Speakers

Melanie
Barth Berman

Chief Human Resources Officer

NiSource

Melanie Berman serves as Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for NiSource, based in Columbus, Ohio. Melanie brings extensive experience as a CHRO in three other organizations. She most recently led HR at The Michaels Companies, the largest arts and crafts specialty retailer in North America, where she was Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer. Prior to that, she was Vice President, Human Resources at Anthem and Chief Human Resources Officer at BakerCorp. Melanie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at State University of New York at Albany and a Master of Science in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Baruch College.

Christine
Castellano

Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary

The Andersons

Christine M. Castellano is Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of The Andersons (NASDAQ: ANDE), located in Maumee, Ohio. Founded in 1947, The Andersons is a diversified company rooted in agriculture that conducts business across North America in the grain, ethanol, plant nutrient and rail sectors. In 2020, The Andersons was ranked number 390 in the Fortune 500 list, with revenues in excess of $8 billion. In addition to serving as general counsel, Christine manages the human resources and corporate communications functions, and leads the Sustainability Council and the COVID-19 Response Team. Prior to joining The Andersons, she served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer for Ingredion Incorporated, a NYSE listed Fortune 500 company. She additionally served as a non-executive director and member of the Audit Committee of Rafhan Maize Products Co. Ltd., a public company listed on the Pakistan Stock Exchange. Christine serves on the Board of the Toledo Lucas County Port Authority, and is a co-chair of the Business and Industry Committee of N.W. Ohio’s V Project (COVID-19 vaccination). She serves on the legacy board of The John Marshall Law School in Chicago. She previously served as a Trustee of the Illinois Equal Justice Foundation (Chair of Grant Committee), a Trustee of the Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and as a member of the Womens’ Board of the Chicago Zoological Society (Co-chair of Education and Outreach Committee). She is a member of The Economic Club of Chicago and The Chicago Network. In April 2019, Christine was certified as a diversity professional by the National Diversity Council. Christine is a member of the Association of Corporate Counsel, the Toledo Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association, and the North Shore General Counsel Association, and participated in The Conference Board Council of Chief Legal Officers and the MAPI Law Council. She has served as a member of the American Bar Association International Section Publications Committee and Corporate Counsel Committee, and was formerly Communications Officer and Division Chair of the Americas and Middle East Division of the Section.

Airies
Davis

Founder

WorkforcEQi LLC

Dr. Airies Davis is a business education unicorn! The fiber of Diversity, Equity, Equality, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEEIB) threads through her 15+ year professional and academic experiences including leading large-scale strategic talent development initiatives and multicultural teams for such corporations as Deloitte, Merrill Lynch Capital, and Monster Worldwide. She has been able to transpose scholar practicum as an Executive in Residence, Adjunct Professor for Dominican University, Brennan School of Business in River Forest (near Chicago), Illinois. Entrepreneurially, Dr. Davis is the founder of WorkforcEQi LLC which provides human capital solutions centered on emotional intelligence and workforce readiness. Notably, her passion project is the creation of EtiKID Academy providing character and career education etiquette to underserved populations. Dr. Davis’ academic journey includes an earned doctorate from University of Southern California and an Executive MBA from the University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana.

Shannon
Griffin

K-12 District Diversity Chair

Olentangy Local School District

Shannon Griffin is the K-12 District Diversity Chair for Olentangy Local Schools. In that role, she has advanced multiple initiatives supporting the district’s vision and mission of inclusive excellence, including last year’s first ever African American Read-In, where over 1700 students participated, and 100% of the teachers involved utilized new texts in their centering of African American books and authors. The National African American Read-In (AARI) was established in 1990 by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English to make literacy a significant part of Black History Month, and so far, this initiative has reached more than 6 million participants around the world. In addition to her district leadership role, Shannon is an educator, public speaker, and author with a focused passion on diversity, inclusion and anti-racist education. She hopes to transform student, teacher and community relationships by providing resources and support for equitable and justice-centered teaching, encouraging conversations around tough topics, and engaging in social activism. As a mother, and all-around book lover, Griffin recognizes the power of representation and diversity in literature and founded Literally Cultured, a blog and website centered on diversity and representation in children's literature, and the power that stories have to change the world. Additionally, Shannon's first picture book, Black Man: A Superhero Story, is set to release later this year. Griffin resides in Delaware, Ohio with her husband and three sons, and holds a bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, a masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a masters degree in Educational Leadership.

