Our Team

Our team of award-winning, interdisciplinary experts all share the same goal — helping our clients build stronger, more inclusive organizations.

Meet Our Executive Team
Aimy Ngo
Head of Strategy & Operations
Aimy Ngo
Head of Strategy & Operations
Pronouns: She/her

Aimy has overseen Paradigm’s growth from its earliest stages to today. In that time, she has helped expand our footprint with clients and evolve our internal systems and processes to ensure we’re delivering impactful work in a sustainable way. As Head of Strategy & Operations, Aimy leads Paradigm’s finance, legal, people, and operations teams. She ensures company-wide alignment to Paradigm’s strategic goals, manages investment decisions, and is accountable for the success of developing and improving our internal operations.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Aimy specialized in growth and business development at startups, from early-stage education to high-growth tech. She developed her operational expertise as a strategy consultant at Accenture, working with Global 500 and FTSE 100 companies in the UK and delivering C-suite workshops as part of the Accenture London Innovation Centre’s founding team. Aimy holds a master’s degree in Political Philosophy from King’s College London.

Carissa Romero, PhD
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Carissa Romero, PhD
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Pronouns: She/her

Carissa currently leads Paradigm Training & People Development team. As one of Paradigm’s Co-Founders, Carissa developed Paradigm’s philosophy around evidence-based diversity, equity, and inclusion work. She has led Paradigm’s work with high-growth startups, leading media agencies, top law firms, and Fortune 500 companies — she has partnered with organizations including American Express, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Gap, Etsy, Lyft, The New York Times, and Zillow Group. Carissa currently focuses on helping organizations identify how to structure and prioritize DEI efforts based on where they are in their DEI journeys, and working with executive teams and People/HR leaders to drive change. 

Before coming to Paradigm, Carissa co-founded PERTS, a research center at Stanford University focused on the practical application of social psychology themes like belonging and growth mindset. Carissa was named to Forbes 30 under 30 list for her innovative work at PERTS, where she currently serves as chair of the board.

Carissa’s work has been featured in dozens of media outlets, including The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal, and she has published her academic research in publications like Nature, Psychological Science, and Emotion. She has spoken at various conferences, including AtlanticLIVE, TechCrunch Disrupt, and SXSW. Carissa holds a doctorate in Psychology from Stanford University.

Evelyn R. Carter, PhD
President
Evelyn R. Carter, PhD
President
Pronouns: She/her

Evelyn is a social psychologist who has conducted cutting-edge research on how to detect and discuss racial bias. As Paradigm’s President, Evelyn is focused on evolving and advancing the practice of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Prior to this, she led Paradigm’s Training & People Development teams and advised such as DocuSign, the NFL, Snap, and United Talent Agency.

Evelyn’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, and in 2018, she was featured on the Indiana University College of Arts and Sciences “20 Under 40” list. In addition to her peer-reviewed scholarship, Evelyn is a highly sought-after thought leader. Her work and insights have been published in popular press outlets such as The Atlantic, Bloomberg, CBS This Morning, CNBC, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and NPR. Evelyn holds a doctorate from Indiana University, a master’s degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University.

Jacob Wiggins
Chief Revenue Officer
Jacob Wiggins
Chief Revenue Officer
Pronouns: He/him

Jacob leads the marketing, sales, and customer success teams at Paradigm, and is focused on creating long-lasting and impactful partnerships with Paradigm’s growing client base. He has a strong track record of building and scaling revenue teams at various SaaS companies, from seed-stage startups to Series E companies.

Before joining Paradigm, Jacob was the Vice President of Sales for Rightbound. Jacob began his career in the diversity, equity, and inclusion space at Career Communications Group, where he focused on developing programs to promote the achievements of underrepresented students in the STEM fields. Jacob holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware where he studied English and Economics. 

Joelle Emerson
Co-Founder & CEO
Joelle Emerson
Co-Founder & CEO
Pronouns: She/her

Joelle partners with leaders of some of the world’s most innovative companies to consult and advise on diversity and inclusion strategies. She has written extensively about diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias, and her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Harvard Business Review, Fortune, and on the cover of The Atlantic. She has been named to Recode’s list of the 100 most influential people in business, Marie Claire’s “New Guard” list of 50 women changing the world, and The New York Times’ Groundbreakers.

