C. Washington, who was the smartest man I have ever known and who inspired me to become a college professor. Thank you for teaching me the value of working hard and playing harder. I lost you to Alzheimer’s and Covid-19 while writing this book. You are forever in my heart.
To my mother, Victoria Motely Washington, my first role model, my loudest cheerleader, my rock in all storms. I am grateful you raised me to always do my best. You helped me develop my own standard of excellence by always asking me, “Did you do your best?” It’s the question I still ask myself each day. Thank you for being there at every sporting event, awards ceremony, and step-show whether big or small. Your love is my constant guiding light.
Uncle Thomas, the hardest-working person I know, thank you for pouring wisdom into me all my life, making your nieces and nephews memorize “If,” by Rudyard Kipling. I am grateful for your leading by example in life. I am also grateful for your now reminding me in your retirement not to work not too hard, like you did.
Aunt Francine, I am your namesake. Thank you for teaching me the importance of family community, how to share with your four sons, and most importantly how to lead with love at all times. I pray to show up in life with a portion of the grace you display.
My grandmother Ella, whom I never met but who has always lived in my heart. I hope to have made you proud to have bestowed your name on me. Thank you for the foundation of our family. To my extended family, thank you for loving me, always showing up to support me, and being a refuge from the world.
This book could not have been written without my dear friend Faith Gaines texting me one day during the summer of 2020 with the wild idea of my writing a case study book. From the moment you planted that seed, you have been a believer in this project, and I am thankful for you.
To Dr. Laura Morgan Roberts, I owe the start of my career and many of the pivotal moments in my life. I am so glad I thought to follow you out of that lecture at Morehouse College more than fifteen years ago. Thank you for being an example, a sponsor, a mentor, and a friend.
Carolyn Adkerson, for the many hats you wear in my life but most importantly for being my friend—showing up in times of need, physically or with a meme to make me laugh. Thank you for always supporting my wild ideas and often being the reason they can come to life. This book would not have been possible without your daily support, encouragement, and willingness to put out fires so I had the space to write.
A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.
—Proverbs 27:9
Mckenzie Patrice Gadis. When I talk about being able to be my fullest and truest self, it is because of our friendship and sisterhood since our first year at Spelman. Thank you for your selfless support of my dreams, your prayers, our laughs, and our shared life moments. From the beginning stages of this book, when it was just a proposal, you rolled up your sleeves to help me bring my ideas to life.
Drs. Erika V. Hall and Alison Hall Birch, my confidants and friends going back to our simultaneous PhD journeys. Erika convinced me that Northwestern was the best choice for graduate school and helped me navigate its complex waters. Alison, you were my very first PhD accountability partner. The safe space we give each other to vent, be vulnerable, talk about the challenges in academia, and celebrate each other is priceless. Not many people have friends who can vet hairstyles before teaching and discuss the implications of a major academic finding all in the same conversation. From sending the bottle of Moët to my dissertation defense all those years ago to your daily words of encouragement, your support is always felt and cherished.
In writing this book, I found support from those who dove in with me to help me bring my dream to full fruition.
Jasmine Sanders, my line sister, helped me find the words to describe the importance of a workplace utopia. Thank you for enthusiastically vetting ideas and lending your skills to help with the proposal that became this book.
Alyse Smith, thank you for encouraging me to keep going every time I felt that the hill was too high to climb. Your positivity is contagious and helped me get to the finish line with this book.
Lauren Sills, noble actions speak louder than any words. You continue to show me this as a cheerleader of this project from the beginning and in your willingness to put yourself on the line to advocate for me to come into your company. Your friendship is a safe space to share all the wins and losses in life, and I cherish it.
I am grateful for Abu Dumbuya’s unwavering support for my ideas since our days in Chicago. Constantly believing in me and showing up to support me, from attending my dissertation defense to pushing me to boldly share my gifts with the world, you have always had faith in me and have extended your networks to support me.