Robert
Jensen

Professor, School of Journalism

University of Texas at Austin

Robert Jensen is a professor in the School of Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin and board member of the Third Coast Activist Resource Center in Austin. Jensen joined the UT faculty in 1992 after completing his Ph.D. in media ethics and law in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a professional journalist for a decade. At UT, Jensen teaches courses in media law, ethics, and politics. In his research, Jensen draws on a variety of critical approaches to media and power. Much of his work has focused on pornography and the radical feminist critique of sexuality and men’s violence, and he also has addressed questions of race through a critique of white privilege and institutionalized racism. In addition to teaching and research, Jensen writes for popular media, both alternative and mainstream. His opinion and analytic pieces on such subjects as foreign policy, politics, and race have appeared in papers around the country. He contributes to local organizing in Austin, TX, through his work with the Third Coast Activist Resource Center, http://thirdcoastactivist.org. Jensen is the author of Plain Radical: Living, Loving, and Learning to Leave the Planet Gracefully (Counterpoint/Soft Skull, 2015); Arguing for Our Lives: A User’s Guide to Constructive Dialogue (City Lights, 2013); All My Bones Shake: Seeking a Progressive Path to the Prophetic Voice, (Soft Skull Press, 2009); Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity (South End Press, 2007); The Heart of Whiteness: Confronting Race, Racism and White Privilege (City Lights, 2005); Citizens of the Empire: The Struggle to Claim Our Humanity (City Lights, 2004); and Writing Dissent: Taking Radical Ideas from the Margins to the Mainstream (Peter Lang, 2002). Jensen is also co-producer of the documentary film “Abe Osheroff: One Foot in the Grave, the Other Still Dancing” (Media Education Foundation, 2009), which chronicles the life and philosophy of the longtime radical activist. An extended interview Jensen conducted with Osheroff is online at http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~rjensen/freelance/abeosheroffinterview.htm. Jensen was a consultant to the filmmakers of the 2008 documentary “The Price of Pleasure: Pornography, Sexuality, and Relationships,” in which he also is interviewed. Information about the film is available at http://thepriceofpleasure.com/. He also is the co-writer/producer of an educational slide show in PowerPoint about pornography, “Who wants to be a porn star? Sex and violence in today’s pornography industry.” Information about the show is available at http://stoppornculture.org/ or by writing to stoppornculture@gmail.com. Jensen can be reached at rjensen@austin.utexas.edu and his articles can be found online at http://robertwjensen.org/.

George
Sample

Assistant Vice President, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity

Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland

George Sample is a Cleveland native who graduated from John Hay High School. George proceeded to John Carroll University, where graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science. He later returned to John Carroll to earn his MBA. George is Assistant Vice President - Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity for the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland. Prior to joining the Bank, George served as the Director of Human Resources for the Cuyahoga County Public Library. Before that, George served in Human Resources Manager roles at the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District and The Lubrizol Corporation. George is President of the Cleveland Society of Human Resource Management. George serves on the Executive Committees of the Board of Directors for John Carroll University and the United Way of Greater Cleveland. George previously served as President of the Board for the United Black Fund of Greater Cleveland. George resides in Strongsville with his wife Tanya, and his daughters Jordan and AJ. George plays recreational basketball and tournament paintball.

Shindale
Seale

Diversity Equity Inclusion Program Manager

UCSC Silicon Valley Extension

Dr. Shindale Seale is a cultural equity and diversity strategist who employs leadership and performance optimization concepts to help entrepreneurs, corporate and academic stakeholders, and Diversity & Inclusion professionals identify and reach their organizational culture goals. For over two decades, Dr. Seale served in various leadership and training roles and sectors including the corporate environment, academia, and the non-profit arena. Her work has focused on business performance optimization, staff development, and creating sustainable and equitable working environments. Her research and consulting on creating equitable solutions in gender, race, age, and ability matters has led to her being a sought-after subject matter expert and speaker. In addition to her consulting services, Dr. Seale is the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Program Chair at the University of California Santa Cruz - Silicon Valley Extension, where she also develops and teaches courses on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in the workplace and academia. Dr. Seale is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Redlands where she teaches Leadership, Organizational Change, and Business Communication. Dr. Seale holds a Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Change and Leadership and a Master of Education degree, both from the University of Southern California (USC). She also earned her Bachelor of Arts with a focus on Language and Linguistics from California State University at Dominguez Hills (CSUDH).

Chrishonda
Smith

Regional Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer

Mount Carmel Health System

Chrishonda Smith serves as Regional Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Mount Carmel Health System. In this role, she provides strategic leadership for more than 9,000 colleagues across 5 acute-care facilities, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, MediGold Health Plan, and Mount Carmel Medical Group. As a recognized leader in the areas of Human Resources Strategy, Organizational Development, Executive Coaching, Talent Management, and Diversity Leadership, she’s collaborated with organizations across the healthcare, retail, financial, and non-profit industries. Her results-driven approach has made her a sought after thought-leader, facilitator, and speaker. Smith is a certified Executive Coach and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University, a Master of Business Administration in Strategic Management from Davenport University, Advanced Strategic Diversity Practitioner Certification from Cornell University, and designation as a Senior Professional in Human Resources. She has been honored with the Detroit Area YWCA Young Professional Woman of Achievement Award, induction into both Who’s Who in Black Detroit and Who’s Who in Black Columbus and was profiled in the Columbus Women's Book. A native of Detroit, Michigan Smith currently resides in Columbus, Ohio and lives by the motto “Pay it forward”.

Ralph
Smithers, Jr

Assistant Vice President, Diversity and Community Relations

Encova Insurance

Ralph Smithers Jr is an experienced and accomplished diversity, equity, inclusion and community relations professional with broad financial services experience, formal business education and have earned several professional insurance certifications. His broad experience and perspective make him equally comfortable analyzing data and leveraging strong interpersonal skills to optimize outcomes. His background includes leadership roles in insurance underwriting, customer service, insurance operations, human resources, learning and education, internal communications, philanthropy and foundation management, non-profit leadership as well as diversity, equity and inclusion. He has been recognized for his work by being honored as an Outstanding Diversity Champion by Columbus Busines First, named “Advocate of the Year” by the Ohio Minority Suppliers Development Council for his advocacy for supplier diversity and was instrumental in helping his company be recognized as an Outstanding Diversity Organization by Columbus Business First. Ralph is currently serving as an advisor to the Columbus Partnership to support their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives.

Ola
Snow

Chief Human Resources Officer

Cardinal Health

Ola Snow is chief human resources officer (CHRO) at Cardinal Health with oversight for the company’s Human Resources, Environmental Health and Safety, Security, Real Estate, Facilities and Aviation organizations. Essential to growth and success at Cardinal Health are the talented employees who strive to keep patients at the forefront of every business decision. Snow and her team are charged with ensuring Cardinal Health continues to be a company where talented and passionate people are eager to join, ready to contribute and able to thrive as they build their careers. Prior to her current role, Snow was the chief diversity officer at Cardinal Health where she led Talent Management, Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, Diversity and Inclusion, and the Corporate HR Business Partners. Her team defined needs within the business and implemented solutions to drive results, talent strategy and culture for employees across the globe. Previously, she served as the senior vice president of Human Resources for the Medical segment at Cardinal Health and, during her tenure at the company, has led more than 25 merger and acquisition opportunities within the HR function. Prior to joining Cardinal Health in 2001, Snow served as regional director at TeleSpectrum Worldwide Inc., where she led the HR function for the East region. Snow has a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) and acts as a co-executive sponsor for the company’s DE&I Council and an advisor for the company’s African American and Black Racial Equity Cabinet, two internal groups charged with challenging the status quo and ultimately helping to advance DE&I within the organization. She also serves as a board member of the Cardinal Health Foundation and Baxter Credit Union. Snow’s passion for DE&I and her strong leadership skills have been recognized by Columbus Business First as a Columbus-area Most Admired C-Suite Executive (2020, 2021) and the National Diversity Council as a Top 50 HR Professional (2021), an Ohio Top HR professional (2021) and a Most Powerful Woman (2021). Columbus Business First also named Cardinal Health as a Most Charitable Company (2020, 2021). In the community, Snow is actively engaged in numerous boards, commissions and councils including Flying Horse Farms, the Columbus Women’s Commission, and The Ohio State University’s Fisher Leadership Initiative Corporate Advisory Council. She is an active member of the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women Circle of Red, actively serving on the Go Red for Women National Council and as co-chair for the 2022 Go Red for Women’s Central Ohio Luncheon.