Before founding Paradigm, Joelle was a civil rights lawyer. Joelle’s legal background highlighted the consequences that can result from companies failing to consider diversity and inclusion early, and inspired her to found Paradigm. Joelle is a graduate of Stanford Law School.

Natalie Johnson
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Natalie Johnson
Co-Founder & Managing Director
Pronouns: She/her

Natalie is a Co-Founder and the Managing Director of Paradigm’s Organizational Strategy & Transformation practice. Natalie’s team of data scientists, qualitative researchers, and consultants is dedicated to helping clients assess, design, implement, and benchmark their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies through long-term strategic partnerships. Natalie focuses her time on developing new services and delivering impactful DEI work with a focus on research, data, and prioritizing impact. Natalie has led Paradigm’s engagements with dozens of clients across industries and has partnered with executives at companies including Airbnb, Box, Capital One, GE, IDEO, Intuit, and Stripe. 

Before joining Paradigm, Natalie was a part of Google’s People Analytics team, developing and analyzing a wide range of diversity and inclusion initiatives. During her time at Google, Natalie received an impact award for her meaningful work with Gayglers—Google’s LGBTQ+ employee resource group. Natalie holds a master’s degree in Organizational Psychology from Columbia University’s Teachers College.

Alexander Loukellis
Sales Manager
Alexander Loukellis
Sales Manager
Pronouns: He/him

As Lead Account Executive, Alex combines his two passions in the working world: sales and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Alex has focused on equity in the workplace since 2014, and has been a part of several employee resource groups and inclusion committees. 

Prior to joining Paradigm, Alex worked as a senior account executive at an HR tech company focused on improving the employee experience. Alex also created and co-led their LGBTQ+ focused employee resource group. Overall, he loves to use data to create more accessible workplaces for underrepresented communities, and encourages companies to do the same. 

Alex holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut, where he studied finance. When he’s not working you can find him knitting on the couch or playing with his dog Alphie! 

Alexandra Tiant
Director
Alexandra Tiant
Director
Pronouns: She/her

Alexandra brings years of risk management consulting and diversity and inclusion leadership experience to Paradigm. She is passionate about evolving organizational cultures, developing leaders, and empowering professionals to prioritize their well-being.  At Paradigm Alexandra is a part of the Training & People Development team, helping clients plan, manage, and execute diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and designing and facilitating workshops for individual contributors, managers, and executives.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Alexandra spent nine years at a global consulting firm where she partnered with Fortune 500 clients across various industries. She also organized leadership development programs and designed effective strategies and tools for advancing diversity and inclusion goals. Alexandra holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware’s Lerner College of Business and Economics.

Ally Ruiz Balcerzak
Project Manager
Ally Ruiz Balcerzak
Project Manager
Pronouns: She/her

Ally is a content strategist turned project manager who has overseen the technical roll-out and communications for numerous products across multi-site organizations. Prior to joining Paradigm, she worked with companies from a range of industries to implement single sign-on (SSO) software, real-time digital signage, HIPAA-compliant cybersecurity upgrades, and various web-based applications. Ally also has developed communications for union, non-union, and blended workforces, as well as led marketing initiatives ranging from brand campaigns to event promotion to SEO to social media management.

Ally holds a Master’s degree in multimedia journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, and a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification from the Project Management Institute.

Analia Stratton
Director
Analia Stratton
Director
Pronouns: She/her

Analia brings years of experience in curriculum design, facilitation, and growing innovative programs to her work with Paradigm clients. As a former educator, professor, and leader in New York City special-education spaces, Analia is passionate about incorporating intersectionality into disability-inclusion efforts. Drawing on her work in education reform, Analia cultivates diversity and inclusion through education about disability bias and advocating to remove environmental and social barriers for people with disabilities.

 Prior to joining Paradigm, Analia was an Assistant Professor of Practice at Relay Graduate School of Education, where her teaching focused on bridging research, practical application, and sociocultural contexts. A Teach for America alum and a co-founder of KIPP Infinity Elementary School in Harlem, Analia remains committed to innovating education and volunteers as a Board Member for Irene Morgan Schools. Analia holds a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of Southern California and a master’s degree in Special Education from CUNY Lehman College.

