ABOUT
We are a collective of humans who believe and take action
to create positive change in our world and workplaces.
Kim Steppe
CEO &
Co-founder
Carin Taylor
Executive Diversity Consultant & Coach
Stacè Middlebrooks
Executive Diversity Consultant & Coach
Tom Tompkin,
PhD
Facilitator & Senior Diversity Consultant
Angie Cheung-Ford
Analytics Consultant
Patsy Doerr
ESG Consultant
Matthew
Katawicz
Facilitator & Diversity Consultant
Facilitator & Diversity Consultant
ADVISORS
RISEQUITY is supported by the leaders and innovators that are working to change the world.
Alexandra Carter
Clinical Professor of Law, Columbia Law School | Author, Ask for More
Beth Haggerty
Co-Founder & CEO, Declare
Annmarie Neal
Partner and Chief Talent Officer, Hellman & Friedman
Carin Taylor
Chief Diversity Officer, Workday, Inc.
Anthony Chavez
Social Impact Advocate and Speaker | External Relations Manager, Ed Trust West
Dr. Donna Hamlin
Founder & CEO, Boardwise, Inc.
Dr. Sheila Robinson
Owner & Publisher, Diversity Woman Media
Edward Murray Cook
Senior Partner, Kairos Software System, Inc.
W. Brad Johnson, Ph.D.
Professor, U.S. Navel Academy | Faculty Associate, Johns Hopkins University School of Education | Author, Athena Rising and The Good Guys
David Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Sociology, Naval War College | Author, Athena Rising and The Good Guys
Kim Steppe | Co-Founder & CEO
Kim is the CEO and oversees Partner and Client Relations for RISEQUITY, Inc., an organization that transforms and creates an equitable future for companies' diverse talent through innovative solutions. Kim's passion is to identify opportunities within a company and bring innovative solutions to create diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplaces where every employee belongs. Prior to RISEQUITY, Inc., Kim had a history of working in the nonprofit organization management industry. Kim was the Vice President of Sponsorship for Watermark, a women's leadership nonprofit, and responsible for Watermark's revenue where she secured, managed and delivered on over 40 sponsor contracts, including Google, Juniper, VMware, Palo Alto Networks, Amazon, KPMG, and Bank of America. Kim is also an experienced Congressional Ambassador, having lobbied for Alzheimer's research funding and advocated at the federal and state levels for research funding and public policies that improve the lives of those living with Alzheimer's disease and their families. She is currently Co-Vice Chair and board member for the Alzheimer's Association of Northern California Northern Nevada Chapter, the Chair of the Public Policy Committee, and Co-Chair of the DE&I Committee. Kim graduated from the University of Washington with a BS in Microbiology.
Erin Tselenchuk | Co-Founder & President
Erin oversees Assessments, Programming and Development, Operations, and Marketing for RISEQUITY, Inc., an organization that transforms and creates an equitable future for companies’ diverse talent through innovative solutions, Erin is a facilitator who oversees the workshops, equity forums, mentoring and advanced programs that empower participants to lead with confidence and impact a company’s revenue. Most recently, Erin served as the Vice President of Marketing and Events for Watermark, having produced over 75 annual programs and working with leaders such as Tina Tchen, John Chambers, and more. While focused on diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging for everyone in the workplace, she provides support for anyone who identifies as a woman, their allies, and the companies working to create a more equitable workplace. She is also an advisor for the Gratitude Network. With a passion for innovative, experiential experiences and strategies, both cross-function and cross-industry, she has worked in fintech, education (on- and offline), legal, hospitality and app development, previously consulting for IBM, TechCrunch, Wildfire by Google, Capital One, Visual.ly (now Rock Content) and Galvanize. Erin also has a history of social activism, including local grassroots educational movements to larger global humanitarian aid engagements through Project Hope and Rotary International. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College of California with a B.A. in Communications and study of Anthropology.
