Diversity & Inclusion Specialist

The diversity and inclusion specialist is responsible for recognising, creating and implementing plans to promote diversity within an organisation. A significant part of the role is promoting and developing training programmes to enhance employee understanding on inclusions issues.

$45,000 - $100,000+

Education Varies

Increasing Demand

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Opal Kelly

Black Diversity, Equity, and Belonging Portfolio Manager (Tech)

Opal is a diversity and inclusion visionary, board member, leader of professional development and Black talent growth. Beginning her career in Computer Engineering, Opal has worked in startups to Fortune 500 companies, with her technology experience focused on early cloud virtualization. Since then, key areas of her career have spanned Consulting, Program Delivery, Risk Management and Cybersecurity.

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As the Portfolio Manager for the Black Experience at TD, Opal leads a team of professionals who are committed to enriching the experience of Black colleagues, customers, and communities. Her focus is on driving Black employee strategy for TD’s Innovation, Technology, and Shared Services (ITSS) division — consisting of over 14,000 employees — and to manage engagement with their many community partners including the Black Professionals in Technology Network (BPTN).

Born in Toronto, Opal has lived across Southern Ontario and parts of the US, from rural communities to the most populous city in Canada.

She chose her current profession because it was a space deeply personal to her: supporting and improving the expence of Black professionals in tech, and engaging the Black community towards tech careers. Hang been a Black tech professional herself, it was the opportunity to improve her owned lived experience that drew her in.

Also, having long been an active volunteer and supporter withn her communities, it was the perfect extension of what Opal embodied.
Her volunteerism included organing youth programs, co-founding the Black Professionals Network at EY Canada (Enst&Young), and for the past 5 years committing to Community Outreach and being the leadership chair of Profesional Development for the Black Employee Network at TD Bank.

 

What is your Educational background?
Computer Engineering Student turned Economics Graduate, University of Waterloo, Canada

What are your daily roles and responsibilities?
Strategic Planning, Organizing, and Support of Programs and Events, for both Internal (Employee/ Colleague) and External (Community, Public) Audiences

Work remotely via laptop due to covid 19. Regular emails, presentation decks, and status updates.

Multiple daily meetings with stakeholders, leaders, and community members

Lead a team to help realize the desired outcomes

Actively advocate for the Black community and inclusive actions

Stage opportunities! Occasionally get to be ‘on stage’ to present and speak at events across the company and publically.

What advice would you give the 15-18 year old version of yourself?

Do not, EVER, give up on your dreams or stop believing in yourself. Embrace asking for help when you need it, feel overwhelmed, or just need more information.

Do not be discouraged if your journey is different than those around you, or takes a different path than what you wanted. So long as you stay true to what’s in your heart, you’ll get to where you want to go.

And lastly, enjoy each moment, month, and year. Time will fly by before you know it, and it’s not only about your destination, but enjoying the journey along the way.

Quote:

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Barack Obama

Suggested high school subjects

Grade 11

English
Mathematics
Business & Management

Cooperative Education

Grade 12

English
Business & Management
Challenges & Change in Society (recommended)
Families In Canada (recommended)

Cooperative Education

Related Post-Secondary Programs:

 

Diversity & Inclusion Specialist

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Contact Us

info@influentialteam.com
(647) 968 – 3304

Office

4 Aquila Court
Etobicoke, ON M9W 5J2