The finalists for WashingtonExec’s Pinnacle Awards were announced Oct. 11, and we’ll be highlighting some of them until the event takes place live, in-person Nov. 30.
Next is Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Industry Executive of the Year (Private Company) finalist Ellen Rice Chever, who’s DEIA leader and principal at LMI. Here, she talks success in her current role, proud organizational moments, shaping the next generation of leaders and more.
What has made you successful in your current role?
I do not have a traditional DEIA practitioner background; I spent most of my career as a management consultant and strategy and operations specialist. But I owe that to my success. I came into my DEIA leader, principal role, as a management consultant, with a MBA, MPP and PMP. I launched into this role with a mission ⏤ to integrate DEIA across the organization to support our people and growth strategy, transforming culture and performance.
I understand that DEIA is a key priority for LMI’s federal partners and to be successful, it must live in an integrated and coordinated way throughout the organization. So, using my nontraditional DEIA background, I took a program manager and entrepreneurial approach, coupled with my expertise in strategy & operations, data analytics, social policy, and organizational development; along with insights from my lived experiences, to build awareness and scale DEIA at LMI.
What are you most proud of having been a part of in your current organization?
I am most proud of being a pioneer of DEIA at LMI and collaborating with others at LMI to adapt our special culture in today’s hybrid and dynamic working environment. I have championed belonging and equity at LMI, along with our CHRO, DEIA specialist, HR team, LMI leaders and LMIers across our organization to help us become recognized as a 2022 Top Workplace and as the Washington Post #1 Workplace in 2021.
I’m also really proud of how we have integrated DEIA across LMI to raise awareness, drive adoption, build accountability and scale it up to support our people, performance and growth (we continue to grow higher on Washington Tech’s Top 100 list).
In 2021 and 2022 we had some exciting firsts:
- Launching three new Affinity Groups: Asian Inclusion Network, Early Career Professionals and Disability Resource Group.
- Showing our accountability by tying DEIA goals to our company performance.
- Increasing diversity not only in our workforce but in our leadership ⏤ 49% of our most senior leaders are women, up three pct points YTD, and 20% of our most senior leaders are ethnically and racially diverse (up 7pct pts YTD).
- Introducing a new blended DEIA experiential learning program for our leaders, and new DEIA learning, including anti-bullying learning, for our workforce.
We’ve also provided guidance to build accessibility within our workforce. We’ve given our practitioners tools on how to build accessibility in their communications and worked to build belonging for individuals with disabilities. Now 21% of people at LMI self-identify as an individual with a disability up by seven pct pts YTD. I’m proud that people are able to bring their authentic selves to work and are respected for their similarities and differences at LMI.
How do you help shape the next generation of government leaders/industry leaders?
As an older millennial in between our seven living generations, I am a bridge between today and tomorrow’s government/industry leaders. I am shaping the next generation of government/industry leaders first by helping to shape the future ecosystem of the government and industry workplace where they can thrive. Gen Z is our most diverse generation, and our future leaders will work in the most diverse workplace yet.
For our future leaders to be successful, it’s imperative that they work in an environment that allows them to bring their authentic selves to work; to partner with others; innovate; and collaborate and lead with others. That is only possible in an inclusive ecosystem that fosters belonging and inclusion. As a DEIA leader it’s my job to build that ecosystem that enables our future leaders to be successful in a diverse world.