March is Women’s History Month, and the theme this year is “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.”
To celebrate the women in the learning and development field and multiple education spaces, we reached out to internal and external partners and thought leaders to talk to them about their professional lives and how Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion have impacted their careers.
At ansrsource, we believe in the power of DEIAB … Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility, and Belonging … to educate, elevate, and enrich people’s lives. We are grateful to the women who chose to share their experiences with us.
We hope you enjoy learning about the women we spoke with as much as we loved speaking with them.
Happy Women’s History Month!
Rachel Walter
Chief Innovation Officer, ansrsource
Q. If you consider yourself a DEI advocate or activist, what inspired you to do this work? Can you share a personal story or experience that fueled your passion for this cause? Have you had role models or mentors who have influenced you in this work?
My mother was a passionate advocate for women’s equality having found herself frustrated by laws that prevented her, as a well-educated and professionally successful person, from making decisions about her finances and health. That carried over to me recognizing that we can take for granted our privilege. This was highlighted when I went to work for a large international organization and a new HR head used her religious beliefs as a way to push out LGBTQ personnel from the organization. I realized that I needed to speak up, that it is okay to be different; that uniqueness can add value, and that every individual should be recognized for the value they add.
Q. Whether or not you consider yourself and advocate or activist, has your professional life intersected with or been impacted by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs? If so, how?
One of the programs that I was most proud to be associated with was a program that used real world situations inside a company as the basis for a video series that is facilitated in a way to encourage people to open up about their own experiences and instances where they had been excluded for some reason and learn from each other. This program allows everyone to not see a label as a descriptor but as a person that they know. I also served for several years on an Equality Center’s board and as the Chairperson for their annual fundraising activities and learned a lot more about different types of excluding behaviors.
Q. Is there a person doing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work currently who inspires you?
On Instagram there is a profile called Pottymouth Pollyanna who approaches tough topics with fortitude. She highlights inequities, points out hypocrisies, and is brave enough to put her face with all of her opinions.
Q. If you could recommend one resource to people who want to learn more about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (book, podcast, article, documentary, movie, etc.), what would it be?
I love the book “We are so much more” by Aster Anganaw. I also enjoyed How Women Rise by Sally Hegelsen and Marshall Goldsmith. Recently, I listened to a We Can Do Hard Things podcast on the topic of child-free women that brought up an aspect of cultural expectation related to motherhood that I had not previous considered. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/278-the-power-of-child-free-women-with-ruby-warrington/id1564530722?i=1000644304
About Rachel:
Rachel Walter, is known for her dynamic partnership with leadership teams in fostering an innovative and inclusive learner-centric environments. Her expertise lies in steering organizations towards creating value by developing transformative change and learning solutions that directly address challenges. Rachel’s educational background, combined with her passion and experience in learning and talent development, has earned her a reputation for establishing critical performance metrics and ensuring that learning initiatives yield concrete, measurable results.
She is deeply committed to engaging individuals in transformative change journeys, empowering them to harness their unique and diverse strengths. Rachel excels in resolving complex business problems through her proficiency in design thinking and data-driven approaches. Her approach facilitates innovative problem-solving and fosters an environment where continuous learning and improvement are recognized and reinforced.