 

Angela Razzano
Senior Consultant
Angela Razzano
Senior Consultant
Pronouns: She/her

Angela joined Paradigm with a passion for shaping inclusive and collaborative communities, creating impactful live experiences, and supporting leaders as they build the cultures that will execute their vision. She has experience in training and facilitation, co-creating diversity and inclusion strategies, and the implementation of global company-wide training initiatives and leadership development programs.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Angela worked with YSC Consulting, a Leadership Strategy firm where she helped to build and operationalize their Diversity & Inclusion practice. Her enthusiasm for driving change was cultivated while producing large scale social impact events (including Tina Brown’s annual Women in the World Summit) and theater productions in the artistic activism space, using storytelling to amplify underrepresented voices while partnering with human rights organizations to promote social change. Angela graduated from Rutgers University.

Blix Coughlin
Account Executive
Blix Coughlin
Account Executive
Pronouns: They/them

Blix is thrilled to combine their passion for DEI and sales to create safety for marginalized folks in professional environments. Blix has experienced first hand the power of informed employees and employers when it comes to DEI. As a part of the sales team, Blix is excited to provide opportunities for other organizations to invest in DEI efforts and contribute to making the workforce better for all people.

When not working, Blix enjoys traveling in their tiny home on wheels, playing with their two dogs, practicing Chinese medicine and Acupuncture, and going to burlesque shows.

 

Camellia Marazzi
Director of People
Camellia Marazzi
Director of People
Pronouns: She/her

Camellia brings years of human resources and people operations experience to Paradigm. She has a successful track record of leading the execution and administration of human resource processes, initiatives, and programs within diverse organizations of various sizes in different industries. She has specific expertise in performance management, employee relations, total rewards, and human resources regulations and compliance.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Camellia managed Sylvan Road’s HR department. She partnered closely with the C-suite, members of the leadership team, and managers on human resource change initiatives, structures, processes, and systems. She coached new and experienced leadership through complex strategic and operational challenges.

Camellia holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University, where she studied Business Administration and she is a certified Professional in Human Resources.

Cindy O’Day
Business Development & Partnership
Cindy O’Day
Business Development & Partnership
Pronouns: She/her

Cindy brings both sales experience and a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion

Paradigm. Over the past decade, she has immersed herself in classes, programs, and groups that fueled her DEI journey, and she is currently on the DEI committee for POWER of Professional Women in Philadelphia.

Cindy is a native of Oakland and is currently enjoying experiencing life on the East Coast. In her spare time, Cindy loves to travel both internationally and domestically. She loves to immerse herself in different cultures, eat the local fare, and meet people from all walks of life.

Diego de los Rios, PhD
Senior Consultant
Diego de los Rios, PhD
Senior Consultant
Pronouns: He/him

As a consultant on the Training and People Development team, Diego uses his experience in and passion for social science to help clients become more inclusive, stronger organizations. Prior to joining Paradigm, Diego worked as the Assistant Director of Research, Professional Development, and Academic Affairs at the American Sociological Association. In this role, he advocated for the needs of different constituencies in the discipline and organized and facilitated professional development events for members. He has also taught sociology courses at Northwestern University, Georgetown University, and American University.

Diego is a cultural sociologist and holds a doctorate from Northwestern University, where he conducted research on a variety of topics related to Latinx immigration to the US and Spain. He also earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology, psychology, and religious studies from McDaniel College.

Elea Crockett
Customer Success Manager
Elea Crockett
Customer Success Manager
Pronouns: She/her

Elea approaches her work through a systems-wide lens focused on holistic and long-term solutions.

Prior to Paradigm, Elea worked at a social impact B-Corp building deep relationships with the top tech, venture capital, and Fortune 500 companies. While there, she fostered partnerships to raise capital, deepen engagement, and create jobs for diverse engineering talent. She enjoys a high level of cross-organizational collaboration to drive outcomes.

In her spare time she helps run a fundraiser called Queer Soup Night, hones her ping pong skills, and dabbles in amateur home renovation. Elea holds a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in Health Behavior and Health Promotion.

Ellen Teel
Account Executive
Ellen Teel
Account Executive
Pronouns: She/her

Ellen began her career at Teach for America, where she taught third grade and kindergarten in the Bay Area. Experiencing the inequalities in education firsthand, Ellen discovered a passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Transitioning into education technology, Ellen has been an Account Executive for the past eight years, most recently coming from Seesaw Learning. Ellen holds a masters degree in Urban Education Policy and Administration from Loyola Marymount University.

Outside of work, Ellen can be found hiking in the Pacific Northwest or planning her next trip.