Marilyn Nagel | Co-Founder & Chief Advocacy Officer
Marilyn has an unusual background, including over 30 years of experience in the corporate world as a C-Suite executive, entrepreneur and executive coach. Marilyn is Co-Founder and Chief Advocacy Officer of RISEQUITY, a company dedicated to empowering employees, developing leaders and transforming company cultures. She is also the Chief Learning Officer of SAMI, a game-based leadership development company, and has had her consulting firm Ready-Aim-Aspire. She is widely recognized in the field of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, as well as executive and board development, leadership and networking. Before Co-Founding RISEQUITY, Marilyn was CEO of Watermark, launching their Conference for Women and created breakthrough programs while Chief Diversity Officer at Cisco. She was recognized as a thought leader in shifting the focus on inclusion, launching the first Inclusion Index, flexible work practices, and developing the Maturity Model for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, which has become an industry standard. Marilyn has co-chaired the Conference Board Global Diversity Group, formed a consortium in Silicon Valley for Diversity Officers and was a senior advisor to the Center for Talent and Innovation. Marilyn consults with pre- and post-IPO, Fortune 500 and global multinational companies on developing and implementing diversity strategies. She is an internationally known speaker and workshop facilitator on Inclusive Leadership, Building Intentional Connections, Inclusive Hiring, Creating Influence, Board Accountability and Women’s Leadership.Marilyn develops programs for Diversity Woman Media and has produced the Women in Tech conference. She has been a regular blogger for the Huffington Post and frequently contributes to numerous publications. Marilyn is the speaker curator/producer of Sonoma TEDx, serves on the Board of Directors of Ceres Community Project and has served on the Board of Directors of Watermark, Professional Business Women of California (PBWC), the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME), UPWARD, and Family and Children Services. Marilyn also currently serves on the Advisory Boards of YOL, The Everest Project and the Advisory Council of Courageous Leadership. Marilyn holds a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, a master’s degree in social and systemic studies, and a master’s in public administration MPA. She is also ABD on a Doctorate in public administration.
Carin Taylor is a highly sought-after speaker on diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and leadership. As the Chief Diversity Officer at Workday, she has a global responsibility for the development and execution of Workday's inclusion and diversity strategy. As a successful Senior Leader in Diversity and Inclusion, Carin offers extensive expertise in strategy, high-impact program development and cross-functional team leadership. Through her experiences in creating, planning, and executing strategic programs, she captures ways to drive innovation, engagement, attracting top talent, and retention. Prior to joining Workday, Carin served as the Head of Diversity, Inclusion, and Innovation at Genentech, where she was responsible for strategic initiatives, including executive coaching, building and leading highly effective teams and increasing employee engagement. She was also responsible for creating strategies to successfully recruit, develop and retain diverse workforces and enabling large organizations to leverage diversity and inclusion to drive innovation. Before Genentech, Carin held various positions in human resources, inclusion and diversity, finance, and customer service at Cisco Systems. Additionally, Carin is an advisor for RISEQUITY and a Board Member and Coach for Santa Clara PAL (Police Activities League).
Stacè Middlebrooks, M.A., PCCC, CBC is The Chief Empowerment Officer of Purpose Powered Coaching + Consulting, a company that focuses on helping women of color live and lead with purpose and power, and helping organizations create inclusive environments where all talent can thrive. Stacè is an executive coach and consultant with a Master of Arts in Sociology (Ethnic Relations) and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Performance Psychology. She brings over 20 years of corporate experience in inclusion and diversity, human resources, and sales to her coaching delivery. Stacè’s transformative coaching style facilitates growth in inclusive leadership and conscious decision-making. Her unique ability to help leaders step into the fullness of their identity, purpose, and power is a catalyst for clients to live and lead with more intentionality and impact. She has worked in global leadership roles in key industries such as technology and telecommunications to cultivate inclusive, high-performing organizations. Stacè has worked with clients at leading companies like Cisco Systems, Sprint, Facebook and with clients in academia, social media, and chemical manufacturing industries. Her ability to coach transformation, empowerment, and inclusion translates to a wide variety of leaders. She has coached and consulted across geographies, generations, and cultures. She is a certified Conscious Business Coach and Professional Certified Career Coach. Stacè’s background, education, and experience have made her a sought-after coach and consultant for leaders and emerging leaders with expertise in ED&I (Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion) strategy consultation, Inclusive, Leadership and Coaching.
