Yvette Steele

Yvette Steele is a global diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) leader building inclusive and equitable workplaces one employee at a time. Her belief that “inclusion is everybody’s job that anybody can do” was the catalyst of the book “Impactful Inclusion Toolkit: 52 Activities to Help You Learn and Practice Inclusion Everyday in the Workplace.”

Since entering the workforce in the late 1980’s, she was frequently the only African American woman on the team or one of a few where bias, sexism, racism and prejudice were served daily making it impossible to consistently perform at peak levels. Decades later, these issues persist with the same intensity where many continue to be disempowered in their efforts to maximize potential. In this time of increased awareness of unfair systems and practices plaguing people of color, individuals with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community and others, her book provides the roadmap to acquire the skills needed to create cultures of equity, inclusion and belonging.

Steele has been recognized as a diversity thought leader on the inaugural Channel Futures DE&I 101 List for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion through words, actions, and leadership and has served on the DEI Advisory Committee for YMCA-USA, Tech Advisory Board Steering Committee for the National Urban League, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force for Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. You'll find her calling out the issues and providing solutions on diversity and workforce focused podcasts, blogs, news articles and panel discussions to include the Wall Street Journal, the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) and the ChannelPro Network.

She is an accomplished leader known for developing strategies and initiatives that align with business objectives and maximize profitability while empowering the workforce to integrate inclusion into day-to-day interactions. Her extensive experience facilitating workforce development and DEI strategic planning discussions with domestic and international leaders have led to the development of insightful tools and resources to include: The HR Managers Guide to Hiring IT Pros, Diversity and Inclusion Plan for Technology SMBs and Thriving in Tech Career Guide.