Erin Mindell Cannon
Director
Erin Mindell Cannon
Director
Pronouns: She/her

Erin is a Director on the Training & People Development team. Prior to Paradigm, Erin spent more than 13 years at Google as a program and people manager, working on increasing equity and inclusion in computer science and developer education. She spent most of those years developing and leading internal trainings centered on allyship, diversity, and implicit bias.

Prior to her Google tenure, Erin worked at the non-profit Jewish National Fund on their education team.

Over the past several years, Erin has been involved in various CS education related initiatives including: helping the Association for Computing Machinery’s (ACM) Education Board Retention Committee get the College Board’s Advanced Placement Computer Science Principles get up and running; the College for Every Student’s CS initiative; and serving on the Advisory Board for a National Science Foundation (NSF) project on collaborative research in the CS education space. 

Erin was born and raised in Topeka, Kansas, and has lived in California, Massachusetts, New York, and Texas. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English, Women’s Studies, and Jewish Studies from Boston College and a master’s in Developmental Psychology with a focus on technology from Sarah Lawrence College.

Eunice Dadebo
Senior Customer Success Manager
Eunice Dadebo
Senior Customer Success Manager
Pronouns: She/her

Eunice has years of professional experience working with people, processes, and effective communication. Eight years of that experience relates specifically to customer success, project management, implementation, and LMS training for SaaS companies. She aspires to humanize products and services, build beneficial relationships, and create communities. 

Eunice is passionate about working with clients to quickly realize value while helping achieve their business outcomes. She has a knack for teaching and training, is dedicated to delivering a wonderful experience throughout the customer journey, and collaborating with her team to improve key processes.  

Eunice enjoys using her creative abilities and applying them to her professional endeavors. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston where she studied Communications with a specialization in Broadcast Journalism and a minor in Marketing.

Israel Hernandez
Client Services Associate
Israel Hernandez
Client Services Associate
Pronouns: He/him

As a member of the Business Operations team, Israel (He/Him/His) combines his two passions: client services and diversity, equity, and inclusion. He is enthusiastic about evolving organizational cultures and empowering individuals to prioritize diversity and inclusion in their everyday life. At Paradigm, Israel will focus on providing the smoothest onboarding experience for our clients through Paradigm’s sales, contracting, and implementation processes.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Israel spent his time working in marketing, politics, and tech organizations with the main goal of helping people. In his last role, Israel revitalized the DE&I Task Force for Countable and helped push forward a company-wide culture advancement.

Israel holds a bachelor’s degree from Chapman University, where he studied business administration. When he’s not working, Israel loves to spend time with his two pets — a Boxer and a Guinea Pig — and going on hikes.

Jasmine Huang, PhD
Data Science Manager
Jasmine Huang, PhD
Data Science Manager
Pronouns: She/her

As a Data Scientist at Paradigm, Jasmine integrates her analytical skills and background in organizational theory to identify patterns in data and provide evidence-based recommendations that further companies’ diversity and culture goals. Her passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace stems from her experiences as an engineer and as an analyst in the financial services industry. At Paradigm, Jasmine combines this motivation with her research expertise, leveraging data analytics to understand and improve organizations’ unique systems, processes, and outcomes.

Jasmine holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior from the Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis. While at Olin, her research examined blame and credit in the workplace as well as leadership, team dynamics, and gender differences. Prior to earning her PhD, Jasmine worked at JPMorgan Chase & Co. as a business analyst. Jasmine has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial & Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan, where she served on the executive board of the university’s chapter of the Society of Women Engineers.

Jessica Kwock
Account Executive
Jessica Kwock
Account Executive
Pronouns: She/her

Jessica’s passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion stems from her own experience growing up as a low-income queer woman. She studied Ethnic Studies and Gender Women Studies at the University of California at Berkeley. After college, she joined Teach for America and taught Pre-School in San Francisco for a year, then Kindergarten in Oakland Unified School District for three years. 

Jessica aimed to maximize her impact on student outcomes by leaving the classroom and transitioning into Educational Technology, where she worked as an Account Executive for five years. Her most recent role was Senior Account Executive at a consulting and technology start-up rooted in creating more equitable master schedules for secondary schools.  

In her free time, you can find Jessica raising her eight-month old son and teaching group fitness at a local boutique studio!

