A Conversation with Business Leaders: Strategies for Championing DE&I in the Workplace
Join a seasoned panel of executives—hailing from a range of industries—as they share meaningful ways to champion diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) in the workplace. From creating a sense of belonging to checking unconscious bias and achieving more equitable outcomes, DE&I champions are needed at every level of organizations, now more than ever. During this engaging panel discussion, you will hear firsthand from these inspiring leaders how you, as HR practitioners, play a unique role in shifting workplace culture to bring about lasting change. Take away proven strategies for developing, implementing and nurturing strong DE&I practices and initiatives in your own workplace.
Greg R. Flores
Greg has built a career with best-in-class organizations in retail (TJX Companies, Pilot Travel Centers, H.E.B., and Thriftway), consumer products (Pepsico and Daymon Worldwide) and media information services (Reed Elsevier and Reed Business Information). In each of these great organizations he held key executive positions and has had global HR oversight for a combined 35+ years. His leadership approach is to lead and drive international excellence in HR, Succession Planning, Diversity & Inclusion, Executive Compensation, Organizational Development and Operational Practices; senior leadership support and alignment with the business values; and competencies and profitability strategies. He has international senior leadership experience in the UK, China, Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Canada. He has accomplished this by leading with integrity, passion and creating high performing teams with direct connections to the business and culture. In addition to HR leadership responsibilities, he has also led and managed business P&Ls, operations, sales teams on-and-offshore in a number of these organizations.
He is currently founder and owner of Sculpted Leaders, LLC. This top-to-top by referral only consulting practice drives change and increases organizational presence and profitability by one-on-one coaching of C-suite executives, and ensuring all Human Capital Talent, Organizational Development, Diversity & Inclusion, Executive Compensation, Executive Recruitment and HRIS Systems are aligned to the core business mission and strategy. He also consults closely with Private Equity organizations as they assess purchases and sale of portfolio assets. He is fluent in Spanish, a leading voice in diversity & inclusion and has significant board experience with for and not-for-profit organizations like EnsembleIQ, National Domestic Violence Hotline, Our Lady of the Lake University, Conexion and AVANCE as lead in succession planning, executive compensation and CEO recruitment.
Greg has been married for over 35 years to Cindy and they have 2 great kids; Rebecca, who lives in Los Angeles, CA and Greg Jr, who lives in the San Antonio area. Greg is also a scuba diver instructor, enjoys reading fiction/non-fiction, yoga and is into metal sculpting. Greg and Cindy currently live in Canyon Lake, Tx.
Greg Jones
Gregory (Greg) Jones, a Chicago native and Navy veteran, is the chief diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) officer at Cargill. Greg works closely with Cargill’s businesses and functions to align actions, investments and processes in support of Cargill’s DEI strategy and goals.
Throughout his career, Greg has committed himself to ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to realize their potential and use their unique perspective to help organizations succeed. Guided by this strong sense of purpose, he’s excelled at developing strategies, practices and teams that drive real change.
Greg started his career with GE Healthcare in 1989 as a Stanford-trained electrical engineer, followed by various business leadership roles in GE Healthcare and later as a consultant with executive recruiting firms. Over the next 20 years, he led DEI efforts for Fortune 500 companies in the airline and financial services industries, including United Airlines, UBS and Bank of America. Most recently, he served as chief DEI officer for KeyBank.
Following his time in the U.S. Navy, Greg graduated with an electrical engineering degree from Tuskegee University, a historically black college in the U.S. and a current partner through our Cargill University thrive program. He continued his education with a master’s degree from Stanford University.
He currently serves as a member of the board for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund; the advisory board for the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP); and the Executive Leadership Council (ELC). He is also a distinguished visiting professor at Johnson and Wales University. He has received numerous awards throughout his career, including being recognized by Black Enterprise magazine’s Top 100 Executives in Diversity and Ebony magazine’s Power 100.
Byna Elliott
Byna Elliott is devoted to caring for communities. Her decades long career in banking centers around reinvesting to improve the economic plight of the vulnerable. As the Head of Advancing Black Pathways for JPMorgan Chase, Elliott’s mission is to strengthen the economic foundation of the Black community and bring shrinkage to the racial wealth divide.
By focusing on targeted investments and programs under the firm’s diversity and inclusion framework, Elliott leads the Advancing Black Pathways global efforts surrounding Careers & Skills, Financial Health & Wealth Creation, Business Growth & Entrepreneurship and Community Development.
Prior to JPMC, Elliott was the chief architect behind the success of Fifth Third Bank’s landmark five-year $32 billion investment in underserved communities nationwide from 2015 – 2020. As Chief Enterprise Responsibility Officer at Fifth Third, Elliott oversaw the firm’s corporate social responsibility functions which included environmental sustainability, philanthropic giving, ethical business practices and economic responsibility.
