Speaker

Krista White

Writer & Consultant

Krista White is a writer and consultant in the DEI space, focusing on work at the intersection of race and queerness. She is the founder and CEO of Kiki For The Future and the co-founder of Culture Design Lab, two DEI-focused startups. An avid traveler and lifelong learner, Krista has studied at the India Study Abroad Center for film, The Paris American Academy for writing, General Assembly for UX Design, and SheCodes for web development. Krista is based in New York City and is a graduate of Columbia University.

Speaker

James D. White

Board Chair Director CEO Author Speaker

James D. White is a transformational leader with more than thirty years of experience as a CEO and operating executive. He has overseen the evolution and growth of some of the world’s most iconic brands in the consumer products, retail, and restaurant industries. As the former Chair, President, and CEO of Jamba Juice, White led the successful turnaround and transformation of the company from a smoothie shop to a leading global healthy-and active-lifestyle brand, and he has held senior executive roles at Safeway Stores, Gillette, Nestlé Purina PetCare, and Coca-Cola.

A passionate champion for diversity and inclusion, White has been recognized with numerous awards, including the American Heart Association’s Corporate Citizen Award and Junior Achievement of Northern California’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The San Francisco Business Times also named him the San Francisco Bay Area’s Most Admired CEO.

White was inducted into the 2021 Alumni Hall of Fame at the University of Missouri. He received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fontbonne University and was invited to be the commencement speaker for the class of 2017.

Moderator

Dr. Deborah Ashton, PhD, CDM

President, Planet Perspective

Dr. Ashton, President of Planet Perspective, is a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategist and consultant with 30+ years of cross-industry experience. She heads Equity Rising with the mission of social justice. She headed DEI for Medtronic, Darden Restaurants, Harley-Davidson, Novant Health and Argonne National Laboratory. She is the former Chief of Test Development and Validation for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She serves on HBS Club of Chicago Advisory Council and is the DEI Industry Lead.

Dr. Ashton, a licensed psychologist, specializes in organizational psychology and developing an inclusive workplace. She provides coaching on how to mitigate unconscious bias in the workplace. She advises Boards on DEI. She created the 360o Inclusion Leadership Profile © TM (360o ILP), the Inclusive Culture Profile© ® (ICP) and the Six Pillars of Diversity and Inclusion TM strategical framework to promote an inclusive workplace.

She was an inductee into the Inclusion Magazine’s 2021 Diversity & Inclusion Hall of Fame and is the recipient of Clarke University 2021 Outstanding Achievement Distinguished Alumni Award. She has published in the Harvard Business Review, American Diversity Report, etc. Dr. Ashton received her doctorate from Harvard University and studied with Dr. Chester ‘Chet’ Pierce, who coined the term ‘microaggression’. Her cum laude B.A. in psychology is from Clarke.