Jessica Waggoner
Director of Client Success
Jessica Waggoner
Director of Client Success
Pronouns: She/her

Jessica brings more than 10 years of account management and customer success experience to Paradigm’s Customer Success team. She is passionate about bringing value to customers and colleagues in their day-to-day lives through operations, enablement, open conversations, and laughter.

In previous roles, Jessica led global Saas teams while driving process, documentation, and technology to deepen customer relationships and improve organizational efficiency.

Jessica holds a bachelor’s degree from Claremont McKenna College, where she studied Psychology, Government, and Leadership.

Joel Alvarez
Customer Success Manager
Joel Alvarez
Customer Success Manager
Pronouns: He/him

As a member of the Business Operations team, Joel brings years of client and program management experience to Paradigm. He is hyper-focused on providing the smoothest onboarding experience for our clients, and he ensures exceptional client service through Paradigm’s sales, contracting, and implementation processes.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Joel honed his knack for developing trusting and valued client relationships at BDS Connected Solutions, LLC., where he partnered with Fortune 500 brands and global retailers to rollout marketing campaigns. Joel holds a bachelor’s degree from Chapman University, where he studied Business Administration.

Kae D’Apice
Senior Consultant
Kae D’Apice
Senior Consultant
Pronouns: They/them

As part of the Organizational Strategy & Transformation team, Kae illuminates the role of individuals in changemaking and reinvigorates people’s confidence in what is possible. They are passionate about deconstructing binary thinking to examine its impact on our actions. Their approach is rooted in community building and uniting and motivating people toward the growth mindset needed to do intentional and transformative inclusion and equity work.

Kae brings years of experience as a facilitator and diversity, equity, and inclusion program manager, designing accessible training programs, and leading workshops and conversations on topics like allyship, unconscious bias, pronouns, gender identity, and racial equity. They have partnered closely with executives, project stakeholders, and current and future leaders on data-driven DEI initiatives that align with company values and strategy, creating spaces to practice the behaviors necessary to drive change. 

Their connection to this work has kept them an active partner in their communities. Serving on the Steering Committee for TechTownPDX, they supported efforts to build a more diverse and inclusive tech community through collective action. By coaching junior roller derby and volunteering with the Portland Children’s Levy, they also stayed grounded in their commitment to serving and creating inclusive spaces for youth.

 

Kevin Pearson
Director
Kevin Pearson
Director
Pronouns: He/Him

Kevin’s career is grounded in the belief that everyone deserves to feel excited about showing up to work, and that a diverse, equitable, and inclusive company culture shapes that experience. Throughout his career he’s helped companies, non-profits, and universities establish award-winning inclusion initiatives and continues that work as a Director of Training and People Development at Paradigm.

Kevin came to Paradigm from FM Global, an engineering-focused Fortune 500 company, where he brought together his expertise in training and development, customized strategic DEI plans, and operationalizing global and national inclusion programs. In a previous role at the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee — the first professional sports organization that created a publicly transparent diversity data / inclusion plan initiative — he led the redevelopment of the organization’s learning and development programs, and helped prepare D&I Scorecards that highlighted opportunities to increase diversity and inclusion among athletes, coaches, staff, board of directors, and membership.

Prior to that work, Kevin established his roots teaching intersectional social justice courses at the university level and holds a master’s in administration and leadership with a focus in diversity and inclusion.

Marcel Byrd
Consultant
Marcel Byrd
Consultant
Pronouns: They/Them He/Him

Marcel’s passion for diversity, equity, and inclusion is a natural extension of their background working across sexual health, harm reduction, and reproductive justice movements. As a consultant on the Training & People Development team, Marcel uses their extensive background in facilitation, program development, and community activism to provide education and support around critical DEI issues. 

Prior to their work at Paradigm, Marcel worked as a Capacity Building Associate at the Southern AIDS Coalition and as the Racial & Gender Justice Fellow at the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD). In both roles, he facilitated trainings around HIV stigma, medical mistrust, and intersectionality for health department staff and community partners. He also worked to create programs to center communities most impacted by the HIV epidemic. In addition, Marcel worked as a community health volunteer at a sexual health clinic in Otavalo, Ecuador through their time with the U.S. Peace Corps. 

Marcel is originally from Atlanta, and has a bachelor’s degree in Social Policy & Gender Studies from Northwestern University.

 

Matthew Baughman
Account Executive
Matthew Baughman
Account Executive
Pronouns: He/him

Matthew brings more than seven years of experience in sales, most recently with Byte Technology, an unattended retail platform for fresh food. 

