I am a fierce advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, & belonging and enjoy providing guidance, support, and education to groups to create safer environments.
Read on to learn about my advocacy work, where I’ve built a reputation of courageous, vulnerable, allyship and compassionate education.
Company-wide “People’s Choice Award” for A Friendly Neighborhood Trans Person’s Guide to Allyship presentation
Inaugural winner, ERG Role Model of the Year
Global ERG Accessibility Lead
Global Accessibility Champion group
Global Lead, Disability and Neurodivergence Celebration Event month 2022
Global Co-Lead, Mental Health Awareness Month 2022
ERG co-founder/Global Communications Lead
“When Salem joined the [ERG leadership] team, we saw a noticeable impact and immediate drive that allowed us to really improve and has really become a crucial part to the group.
I highly recommend Salem's skills if you need someone that will be a communication expert, a champion in diversity, and someone who makes you want to work harder for the greater good.”
Quick numbers:
1,500+ employee audience across 20+ speeches in 6 months
ERG growth from 40 to 120 in 6 months
Over 150+ pages in documentation copy edited and updated for LGBTQIA+ resource guide
“Salem consistently speaks up for those that require a voice and paves the way for the team to make meaningful change - both culturally but also in the way that we do our work. They actively advocate for accessibility in our development and normalize subjects and conversations to create a more inclusive environment for everyone.”
Education
I have educated 1,500 teammates in over 20 groups about accessibility and inclusion of transgender, disabled, and neurodivergent individuals in their professional and personal lives.
Through personal anecdotes, metaphors, and candid statistics I teach important terms and historical moments, the importance of respecting pronouns, and ways to improve language and workplace processes to be more inclusive.
Governorship
In support of a newly recognized Employee Resource Group, I drafted a comprehensive charter and supporting documentation, and conducted breakout sessions with Executive Council members to establish important process points for ERG success including:
Organization
I offer comprehensive editing and organizational skills for DEI initiatives, to aide them in ensuring their documentation is up to date, useful, and accessible so that they can enact real change. This includes:
Information hierarchy and structuring
Copy editing
Document repository management
Communication
I provide clear, accessible documentation and communication regarding DEI initiatives and important information to employees. This includes announcing upcoming events and milestones as well as facilitating dialogue in meetings and encouraging vulnerability in conversation that leads to greater allyship and support.
Elections, representation, and chair duties
Code of conduct and enforcement
Subcommittees, local chapter structures
Metrics and budgets
Event organization, non-profit partnership
ERG recruitment and growth
Mentorship and professional growth opportunities
Education and company process improvement
Mentorship
Understanding that the DEI space is ever changing and slowly representing the minority communities it advocates for, I provide mentorship to new diversity and inclusion champions. I offer an experienced hand, a reassuring word, a moment of advice, and an ear to listen for new advocates that seek assistance navigating corporate structures to enact real change.
Recommendations and Reviews for my DEIB work
“Salem provided an informative, inspirational, and personal presentation around gender identity and allyship that was FANTASTIC. They did a great job creating a safe space that supported an open discussion within the group. I am sure I am not the only one who learned something and will be a better ally and person for it.”
“I wanted to humbly thank and personally recognize Salem for leading a very impactful session about allyship. Their message was personal, relevant, and educational. I want our company and our team to be a place where everyone feels welcome, and included, and able to show up as their true self. I believe Salem’s session creates the awareness and space for others (myself very much included!) to build that culture of inclusion & openness.”
“Salem recently led our work pillar through a discussion on allyship and their personal experience that was incredibly impactful for the attendees, and it personally helped me think through how to approach allyship with my kids. Thank you Salem for having the courage to discuss your own personal experience and to help our community become more aware and better allies.”
“I wanted to humbly thank and personally recognize Salem for leading a very impactful session about allyship. Their message was personal, relevant, and educational.
I want our company and our team to be a place where everyone feels welcome, and included, and able to show up as their true self. I believe Salem’s session creates the awareness and space for others (myself very much included!) to build that culture of inclusion & openness.”
“Salem is unwavering in their commitment to making an exceptional workplace for everyone. Their remarkable proficiency in driving a diverse range of internal initiatives, coupled with their expertise in project management, event planning, and a spectrum of other skills, was invaluable. Salem's contributions were not only instrumental but also highly regarded by all who collaborated with them.
I wholeheartedly endorse them to any organization seeking a versatile professional. Salem has a unique ability to enhance both the company and its employees, leaving a lasting positive impact.”
“Salem is a GIFTED communicator and a fierce leader who curated training content to help illustrate how [company’s] values clearly align with LGBTQ+ allyship. Salem generously and vulnerably shared their experiences and wisdom during the training and I found this training to be the most impactful I experienced thus far in this space. I have encouraged others to check it out as both a follow-up to other training or as a primer to these sensitive issues."
“Salem is an exceptional individual and leader in the DEI space. I value Salem's insights greatly and always come away from their posts / comments / trainings with more information and new perspectives. They are absolutely invaluable from a leadership and facilitator standpoint.
Salem is a gifted facilitator and their trainings do so well in centering the human experience that comes with having a marginalized identity. It’s extremely complex work that Salem pulls off with grace, realness, and humor. They generously share their talents / their personal experiences and that in turn makes us all better.”
“Salem recently led the our team through a discussion on allyship and their personal experiences as a trans person. This was incredibly impactful for the attendees, and it personally helped me think through how to approach allyship with my kids. I’m thankful to them for having the courage to discuss their own personal experience and to help our community become more aware and better allies.”
“Salem has received much well-deserved praise for their global presentations about allyship. But before that, they presented this to our team in a show of great vulnerability and it caused the best possible seismic shift in how we show up and support diversity on our team.
Before Salem, we never had a voice who could ask and answer honest questions on our trans community members. They really helped our leaders challenge our blind spots on inclusion and how to make that gap actionable so we can grow.”