Judith Harrison, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at Weber Shandwick shares her fascinating experience of transitioning from a jazz and pop singer to a career in public relations, HR and Recruiting, and eventually Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Join us as we dive deeper into methods of promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace through educational programs and mentorship/sponsorship programs, and inclusive communications.

Key takeaways:

• How making a career transition requires understanding what is meaningful to oneself and the legacy one wants to leave.
• How organizations can unlock new opportunities by committing to a more diverse decision-making and open dialogue among diverse backgrounds.
• How mentorship and sponsorship programs are beneficial for both parties and help foster a diverse and inclusive workplace.
• Balancing time spent between the office and home is essential to maintain an inclusive and productive work environment.

Chapters:

1. Navigating Career Transformations (00:00 - 06:22)
2. The Long Journey to Professional Success (06:23 - 12:03)
3. Leveraging Relationships, Education, and Sponsorship Programs (12:04 - 18:25)
4. The Benefits of Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Inclusive Work Environments (18:25 - 24:58)
5. Navigating the Office: Double-Edged Sword of Remote Working (24:59 - 29:34)
6. 
   

About the Guest: Judith Harrison leads global diversity, equity, and inclusion at Weber Shandwick. She drives programs designed to build a diverse workforce operating in a culture of inclusion and belonging to create impactful, innovative communications solutions for clients.

Judith’s background includes human resources experience and communications positions and programs at Burson-Marsteller, Ernst & Young, CBS, Media General, Random House, and the Italian Trade Commission.

Since joining Weber Shandwick in 2006, Judith has guided the firm to recognition as a champion of diversity and inclusion, with honors including an unparalleled four PRWeek/PR Council Diversity Distinction in PR Awards and numerous others.

Her open forums for employees in North America and beyond, Time to Connect, bring people together for transparent conversations about sensitive cultural issues, including racism, anti-Semitism and violence. Its value as a roadmap for the evolving nature of the employer/employee relationship was recognized by Harvard Business Review.

Judith is past president of the PRSA Foundation and two-term president of New York Women in Communications. She is the only individual to hold both positions simultaneously.

While leading the PRSA Foundation, Judith conceived and drove creation of Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership, a groundbreaking book of interviews with 40+ BIPOC and LGBTQ corporate, agency and academic PR leaders, designed to provide inspiration to aspiring professionals and guidance to employers on ways to better maintain inclusive environments in which people from all backgrounds can thrive.

Judith has been honored with the 2011 New York Women’s Agenda STAR Award, the 2019 ColorComm Circle Award, the 2019 PR Council/PRWeek Diversity Champion Award and the 2021 New York Women in Communications Matrix Award and was named as one of PRWeek’s Women of Distinction in 2022, as well as one of Savoy’s Top Influential Women in Corporate America in 2012, 2014 and 2019.

Links:

Visit Weber Shandwick: https://www.webershandwick.com/

Visit The Change Agents: ⁠⁠https://www.thechangeagents.co/⁠

Connect with Judith: https://www.linkedin.com/in/judithharrison

Connect with Tiffany: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffanyntagle/