Keeping the Momentum for DEI Programs
Ciarra Jones, MTS
In today’s polarized environment, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs often face resistance, leaving leaders uncertain about how to sustain progress while addressing concerns from stakeholders. This training offers actionable strategies to reframe DEI as a path to collective wellness, organizational excellence, and transformative justice. Participants will learn how to position DEI initiatives as integral to talent management, inclusive leadership, and overall organizational resilience. By highlighting DEI’s role in fostering psychological safety, innovation, equitable systems—and enhancing measurability and reporting—this workshop empowers participants to protect and advance their DEI goals, even amidst external challenges.
- Reframe DEI as a Benefit to Everyone
Participants will explore ways to communicate DEI as a framework that enhances workplace culture, innovation, and collective success, ensuring all stakeholders understand its relevance to them. - Integrate Transformative Justice and Wellness into DEI Work
Participants will learn to align DEI programs with principles of wellness and transformative justice, emphasizing healing, accountability, and psychological safety to promote a thriving organizational environment. - Position DEI as a Key Talent Management Strategy
Participants will develop skills to demonstrate how DEI contributes to attracting, retaining, and developing top talent, while enhancing employee engagement, performance, and organizational effectiveness. - Increase DEI Measurability and Reporting
Participants will learn methods to strengthen DEI program impact through measurable goals, key performance indicators (KPIs), and transparent
With a BA in American Studies from UC Berkeley and a Master of Theological Studies from Harvard University, I have dedicated my career to helping organizations deepen their commitment to equity and inclusion. My professional journey spans work as an LGBTQIA+ Program Lead and Diversity Specialist in higher education, followed by my role as a Finance Journalist and SEO Specialist at NerdWallet. This diverse background allows me to create innovative solutions that bridge equity and inclusion with strategic content and organizational development.
I approach consulting with a humanistic lens, recognizing that workplaces are more than professional settings—they are sites of connection and belonging. Leveraging transformative justice frameworks, I support organizations in addressing bias and exclusion, helping them move from challenge to meaningful change. Even in the face of steep equity obstacles, I remain optimistic: I believe every organization can become more inclusive and welcoming, regardless of where they begin.
My consulting partners have included Cal State LA, Nonprofit Finance Fund, Hinge Health, and Covenant House California, among others. I also engage as a speaker and writer, with my work appearing on platforms such as Fox Soul TV, UC Berkeley, Mills College, and the Harvard Club of New York, and my writing featured in outlets like Huffington Post, BBC, Elite Daily, Thebody.com, and Zora Mag.