A native Detroiter, Elliott openly shares of growing up poor while being raised by her single mother and grandmother. Despite their lack of resources, her grandmother instilled in a strong sense of community and concern for others. This foundational lesson and example stuck. Today Elliott intentionally continues her grandmother’s legacy both professionally and personally. Her hard work is heart-work. She has brought hope and real impact to hurting communities in measurable ways for more than two decades.
Elliott and husband Tony reside in Michigan with their two children.
Joya Hayes
Joya Hayes is the Director of Human Resources and the Director of Civil Service for the City of Austin, Texas. She has over 22 years of experience in human resources, training, and organizational development, community-based programming, policy & procedure development, and executive-level planning. In her career, Joya has worked for the State of Texas, the city of Richmond, Virginia, and has worked for the City of Austin, Texas, for 17 years.
Joya is a servant leader. Her personal, community and professional endeavors are a true testament to her commitment to serve and improve the quality of life for all citizens and communities. Under her leadership, the city of Austin has received awards for innovative public sector programs in health and wellness, bestmanaged healthcare benefit plans, employment, and re-entry initiatives to support employment opportunities for formerly incarcerated citizens. With over 16,000 employees, the City of Austin is the only major metropolitan city in the State of Texas with a benefits plan that sustained no rate increase or plan design changes for four-plus years. Austin is also the only city in Texas to score 100+ on the Municipal Equality Index. This index examines how inclusive municipal laws, policies, and services are of LGBTQ+ people. Cities are rated based on non-discrimination laws, the municipality as an employer, municipal services, law enforcement, and leadership on LGBTQ+ equality. In 2017, Austin ranked number nine in the Forbes Best Employers list. Austin was the only city listed in the top ten.
Joya is a member of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators, the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), and the International Public Management Association for Human Resource Professionals (IPMA-HR). She is a cum laude graduate of Huston-Tillotson University. She received her bachelor's degree in Mass Communications and a graduate of Texas State University, where she received her master's degree in Public Administration. While attending Huston-Tillotson University, Joya served two terms as Student Body President. During her tenure, she was instrumental in organizing community protests and marches to address the time's injustices, including Hopwood vs. the University of Texas and statewide affirmative action initiatives. Joya's community advocacy work to support communities of color has been acknowledged by national publications, the Texas House of Representatives, and the Texas Senate.
Currently, she is a board member of Child, Incorporated (Austin's Head Start Program). She is a 20-year board member of the Austin Area Heritage Council (responsible for Austin's MLK March and Festival celebrations). She is also a former licensed foster parent in Virginia and Texas. She has received over 35 community awards for her dutiful service. In 2021, she was the recipient of the Austin NAACP Lifetime Achievement Award.
As a motivational speaker, Joya has delivered speeches to over two million people in six states and two countries. She is a dynamic and energetic speaker known for her humor and powerful energy. She is also an extraordinary emcee and speechwriter and has written speeches for elected officials in three states. Her greatest reward has been her son, Robert Elijah Hayes, whom she fostered for two years, and adopted in June 2016.
Sean T. Sullivan, SHRM-SCP
Sean Sullivan serves as the Chief Human Resources Officer and is responsible for providing human resources leadership, vision and service delivery for SHRM, the world's largest HR professional society.
Sullivan has over 25 years of experience in human resources strategy and operations. He has built his career across multiple industries, including health care, defense, technology, IT, and manufacturing, applying his expertise to help grow and support diverse business models.
Prior to SHRM, he was Vice President, Human Resources for Tufts Medical Center, an internationally respected academic medical center in downtown Boston. He was responsible for all aspects of human capital practices and labor relations in support of the healthcare, research, and teaching mission of the oldest permanent medical facility in the country. Under his leadership, Tufts Medical Center launched innovative initiatives in workforce development and diversity and inclusion while strengthening strategic partnerships with community-based organizations and enhancing equity in patient access to healthcare.
Sullivan has held senior leadership positions for technology firms in the defense and intelligence industries, including senior vice president for human resources with Leidos, a global IT and technology firm. He led due diligence and integration efforts for international mergers and acquisitions. He helped establish the Leidos Relief Foundation and served as its first president. He played a key role in the re-design of the human resources function for SAIC when it was spun off from Leidos in 2013. Earlier in his career, Sullivan took on roles of increasing responsibility at Northrop Grumman and TRW, including the support of global business units in systems integration and manufacturing.
With a passion for workforce development, he has been a guest speaker at the Close It Summit, the Colloquium on Global Diversity, the Work Rebooted Conference and other forums. He has been a member of Innovate+Educate's Innovative Business Hiring Council and the Healthcare HR Leadership Forum. He holds an MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, from which he also earned his undergraduate degree in political science.
This speaker is a member of the SHRM Speakers Bureau.
