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Vernā Myers

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Vernā Myers
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)diversity consultant, author, speaker, lawyer, corporate executive
Years active1992 - present

Vernā Myers (/vərˈneɪ/)[1] is an American diversity consultant ,[2] author, speaker, lawyer, and corporate executive.[3][4]She is also the founder and CEO of the Vernā Myers Company[5][6][7] and was the inaugural Vice President of Inclusion at Netflix (2018-2023).  At Netflix, she helped implement strategies for diversity, inclusion, and representation throughout the company.[3] Myers gave a TED talk in 2014 called "How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them." She is also the author of two books published by the American Bar Association: Moving Diversity Forward - How To Go From Well-Meaning To Well-Doing and What If I Say The Wrong Thing: 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People.[4]

Early life and education

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Myers was raised in Baltimore, Maryland.[8][9] She later moved to New York City to attend Barnard College of Columbia University's undergraduate program receiving a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude in Political Science.[10] Upon graduation, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Harvard Law School, receiving her Juris Doctor degree in 1985.[11]

Career

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In 1992, Myers was appointed the first executive director of the Boston Law Firm Group (now the Boston Lawyers Group), a consortium of firms and corporate legal departments.[12] She also served as deputy chief of staff for the Attorney General of Massachusetts.[13] Vernā practiced corporate and real estate law in Boston at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP[14] and Fitch, Wiley, Richlin & Tourse, LLP.[15]Myers founded The Vernā Myers Company, where she serves as its CEO.[7][5][6][16]

In 2014, Myers spoke on the subject of "unconscious bias" in her TED talk, "How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them," which she gave at a TEDx event in Boston on November 15.[17][18] She has also given talks on unconscious bias and other DEI-related topics to organizations such as Cleveland Metropolitan Bar, NASA, and the Massachusetts Women's Conference.[19]

Myers has been interviewed by television news networks such as WCVB News,[20] MPR News,[21] and CNN.[22] Myers  also created the OPUS Conference, a conference centered on race and ethnicity forlarge law firms and corporations.[10] She also authored two books, Moving Diversity Forward: How to Go From Well-Meaning to Well-Doing, and What If I Say the Wrong Thing?: 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People.[4]

In 2018, Vernā filled the inaugural role as VP, Inclusion Strategy at Netflix[23][3] She has developed the overall culture at Netflix, including inclusion frameworks for casting and production crew hiring on programs such as Bridgerton.[24]

In 2021, Myers and Arianna Huffington joined to provide a training courses on LinkedIn Learning on the subject of confronting biases.[25]The course was ranked the most popular course on the platform in 2021.[25]

In 2024, Vernā delivered the commencement speech at Santa Clara Law School.[26]

Her quote "Diversity is being invited to the party, Inclusion is being asked to dance" has been widely cited and referenced by individuals, the press, and various organizations such as OMD, SHRM, and the Academy of Eating Disorders.[27][28]

Myers hosts the podcast Sundays with Vernā.[29]

Harvard Business Publishing partnered with Myers to create an Introduction to Diversity video widely used throughout US Court systems.[30]Myers served as a featured instructor in the Dynamic Teaming section of the Harvard Business School Online course of their Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB) program.[31]

Myers also teaches diversity, equity, and inclusion courses through The Vernā Myers Company.[32][33]

Select public speaking engagements

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  • 2013, Keynote at Law Day, for The Monroe County Bar Association, Rochester Black Bar Association and the Greater Rochester Association for Women Attorneys[34]
  • 2013, Speaker at Texas Conference for Women[10]
  • 2013, Speaker at Pennsylvania Conference for Women[35]
  • 2016, featured speaker at Big Ideas for the 2016 Public Library Association conference[36]
  • 2016, Keynote at ROI Summit[37]
  • 2017 & 2024, Speaker at Massachusetts Conference for Women[38]
  • 2018, Keynote at Baltimore's Light City
  • 2018, Keynote at SXSW Conference & Festivals
  • 2019, Keynote at Baker MacKenzie Global Employer Forum[39]
  • 2020, Keynote at Promax Virtual Experience[40]
  • 2022, panelist at Variety's Changemakers Summit[41]
  • 2023, Keynote at National Recreation and Parks Association[32][42]
  • 2024, commencement speaker at Santa Clara Law School[26]

Bibliography

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  • Myers, Vernā (2011). Moving diversity forward : how to go from well-meaning to well-doing. Chicago, Ill.: ABA Center for Racial & Ethnic Diversity. ISBN 978-1-61438-006-1. OCLC 741103722.
  • Myers, Vernā (2013). What if I say the wrong thing? : 25 habits for culturally effective people. Chicago, Illinois: American Bar Association. ISBN 978-1-61438-971-2. OCLC 850909552.

