Darlene Slaughter

Darlene Slaughter is the first Chief Diversity Officer for Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) responsible for supporting and creating a culture of inclusion and belonging with all employees in the authority. She works closely with leaders and teams to support equity initiatives that impact communities and ridership within the metro area of Maryland, DC, and Virginia.

Prior to joining WMATA, Slaughter served as the Chief Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement Officer at the March of Dimes and designed a program to increase board diversity across the network. Earlier, as the Chief Diversity Officer for both United Way Worldwide and Fannie Mae, her efforts expedited and advanced diversity and inclusion strategies, built external partnerships, and facilitated community initiatives throughout the footprints of both organizations. She also served as the Principal Consultant and Chair of Linkage’s Institute for Leading Diversity and Inclusion, where she trained corporate leaders on developing and leading D&I initiatives in the workplace.

Throughout her career, Slaughter's passion to remove barriers and provide equal opportunities for all has been recognized with awards and honors, including SAVOY’s 2012 Top 100 Influential Women in Corporate America; Profiles in Diversity Journal’s list of Women Worth Watching; Black Enterprise’s Top Executives in Diversity; and Heart & Soul’s Women of Substance in Finance. She has also graced the cover of Inclusion Magazine.