The Intersection

This week I’m chatting with Ericka Carmona-Vega, a part-time Human Resources Leadership Advisor for the Latin American branch of Streigenics. Growing up in the wake of the LA riots of 1992 pushed Ericka toward social justice and activism at a young age, leading her to organize protests and community efforts in her community. She shares details about her experiences in the fields of diversity, equi...

This week I’m speaking with Chris Lemark, a mental health advocate, hip hop artist, and founder of Coffee, Hip Hop and Mental Health. Chris shares the story of how he spent many years suffering in silence, before a pivotal moment that pushed him to first go to therapy, which resulted in him creating his business and bringing access to mental health care to more people. Right now mental health in t...

This week I’m chatting with LaTonya Wilkins, Director of Talent Management at the GIES College of Business, and the Principal of LaTonya Wilkins Coaching and Speaking. She is in a position of leadership in numerous organizations, which has given her insights into creating work environments that support diversity, equity and inclusion. LaTonya shares some of these insights and the research behind t...

This week I’m chatting with Tom Alexander, the CEO and Co-Founder of Holistic. Holistic helps people have better employee experiences through the use of data: they look at every aspect of the employee’s experience, from before they are hired until after they leave, in order to understand challenges and opportunities. Tom shares numerous findings obtained from the data collected by Holistic. One su...

Emily Blum is the Executive Director of ADA25 Advanced Leadership, an organization dedicated to advancing and developing leaders with disabilities in the workplace. It was founded during the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and born out of frustration with the lack of leaders with disabilities at tables of influence and power. With a background rooted in social justice and...

Tatyana Fertelmeyster is a diversity and inclusion consultant and expert, and is the founder and Principal of Connecting Differences. For over 20 years, Tatyana has been working as an intercultural professional, having started her career as a therapist for Soviet Union refugees. She also specializes in domestic diversity. She joins me to talk about the mental strains caused by the pandemic and wha...

Torin Ellis is the Principal of the Torin Ellis Brand. He is an author, and the host of Career Mix. Torin has done work with many organizations, helping them in the diversity, equity and inclusion space, in particular around employment recruitment branding. He joins Nancy Harris to discuss talent acquisition and improving D&I initiatives in this week’s episode. Here are a few highlights from t...

Dorri McWhorter, CEO of the YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, is this week’s guest on The Intersection Podcast. Dorri describes herself as a socially conscious international business leader dedicated to improving the world. She chats with Nancy Harris about improving your workforce by recognizing the humanity of those around you. Here are a few highlights from their conversation:When she was 11, Dorri wr...

Nancy Harris chats with Elena Valentine, CEO and co-founder of Skill Scout, an organization which specializes in talent acquisition and employer branding, about a more inclusive way to build your workforce. Here are a few highlights from their conversation:Elena is dedicated to looking past qualifications and sourcing talent in trendy ways: by media, which she calls the literacy of the 21st centur...

Nancy Harris speaks with Huma Qazi, global diversity, equity and inclusion expert and founder of Huma Qazi Limited, a consulting firm which focuses on creating a more diverse and inclusive work environment. Nancy and Huma discuss opportunities and actions one can take to effect real transformation in the workplace. Here are a few highlights from their insightful conversation:Huma advises organizat...

Nancy Harris chats with Sandee Kastrul, President and co-founder of I.C. Stars, an innovative nonprofit leadership and development program that prepares inner-city youth for employment in the IT industry. Nancy and Sandee discuss how the I.C. Stars program challenges clients and the participants themselves to change their perceptions through fun and memorable experiences. Here are a few highlights...

On The Intersection Podcast, host Nancy Harris and guests tackle the important issues of social justice, business and leadership, and how to bring them together to transform the workplace. In this first episode, Nancy’s guest is Ivy Walker, CEO of Purpose Workforce Solutions. Ivy’s company works with opportunity youth to not only place them in organizations, but also to create career pathways for...

Eddie Bocanegra brings a unique perspective to the conversation about violence prevention and criminal justice reform. He argues that formerly incarcerated persons can and should be given the opportunity to rejoin the workforce, and with the proper support, they have the potential to be great contributors to society. A former offender himself, Eddie now heads one of the largest anti violence progr...

Welcome to the Intersection podcast! In this show, Nancy Harris is going to be talking to experts, leaders, and entrepreneurs about the critical issues around diversity, inclusion, leadership and social justice that professionals need to navigate a changing business climate.