Matthew began his career in design, working for companies such as Tabasco, Whole Foods, and CNN. He entered the sales world by way of creative project management, helping major fashion brands execute their seasonal window displays.

Matthew grew up in urban Atlanta and feels strongly about both living and working in inclusive and diverse environments. He’s lived in New Orleans, Chicago, and San Francisco. Matthew now resides in Savannah, GA, with his wife and daughter where he enjoys landscaping, cooking, and attending Savannah Bananas games.

Maya Godbole, PhD
Consultant
Maya Godbole, PhD
Consultant
Pronouns: She/her

Maya is passionate about building workplace cultures that foster feelings of safety and belonging for employees. As a member of the Training & People Development team, Maya draws from her background in research and education to help clients implement evidence-based practices to drive sustainable, long-term behavioral change.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Maya conducted scientific research – where she focused on designing tools and strategies to increase equity, inclusion, and belonging in workplaces and academic institutions – and worked as an adjunct instructor of psychology. Maya is well-versed in literature on unconscious bias, belonging and mindsets, and intersectionality. She has delivered numerous workshops and presentations across diverse audiences on DEI topics and has authored work in scientific journals, book chapters, and popular press.

Maya holds a doctorate and master’s degree in Social Psychology from the City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Rochester.

Melanie Goldstein Berenson
Director of Paradigm REACH
Melanie Goldstein Berenson
Director of Paradigm REACH
Pronouns: She/her

Melanie is passionate about building technologies to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion. As the business and product leader of Paradigm REACH, she helps companies deliver world-class, ongoing DEI learning to their employees.

Prior to Paradigm, Melanie developed products using natural language processing and artificial intelligence to help the world’s leading companies quantify and understand emotions, experiences, diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias in their workplaces. She has been invited to speak about her innovative work at Stanford Business School and national conferences, and has partnered with AnitaB.org  to incorporate workplace experience data into their Top Companies for Women Technologists program. 

Melanie received her masters from Stanford Business School and master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Stanford University, studying technology, entrepreneurship, and music. She was a Mayfield Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar in Italy, where she served as co-principal cellist of an orchestra. 

Michelle Lopez
Senior Consultant
Michelle Lopez
Senior Consultant
Pronouns: She/her

As a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist, Michelle inspires and equips organizational leaders from a vast array of industry sectors to think inclusively, manage with empathy, and lead with intention and purpose. As an innovative facilitator, she designs and executes high-impact, data-driven training programs, partners with clients to implement initiatives that sustain learning and foster inclusion, and curates experiences that increase inclusive behaviors, attitudes, and practices. 

Prior to her work as a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategist, Michelle was a highly successful media, sports, and entertainment management defense employment lawyer. She represented Fortune 500 companies and entertainment, media, and professional sports organizations in high profile race, gender, LGBTQ+, disability discrimination, pay equity, and sexual harassment litigation. 

She leverages her extensive strategic and diverse legal background as a trusted thought leader, executive coach, mediator, and facilitator. Michelle has made it her mission to make workplaces more equitable and inclusive, and is committed to leveraging her talents to help companies thrive by developing fearless, collaborative environments.

Myriah Ball
Operations Manager
Myriah Ball
Operations Manager
Pronouns: She/her

Myriah brings years of client coordination experience to supporting Paradigm’s Training & Implementation team. With her strong passion for client relationship management and capacity planning, Myriah manages the team’s schedules, training rollouts, and project timelines so that the team can deliver maximum impact to clients. In Myriah’s previous roles at Ameriprise Financial and Alliance Bernstein, she balanced the daily demands of current and prospective clients and managed the integration of three practices, as well as two practice acquisitions.

Myriah is extremely passionate about improving the economic and academic development of her local community. She graduated from California State University, San Bernardino with a dual Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration and Accounting and Finance.

Nicole Colwell
Senior Director of Marketing & Communications
Nicole Colwell
Senior Director of Marketing & Communications
Pronouns: She/her

Nicole leads Paradigm’s marketing efforts, helping the company extend its impact and amplifying awareness around important diversity and inclusion topics.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Nicole led communications for mission-driven healthcare and financial inclusion companies, and spearheaded global PR programs for Fortune 50 companies. Throughout her career, Nicole has had the opportunity to promote equality for women in business and the interests of underrepresented groups—she’s had the opportunity to work with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the NAACP, Fortune’s Most Powerful Women, the Clinton Global Initiative, and the World Economic Forum.