Patsy Doerr | ESG Consultant & Facilitator
Patsy Sciutto Doerr is an award-winning thought leader. Focusing on Social and Community Impact, she has talent, inclusion, and ESG/sustainability expertise. Her passion is helping organizations build and develop initiatives that position them for long-term success in a diverse, global environment. Her work has been featured in several publications and conferences, including Forbes, The Hill, The Muse, Milken Institute and Sustainable Brands. Patsy’s impact and success are rooted in more than 25 years of experience building and leading functions for organizations in the financial services, data and nonprofit arenas. Before starting Change for Social Good LLC as an independent consultant, she was the Chief ESG and People Officer at UDR, a leading multi-family real estate investment trust. Prior to her position at UDR, she served as CEO of The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. and as global head of Diversity and Inclusion at Credit Suisse. Before assuming this position, she was responsible for building and leading Thomson Reuters’ diversity and inclusion, corporate responsibility and ESG/sustainability functions. In recent years, Doerr was awarded the Tri-State Diversity Council’s Most Powerful & Influential Woman Award and the Promoting Workforce Diversity & Gender Equality Award for the Banking, Financial and Insurance sector by City State Reports. Patsy has served on several boards and committees, including Women’s World Banking, Jackie Robinson Foundation, All in Together, Multiplying Good and the Queens Museum.
Patsy has extensive experience coaching and advising senior leaders within and outside organizations on inclusive leadership, building and advancing ESG initiatives, communicating with impact and being successful in global, complex organizations. Patsy holds a BS in Biology from Washington and Lee University and a Master of Science in Adult Learning and Organizational Development/Behavior from Fordham University.
David S. Posner, PhD | Analytics & Strategy Specialist
Dr. David S. Posner’s recurring life question is, “How do we make this better?” He brings to this endeavor his multiple intelligences, raw creativity, and hard work. This question has driven him to earn his doctorate in Evolution & Ecology, build and manage the sole DEI metrics team for a multi-billion dollar global tech company, design novel programs for achieving practical equity, recoup hundreds of thousands of dollars through early e-learning research and management, design profit-focused standards and methods for Employee Resource Groups, participate in bold activism, both within, and beyond academia and the corporate world, and finally, to bring his wisdom and inspiration to life coaching.
Angie Cheung-Ford | Analytics Consultant
Angie is a Swiss Army knife of data tools with experience spanning visualization, modeling and infrastructure. She has spent her entire career in technology with a focus in recent years on FinTech, combining her technical background with her passion for financial literacy and independence to build equitable and inclusive financial products. Data is a powerful tool in driving action and change and Angie’s aim at RISEQUITY is to understand, define and measure all facets of diversity to help build scalable solutions. She is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a B.A. in Economics and Mathematics.
Tom Tonkin, PhD | Facilitator & Senior Diversity Consultant
Dr. Tom Tonkin PhD is an executive in Professional Services and Software Sales arena with over 30 years of business and technology experience. He currently serves as the CEO of the Conservatory Group and the Co-Founder and Dean of Students at the Sales Conservatory. In addition, he is also the Head of Strategic Accounts at SAMI Games, the first crowd-sourced global solution for soft skills and the CRO at the Liderança Group, offering consultative services that identify areas for sustainable growth with actionable strategies to ignite change. Dr. Tonkin holds a Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership from Regent University (Virginia Beach, VA) as well as a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, with a focus on Leadership and Management from Regis University (Denver, CO). Dr. Tonkin holds multiple business certifications and is a leadership expert. In addition, Dr. Tonkin was an Adjunct Professor at the Forbes School of Business at Ashford University, where he taught Leadership in Organizations, Organizational Behavior and various other leadership and management courses. Dr. Tonkin is an award-winning researcher and author with several blogs, articles, and interviews focusing on Leadership, DE&I, Learning and Development, and Sales Acumen.
Matt Katawicz | Facilitator & Diversity Consultant
Matt is a passionate advocate for getting things done efficiently, effectively, and with a smile. Based in Washington, DC, as a consultant turned startup Chief of Staff, he brings rigor, process, an outcome mindset, and joy to every project he works on and every team member he interacts with. Whether through implementing a world-class strategy execution process for large multi-national organizations or supporting authenticity and acceptance by leading the Pride Employee Resource Group, he is thrilled to support organizations and the amazing people in them. His passion for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion is infused in everything he works on. Additionally, Matt volunteers his time with the Alzheimer’s Association through federal, state, and local advocacy and organizing the Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Matt received his Bachelor of Science in Commerce from Santa Clara University.
Francie Huebner | Facilitator & Diversity Consultant
Francie Huebner is a University of California Santa Barbara graduate with extensive coursework in Feminist Studies and Computer Science. With a background in computer science and the creation of video games, websites, coding and analytics, she draws on her disciplines and combines her passion for equity and technology in her career. She previously worked as an HR Culture & Engagement Intern and Associate Project Manager Intern at Cadence Design Systems.