Ruchika T. Malhotra

Ruchika T. Malhotra is the author of 'The Diversity Advantage: Fixing Gender Inequality In The Workplace' and the founder and CEO of Candour, an inclusion strategy practice.

Ruchika is a keynote speaker who has presented extensively on unconscious bias, diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace at top private, nonprofit and government institutions, including as an expert witness in the U.S. House of Representatives.

A former international business journalist, Ruchika is now a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review. She is also the inaugural Distinguished Professional-in-Residence for the Seattle University's Communication Department.

Bernice Maldonado

Bernice is a strategy consultant and advisor with an expertise in working with First Generation Professionals (FGP). She is the Founder and CEO of Growing Forward, a Los Angeles based strategy consulting firm dedicated to maximizing organizational effectiveness and diverse talent management. 

Through Growing Forward’s FirstGenTalent study, she is contributing with ground-breaking research to answer the question “how do first generation professionals (FGPs) experience the workplace, and how can companies better support and utilize their unique talents?” Through customized talent development programs and services, Bernice helps companies, people of color, women, and all FGPs unlock their talent potential.

Dr. Christen Flack Behzadi, MD

Dr. Behzadi is a board-certified anesthesiologist. She is the founder of International Intercultural; a cultural consulting company focused on diversity, equity and inclusion learning programs. She has worked and studied in hospitals globally (Africa, USA, Europe) and developed cultural learning programs throughout her studies.

Dr. Behzadi has designed and developed cultural diversity products for Toyota in Plano, Texas.

Dr. Behzadi’s approach to diversity, equity and inclusion programming is rooted in cultural humility. An approach that emphasizes we are the learner and not the authority on cultures outside of our own. Through cultural humility not only can we respectfully work in multicultural environments we can also respectfully engage and collaborate with anyone from any culture.