More about our guests:

Pooja Jain-Link is executive vice president at COQUAL, driving research that examines workplace culture and the systemic change needed to create equity. She is inspired by the use of business as a force for social change. As co-lead of Coqual’s research and advisory services, she listens to the voices of employees and considers how data can highlight power dynamics that inhibit growth and success for underrepresented talent. Pooja led the research for studies such as Being Black in Corporate America, The Sponsor Dividend, and Wonder Women in STEM and Companies That Champion Them. Her articles have appeared in Business Insider, Harvard Business Review, and Scientific American. She has spoken at organizations such as Vanguard, Interpublic Group, and UBS, and at conferences such as the Grace Hopper Celebration, SIFMA’s Diversity and Inclusion Conference, and the Society of Women Engineers Annual Conference. Pooja received her BA in mathematics and English from Duke University and earned an MBA and master’s degree in environmental management from Yale University.

Peggy Nagae, J.D., in 2017, became WMFDP’s Chief Operating Officer after contracting for many years as a senior consultant. Peggy has over 30 years of experience in the fields of leadership development, diversity and inclusion, executive and cross-cultural coaching, organizational change and strategic planning. Peggy has led a portfolio of clients including MassMutual, Alaska Air Group, Rockwell Automation, Exelon, and Baker Donelson, among others. Her work with executive teams ensures that clients realize the highest impact from their investment in creating inclusive organizations. More about Peggy.

Michael Collins has over 25 years of experience in business operations, human resources, leadership development and workforce diversity. He has held leadership positions at New York City Transit, City University of New York, American Airlines, Citi and American Express. He has an MBA from the University of North Carolina – Greensboro and is a proven leader with a unique interdisciplinary background. More about Michael.

Em Roblin was recently named a Woman of Influence in the She Era by RAYLI Magazine. For over 15 years, Em has been passionately creating experiences that have empowered thousands of people to grow into better leaders, colleagues, partners, parents, friends, etc. She consults to top organizations to build more inclusive cultures and coaches motivated individuals to more courageously bring forward their unique strengths and to connect to purpose. Em has spent a decade focused on women’s leadership and has worked to solve the challenges faced by leading organizations (how to retain, develop and advance women) as well as digging deep into how to truly thrive as a woman and as a leader. More about Em.

COQUAL is a global think tank and advisory group that was founded in 2004 to address bias and uncover barriers to advancement for underrepresented populations in the workplace. We produce research that is unique in-depth, breadth, and rigor, tackling urgent workplace issues related to gender, race, ethnicity, disability, and LGBTQ identities. We offer concrete and actionable solutions. More about COQUAL.