After more than a decade in the technology industry, Nicole is passionate about diversity and inclusion’s role in creating more companies, products, and ultimately a more equitable world. Outside of work, she volunteers for political and civic causes, and enjoys seeing as much of the world as possible.

Nicole holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from California State University, Chico.

Niomi Sterling
Consultant
Niomi Sterling
Consultant
Pronouns: She/her

Niomi is a people strategist and facilitator who creates meaningful partnerships with her clients to enable organizational development through diversity, equity, and inclusion training. A cultural enthusiast, Niomi fuses together her background in talent management, psychology, and international business to create experiences that prioritize equity and resonate cross-culturally. 

Niomi started her career as a grassroots organizer and has since worked in Human Resources across various industries, focused on talent management and development, as well as culture change work. Prior to joining Paradigm’s Training and People Development team, Niomi completed her MBA with a concentration in Organizational Behavior at Rotterdam School of Management in the Netherlands. Her enhanced global outlook makes Niomi well-positioned to serve increasingly multi-national societies and workforces. 

 

Rebecca Elguindi
Senior Partnerships Manager
Rebecca Elguindi
Senior Partnerships Manager
Pronouns: She/her

As a Senior Partnerships Manager, Rebecca brings more than 7 years of direct sales and partnerships experience to Paradigm. In previous roles, Rebecca has worked with high-growth SAAS start-ups of various stages to build and scale their business development and partnership strategies. Through these experiences, Rebecca has excelled at fostering lasting customer relationships, project management, and developing new processes and sales strategies.

In recent roles, Rebecca uncovered her true passion for improving diversity, equity, and inclusion through working with top technology companies to hire employees from historically excluded backgrounds. Rebecca’s excited to build off her experience working in the DEI space and integrate her sales background to support Paradigm’s expanding partner ecosystem.

Rebecca holds a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy & Management with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Arizona.

Ryan Godbey
Director
Ryan Godbey
Director
Pronouns: He/him

Ryan brings years of consulting and business strategy development experience to Paradigm. He has worked with numerous Fortune 500 companies in different industries to leverage data analytics to inform organizational strategy and decision-making. At Paradigm, Ryan is a member of the Strategy & Insights practice, focused on helping clients transform their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs by using data to identify barriers and craft tailored programs that will achieve measurable impact.

Prior to joining Paradigm, Ryan worked for the global HR consulting firm Mercer, where he held consulting, strategy, and HR management roles. At Mercer, he partnered with executive leaders to develop and implement solutions around talent, culture, and business strategy issues. This included organizational redesign, change management, leadership communications, Employee Resource Group development, market analysis, and workforce compensation strategies.

Ryan served in the US Navy as a Sonar Technician and Intelligence Analyst, and he holds a M.S. in Organizational Leadership from Quinnipiac University.

Ryan Levinson
Account Executive
Ryan Levinson
Account Executive
Pronouns: He/him

Ryan has an innate need to help to actualize positive change. He began his sales career 2010, working for The Fund for the Public Interest where he fundraised to help pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act that protects the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace. After a few years, he began working in luxury sales, then eventually sold hospitality technologies.

When Ryan learned about Paradigm, he knew it was time to get back to his roots and help fight for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion! Ryan helped create multiple initiatives in his previous jobs, most recently organizing a fundraiser and walk for the Whitman Walker Foundation, which advocates for the health and wellness of LGBTQ+ individuals and people living with HIV.

Ryan loves traveling, cooking, gardening, and spending time with family + friends (including his three pups). His biggest passion is helping to make the world a better place, which he knows he can do here at Paradigm!

Sheree Dodge
Executive Assistant
Sheree Dodge
Executive Assistant
Pronouns: She/her

As a career Executive Assistant, Sheree has more than 15 years of experience supporting C-Level Executives at Global Eyes, LLC., Kohlberg Ventures, McKinsey & Company, and Jefferies Investment Bank. Her analytical skills and experience working in dynamic environments have prepared her to provide complex calendar and travel management, event planning, resolution of conflicting priorities,and strong team collaboration.

Sheree graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Clothing Design and Textiles and a minor in Interior Design. She is currently studying conversational Spanish and Italian.

Soyini Crawford
Senior Operations Manager