Awards and recognition

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  • 2009, Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly, Named as “Diversity Hero”[43]
  • 2010, Pepper Hamilton LLP, Award for Diversity Champion[32]
  • 2014, College of Law Practice Management, Elected as a Fellow[44]
  • 2021, CODE Crew, Award for DEI Person of the Year
  • 2021, Diversity Woman, Award for Top 100 Black Women Executives[45]
  • 2024, Women’s Business Collaborative, Trailblazer in Gender Equity & Diversity Award[46]

References

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  1. ^ "Introduction to this course". Fair and Effective Interviewing for Diversity and Inclusion. LinkedIn. November 19, 2021. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  2. ^ Petri, Alexandra E. (2017-07-07). "When Potential Mentors Are Mostly White and Male". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  3. ^ a b c "Diversity in the Workplace: Building Inclusive Company Culture with Vernā Myers". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  4. ^ a b c "Netflix Hires 'Inclusion Strategy' Lead Verna Myers". 2018-08-29. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  5. ^ a b "Netflix's Verna Myers to Exit, Wade Davis Promoted to Lead Inclusion Strategy". The Hollywood Reporter. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  6. ^ a b "Netflix's First Head of Inclusion Vernā Myers to Step Down After Five Years, Wade Davis Promoted (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. 2023-06-28. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  7. ^ a b "Insights: Powered by Barnard". barnard.edu.
  8. ^ "Vernā Myers: Bringing Inclusion and Equity to Netflix – SoulVision Magazine". Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  9. ^ "Big Ideas with Vernā Myers". American Libraries Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  10. ^ a b c "Vernā Myers - Speaker". Texas Conference for Women. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  11. ^ "Celebrating 65 Years of Alumnae" (PDF). Harvard Law School. 2018-09-14.
  12. ^ "Black Excellence: Verna Myers '82BC". Columbia University Athletics. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  13. ^ "Inviting new people to make stories. How this VP is pushing Netflix to diversify". Los Angeles Times. 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  14. ^ "Flex Success™ Leadership Institute -Spotlight on Verna Myers". Diversity and Flexibility Alliance. 2015-09-22. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  15. ^ "Summer/Fall 2014 | NEPDEC". www.nepdec.org. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  16. ^ "10 Diversity Keynote Speakers Partnering with Business to Build Inclusive Culture". BigSpeak Motivational Speakers Bureau: Keynote Speakers, Business Speakers and Celebrity Speakers. 2023-08-16. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  17. ^ Miller, Kelsey. "The Uncomfortable Truth About Race". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  18. ^ "VERNA MYERS is today's TED talk – TEDxBoston". tedxboston.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  19. ^ Janet H. Cho, The Plain Dealer (2016-05-25). "Diversity is being invited to the party and asked to dance". cleveland. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  20. ^ "CityLine: June 28, 2020: Verna Myers, VP of Inclusion Strategy". WCVB. 2020-06-28. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  21. ^ "'What If I Say the Wrong Thing?': How to talk about race". MPR News. 2016-01-05.
  22. ^ "CNN.com - Transcripts". www.cnn.com. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  23. ^ "Diversity execs from Twitter, Netflix, Salesforce talk strategy". Business Inder. 2020-03-02. Archived from the original on 2020-03-02. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  24. ^ "'I'd love to see more crew who're black and brown,' says Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran". EasternEye. 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  25. ^ a b Liu, Jennifer. "LinkedIn Learning's most popular class of 2021 is about unconscious bias". CNBC. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  26. ^ a b "The Power to Change the World". Santa Clara Magazine. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  27. ^ "Who's Dancing at the Party: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within AED". www.aedweb.org. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  28. ^ "Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance". OMD. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  29. ^ "7 Top DEI Speakers You Can Learn From". The Speaker Lab. 2023-06-26. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  30. ^ Introduction to Diversity. Retrieved 2024-10-30 – via vimeo.com.
  31. ^ "Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business | HBS Online". online.hbs.edu. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  32. ^ a b c "Vernā Myers to Deliver Keynote at 2023 NRPA Annual Conference | Feature | Parks & Recreation Magazine | NRPA". www.nrpa.org. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  33. ^ "Championing inclusion: Verna Myers' evolution as a DEI advocate". AFRO American Newspapers. 2024-04-13. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
  34. ^ "On the Town: Local bar associations celebrate Law Day". NY Daily Record. 2013-05-03. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  35. ^ "Vernā Myers - Speaker". Pennsylvania Conference for Women. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  36. ^ "Big Ideas with Vernā Myers". American Libraries Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  37. ^ "Making Tulsa's workforce more inclusive is key to progress, speaker says". Tulsa World. 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  38. ^ "Vernā Myers - Speaker". MA Conference for Women. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  39. ^ "Creating A Culture Of Inclusion: Vernā Myers @ Baker McKenzie's #FutureWorks". The Employer Report. 2019-06-20. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  40. ^ "4 Steps Companies Should Take to Be Anti-Racist, According to Netflix's Inclusion VP". TheWrap. 2020-07-07. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  41. ^ "8 Biggest Takeaways From Variety's Changemakers Summit". Variety. 2022-06-15. Retrieved 2023-01-17.
  42. ^ "NRPA Announces Verna Myers as the Keynote Speaker for the 2023 NRPA Annual Conference | Recreation Management". recmanagement.com. 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  43. ^ "Business digest for March 5, 2009". MetroWest Daily News. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  44. ^ "2023-Fellows by Induction Year". www.collegeoflpm.org. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  45. ^ "The Municipal - June 2023 by The Papers Inc. - Issuu". issuu.com. 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
  46. ^ "WBC Trailblazer In Gender Equity And Diversity Award Presentation: Vernā Myers". Women Business Collaborative. Retrieved 2024-10-30.
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