Al
Sullivan

President

Inspirus Consulting

Al Sullivan is the president and owner of Inspirus Consulting Inc. A firm specializing in system wide Organization Development, Diversity, and Sustainable Change. His approach integrates both theory and practical tools from the Applied Behavioral Sciences. His primary goal is to help client systems engage everyone to do their best work. His firm worked with a 3000-employee city municipality to redesign legacy Diversity, Inclusion, & Culture training. The Action Research method was used to collect / analyze relevant data, design a sustainable solution, and train internal trainers to continue proliferating the initiative. The work was also integrated into long term strategic objectives. Al helped the Information Technology division at global pharmaceutical organization win the “Attraction, Development, & Retention” Diversity award by designing and implementing initiatives which significantly increased senior female and minority leaders. Al has experience designing, delivering, and evaluating training intended to improve awareness and collaboration in multicultural organizations. He attends to the various levels of system when training and consulting (e.g. individual, team, organization, and community). His continuous improvement focus helps to connect training design to strategic organization objectives. Additional areas of expertise include applying strategies in areas such as Talent Management, Employee Engagement, Executive Coaching, Strategic Human Resources Management and Organization Development. Al is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources. He is also trained in a number of Organization Development tools and approaches such as Use of Self, Organization Analysis / Design, Action Research, Group Facilitation, Multicultural Organization Development, and Change Management, & Process Consulting.

Adrian
Taylor

Director of Diversity

Premier Health

Adrian Taylor is the Director of Diversity for Premier Health in Dayton, Ohio. He serves as the key advisor on the research, development and/or modification of diversity programs that support Premier’s business objectives with an emphasis on workforce diversity, supplier diversity and community engagement. He engages the community through various functions and events that reflect Premier’s values and promote healthier living throughout the Dayton region. Some of the events include: Premier Health’s African-American Wellness Walk, serving on the Dayton & Montgomery County’s Public Health LGBTQ Initiative, sponsoring and participating in the annual Hispanic Heritage Celebration, participating on the Dayton Business Journal’s Diversity Committee, and serving on the UD West Dayton Conversation Steering Committee. At the 2017 Southwest Ohio Supplier Diversity Healthcare symposium Adrian received the prestigious Spirit of Diversity Individual Champion Award for the work they’ve achieved in the Dayton area though their supplier diversity program. Premier relentlessly pursues diversity supplier within the southwest Ohio region through outreaches and forums held throughout the year. He also received the Leadership Excellence Award at the 2017 Diversity & Leadership conference for the work Premier is doing in Inclusion & Diversity. He also won the 2018 Asian American Commerce’s Group Supplier Diversity Leadership Award. Through his leadership, Premier Health also won the Vizient Supplier Diversity Excellent Award and the Ohio Minority Supplier Development Council’s Class-1 Corporation of the Year Award in 2017. In 2020, he won the Dayton Business Journal Outstanding Diversity Champion award for showing outstanding initiative in promoting diversity and inclusion at Premier and the community and making a positive difference in others’ lives through contributions to social justice, equality and diversity.  Premier tracks and reports out on demographic information, strategizes for retention and recruitment for diverse employees, and executing best practices for their over 13,000 they manage throughout southwest Ohio on a quarterly basis. Premier is committed to building healthier communities by providing culturally competent care in an environment that values, appreciates and respects all individuals with a diverse workforce that reflects the communities it serves. Before joining Premier Health in 2014, Mr. Taylor served in key management roles, earning positions of increasing responsibility in the private sector with companies like EDS, NCR and The Berry Company. More recently he worked for four years in the non-profit sector for the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce. As the Manager of Minority Business Retention and Expansion he advocated for and secured over $100M in contracted diverse spend for diverse companies in the Dayton region.

Nathan
Ziegler

System Vice President, Diversity, Leadership & Performance Excellence

CommonSpirit Health

Dr. Nathan Ziegler is System Vice President for Diversity, Leadership and Performance Excellence for CommonSpirit, where he leads the strategic implementation of diversity, equity and inclusion strategies across all aspects of the organization that has 150,000 associates and generates nearly $30B in annual revenue. Previously, Dr. Ziegler served as Vice president of Culture and Inclusion for Bon Secours Mercy Health, where he deployed system-wide councils for diversity and inclusion that cover all the markets, developed education and training solutions to reduce bias and improve inclusion, and helped shape D&I as a strategic priority for the organization. Originally from Toledo, Ohio, Dr. Ziegler earned his PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Toledo in 2015, as well as a Masters in English in 2007 and a Bachelors in Spanish in 2004. With an extensive career in healthcare, higher education, and business, Nathan has worked globally to build educational programs, deliver strategic D&I training solutions, and consult businesses and universities on their cultural and inclusion needs. He has been published in international peer-reviewed journals and has spoken at over 30 international and national conferences.