RALEIGH – Donald Thompson, co-founder of The Diversity Movement, will now dedicate most of his time to leading the organization as its full-time CEO, and announced he will step down from his role of CEO from Walk West. He will remain the board chair.

The move comes following the meteoric growth of The Diversity Movement, founded in late 2019, which now has a staff of 17 full-time employees.

“In under two years, we have been able to move from concept to commercial business during a pandemic and impact over 110,000 people with the work we’re doing,” said Thompson, who is also a contributor to WRAL TechWire, and authors a weekly column for the publication.  “Whenever you’re talking about business, it boils down to how many people are impacted in a positive way by what you do.  Our growth has been a testament to people’s appetite for action-oriented DEI training and tools.”

The organization links diversity, equity, and inclusion directly to the business strategy of how an organization involves and works with its stakeholders and clients, said Thompson.  The work of diversity, equity, and inclusion is complex, said Thompson, noting that the organization’s approach is to look at the triple-bottom-line, or people, planet, and profit, helping business leaders understand that investing resources in diversity, equity, or inclusion doesn’t involve sacrificing profit or high standards, rather, that through incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion, businesses can achieve better profits and establish better policies, procedures, and standards.

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“Our focus is to work with the many business leaders that want to understand how to lean in on DEI to support their employees and customers and to better understand and measure the significant positive impact that DEI can have on their company’s culture and business outcomes,” said Thompson.  “We help them do that by layering consulting with our DEI expertise and our suite of technology tools: mobile apps, e-learning courses and analytics tools, and peer learning portals to drive long-term DEI success.”

The company is currently planning an expansion, and is seeking an office location in Atlanta, Ga., and plans to open an additional office in Charlotte by the end of 2021.

This expansion will allow the company to focus locally, while driving national growth, said Thompson.  And the company may soon be hiring to expand its team.

“We’re looking for DEI consultants that understand the difference between a traditional DEI training and helping corporations build out true DEI journeys,” said Thompson.  “What makes us special is how we work hand-in-hand with your middle managers to have difficult conversations, how to use technology to scale, and how to measure the impact of your DEI training.”

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According to the company, it has served as strategic partner to more than 50 organizations–of all sizes–across the United States, noting an impact on more than 110,000 individuals in 12 industries, such as healthcare, finance, and technology.

“Organizations that have partnered with The Diversity Movement have reported more diversity in qualified candidates, more equitable interviewing procedures, and more employee engagement,” a statement issued by the company, shared with WRAL TechWire, reads.  “They’ve also managed to shift personal habits of language and behavior.”

Thompson’s last day as CEO of Walk West will be Monday.  On Tuesday, June 1, Karen Albritton will helm the role of CEO at Walk West. Albritton held the role of CEO at Capstrat, departing in the middle of 2017 after 17 years.  Albritton is also currently a partner at Thinc, and serves on the board for a number of companies and organizations.

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