Diversity Cafe, Powered by ThisWay® Global ThisWay® Global

Join us in this engaging interview as, Angela Hood, Founder and CEO of ThisWay Global, introduces Roy Baladi, the executive director at Jobs for Humanity. Jobs for Humanity is dedicated to empowering diverse communities, including single parents, individuals with disabilities, justice-impacted individuals, LGBTQIA+ members, and military veterans, by connecting them with job opportunities. Tune in to this livestream to learn how Jobs for Humanity is paving the global movement towards inclusive hiring practices.

Join us on this captivating podcast as we delve into the world of equal employment opportunity, compliance, and diversity in the workplace. Our esteemed host, Angela Hood, Founder & CEO at ThisWay Global, teams up with Craig Leen, former Director of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), to provide invaluable insights and expertise on navigating the intricate landscape of regulatory compliance at both federal and local levels.In this thought-provoking conversation, Angela and Craig explore the challenges faced by organizations in meeting their affirmative action and nondiscrimination obligations. They shed light on the critical importance of fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in the workplace and discuss strategies for developing comprehensive DEIA programs and conducting pay equity self-audits.Drawing from his extensive leadership experience at OFCCP and the U.S. Department of Labor, Craig shares insider perspectives on enforcement efforts, compliance assistance, and the regulatory process. He offers valuable advice to businesses engaged in federal contracts, unveiling practical approaches to ensure compliance and successfully navigate equal employment opportunity regulations.Whether you're an HR professional, business leader, or simply interested in understanding the intricacies of workplace equality, this podcast will leave you empowered with actionable insights and a deeper understanding of the evolving landscape of compliance and diversity in the modern workplace. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from two industry leaders who are shaping the future of equal employment opportunity.

Like many so many other unfortunate people in 2020, Ken Norman was laid off in April 2020 at the the beginning of the COVID pandemic. Even with his rich work history, including over 20 years in logistics management, Ken spent over 2 years unemployed and searching for gainful employment. Even after working with professional career consultants to re-write his resume and re-do his online professional profiles, his efforts fell short to captivate recruiters and hiring managers for roles he was clearly qualified for.



It wasn't until Ken sought help from Angela and went through ThisWay's candidate profile enhancement process (Work ThisWay) was he able to go from "overlooked" to having 4 job offers in his inbox in a week's time.

ERGs offer employers a competitive edge by serving as a tool for attracting, recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and cultivating leaders. ERGs can also aid employees in developing skills and knowledge critical to an employer's business, which can enhance the company's products and services. More broadly, ERGs are a proactive method of promoting diversity and an inclusive work environment while positively contributing to a company's internal and public reputations.



Join Angela Hood as she welcomes Bryan Darby and Rasheed Mustakeem from QTS Data Centers, a Blackstone (BX) portfolio company, as they discuss how QTS has fostered DE&I through ERG and Affinity Group initiatives.



About The Speakers:



Rasheed Mustakeem is the Director of Implementation Services for QTS Data Centers—a Blackstone (BX) portfolio company—responsible for the project management of all customer data center deployments as well as internal IT infrastructure deployments. He also serves as President of Community in Action (CIA) at QTS, the employee resource group (ERG) devoted to fostering diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) at all levels of the company. Before joining QTS in 2014, Rasheed spent 15 years working in renewable energy as a business unit leader. He got his start in Management Consulting as an analyst performing oil and gas M&A due diligence.



Bryan Darby is the Vice President of Strategic Technology Initiatives at QTS Realty Trust based in Overland Park, Kansas. As a transformational executive, he has more than 25 years of proven success developing and propelling near- and long-term business impacting and expense optimizing transformational strategies to ensure the continued growth of the business.

Norma brings more than 20 years of experience in DE&I. as a thought leader, Professional Speaker, and Entrepreneur.  She is the Co-Founder of SpeakTu, a Workforce Insights Analytics tool that supports Social scoring for ESG and Fair Pay Transparency compliance across the globe.  In her most recent roles at Softpath System and its subsidiaries OPTEVUS and WYDUR. Norma has supported internal and external company initiatives as a DE&I subject matter expert. Her other responsibilities during her tenure included managing corporate social responsibility activities, team member engagement tactics, and diversity learning initiatives including supplier diversity programs. In other roles at Year Up and DeVry University, Norma spearheaded the new business expansion and re-engineered corporate engagement efforts with Fortune 500 companies.

 

Norma serves as a board member of HoPe (Hispanic Organization Promoting Education).  She has also served in leadership roles for the American Staffing Association, Association of Latino Professionals for America, Prospanica, SafeAmerica, YWCA, and the Military Support Ministry in Marietta, Georgia. Norma is an alumna of Leadership Cobb, Cobb County Honorary Commanders, and Cultivating Hispanic Leadership Institute for the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Leadership Council.

 

Norma earned her Bachelor of Business Administration in Management from Robert Morris University in her hometown of Chicago. She also holds a Master of Business Administration degree in International Business from Keller Graduate School of Management. Norma is married to Rudy and has two children, Rudy, and Isabel. Norma’s preferred pronouns are she, her, and hers.

Michelle Turner is the Vice President of Clinical Talent and Delivery for Hazel Health, a healthcare company providing in-school and in-home virtual healthcare. Michelle has spent the last 15 years developing scalable solutions to bring healthcare where it is needed most. Prior to Hazel, she was the Executive Director of The Addis Clinic, an organization that connects physician volunteers with frontline health workers through telemedicine technology. She was previously the Development Director of a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and a Development consultant for multiple nonprofits. She holds an M.S. in Health Science and a B.S. in Child Psychology.