Join us for a conversation with Drew Ahl, Founder of Ahl DEI Consulting. His company offers DEI data analytics, inclusivity audits, and self-identity strategies. Drew describes himself as a queer, transgender, neurodivergent, disabled Air Force veteran and the son of an Army Chaplain. That isn’t how he would’ve described himself as a child, and his journey to understanding and expressing his full identity is full of detours and pitstops. Along the way, he learned very quickly how the assumptions we make about others based on religion, gender, race/ethnicity, and age, put people in boxes.
Our interactions and communications shift in ways, big and small - from overt bias to microexpressions, and everything in between. In our efforts to build more equitable and inclusive organizations, understanding how to identify and interrupt stereotypes and biases is important. Otherwise, workplace cultures might feel unsafe, or even toxic, leading to disengagement and turnover.
Drew will be joining us to share his personal experiences around being placed in a box, as well as share when he realized he was doing the same to others and how he challenges himself daily to break down those boxes and see the humanity in everyone.
Learning Objectives:
- Describe different identities and dimensions of diversity
- Identify the impact of bias and stereotypes
- Recognize the importance of self-awareness in fostering inclusion
Jina Etienne, CPA, CGMA
Etienne Consulting
Diversity & Inclusion Consultant, Speaker & Trainer
jina@etienneconsulting.com
(301) 778-5510
Jina is a consultant and speaker on diversity, inclusion, culture, and belonging. She creates training programs and workshops to help clients move forward in their D&I journey. She is a storyteller and speaks candidly about her experiences, hard lessons, and ‘aha’ moments that helped her understand the importance of individuality, the value of curiosity, and the courage it takes to “just” be yourself. Often described as “approachable” and “relatable” by her clients, she works with purpose and the intention of being engaging, practical, and immediately applicable to real-world situations. Jina draws from her unique background and mix of work experiences to offer examples and share insights designed to benefit everyone across the workplace ecosystem – executives, management, employees, and customers.
Previously, she was Principal Consultant at EtiennePartners (EP), a boutique consulting firm that offered a unique strategy development, workshops & coaching to leaders, executives and entrepreneurs. Co-founded with her husband, EP was a full-time partnership in both work and life. Although in different professions, their work often intersected around the importance of self-awareness in leadership and navigating conflict within teams. Combining their experiences, backgrounds, and work led to the development of their unique approach to D&I, which she continues to use in her practice today.
Drew is a queer, transgender, neurodivergent, disabled Air Force veteran and the son of an Army Chaplain. He lived in 11 different states, and overseas. This has offered him the incredible opportunity to get to know, learn from, and work with a wonderfully diverse group of folks. These experiences have helped Drew lead with empathy and inform what he believes are the three main ideas at the heart of DEI:
• Seeing the humanity in everyone
• Believing and valuing the lived experiences of others
• Creating equitable access and opportunity for marginalized groups
After eight years of DEI work in corporate settings, Drew started Ahl DEI Consulting to use his expertise and skills to help as many people and organizations as he possibly can.
Previous roles include Director – GIDE Performance Tracking & External Benchmarking at Medtronic, and Lead Employee Relations Analytics Consultant for Target Corporation. Drew earned his BA from Metro State University.
About Our Presenter
Etienne Consulting's work is informed by their unique mix of experience in public accounting & business consulting, association management & member engagement, and diversity & inclusion consulting and training. Although in a variety of roles and industries, their work has always intersected around the importance of self-awareness in leadership, clarity of purpose, and navigating conflict within teams.
This led them to develop techniques to deepen awareness and strengthen communication — core skills necessary for driving meaningful change in organizations. They work with businesses and firms to infuse diversity, equity, and inclusion across all aspects of people experience, operations, policy, communications, branding, and community & social responsibility. Their training programs and workshops are designed to bridge the gap between diversity and inclusion by offering concrete skills and communication strategies teams and use to build teams capable of leveraging their full diversity to drive innovation, growth, and lasting cultural change. They also offer support in developing, implementing, executing, and reporting on D&I strategy.
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