To my life tribe Tiffany Gibson Meekins, Kendra N. Lee, Amina Bunkeddeko, Michaela Cooke, Jaimie Miller, Sabria Brown, Sydney English, Ashley Mayes, Kristin Johnson, Francesca Fontenot, Preston Smith, Shia Hendricks, Leron Gresham, and so many others, thank you for your unwavering support, the gift of honest feedback, and never letting me give up on myself.
Attending Spelman College remains the best decision I have made in my life. Spelman instilled in me that it is my choice, but I must choose to change the world. The college gifted me with lifelong sisters, sparked my first interest in DEI, and continues to be a pillar in my life. I hope to pay it forward through the Elevating Excellence DEI scholarship that I established and by being a role model to future generations of Spelman sisters. Thank you to the Spelman community of sisterhood that always shows up and out for me.
Following the footsteps of my mother and becoming a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, forever changed me. The sorors of the Mu Pi Chapter at Spelman College and the sorors who have touched every stage of my life have been a precious gift. I am grateful for the support of our beloved sorority and how each of you continues to show me how “we help each other.”
My Eminence line sisters activate with the speed, precision, and force of the world’s best military operations. Thank you for rallying behind me and this work. I know nothing is impossible with the support of your sisterhood behind me.
We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.
—Unknown
Thank you to my editor Scott Berinato, who has believed in this project from the very beginning. You helped me find my writer’s voice; I am deeply proud of our work together. And thank you to the entire Harvard Business Review Press editorial, production, and marketing teams for fully supporting the vision for this book.
My gratitude goes to my colleagues at Georgetown McDonough School of Business for their championing of this project. Deans Paul Almeida, Dennis Quinn, Patricia Grant, and Prashant Malaviya; Drs. Brooks Holtom, Michael O’Leary, Cathy Tinsley, Evelyn Williams, Jenn Logg, and George Comer; and all the others on faculty and staff at MSB have encouraged me to keep going as I brought this dream to life. The Georgetown community is a deeply special place and embodies the epitome of our cura personalis mission, “care for the entire person.”
The consulting work of the Ellavate Solutions team is the driving force behind much of the work shared in this book. Carolyn Adkerson, Hildana Haileyesus, Jayce Esposito, and the broader Ellavate team, thank you for your commitment to our mission to elevate, inspire, and impact the landscape of DEI in our work. Thank you for trusting my leadership and allowing me to learn from you every day.
Thank you to the PhD Project family and specifically those who gave early feedback on the book idea: Drs. Quinetta Roberson-Connally, Nicholas Pearce, Atira Charles, Anthony C. Hood, and Courtney McCluney, and those who always continue to inspire and support Drs. Danielle King, Sekou Bermiss, and Stephanie Creary.
To Sue Synodis and the other readers of the early manuscript, thank you for your time to make this book relatable and relevant in your various lanes of expertise.
My students are the think tank behind so much of the work that went into this book. They challenge my theories and lend their life experiences to help better inform how DEI affects them each day. I especially thank the research assistants who contributed to this book: Leena Jube, Sarena Young, Lydia Kickham-Dawes, Betanya Mahary, Julian Ernesto Gonzalez Medina, Ninette Martin, and Vincella Myah Smith. Thank you for always pushing me to think bigger!
This is a book of stories about companies, so I am deeply indebted to all the companies you read about here. I thank each person in the companies that courageously allowed me to interview people for this book. It is not easy for an organization to open up about the necessary journey. Many companies said no to having their DEI journey on display for the world to see in these pages. I am deeply grateful for those organizations and their brave leaders who said yes and who continue to lead by example. Without their candor, vulnerability, and commitment to DEI, this book would not have been possible.
There are so many other people who have supported me as a person, a scholar, and an author through the years. I thank you all, and if I’ve not mentioned you here by name, you are still in my heart. Please know that each of you has contributed to my journey, and I am grateful to be in community with you. Thank you.
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
—Maya Angelou