After a decade and a half working with social impact organizations, Leniece noticed a striking paradox. As she ascended to the top and earned a seat at the table, the more racially homogenous the rooms became. And when she looked beyond her workplace, she noticed a damning trend: across sectors people of color were grossly underrepresented i.e. Black and Latinx employees make up only 10% of non-profit boards, 5% of senior executives at Fortune 500 companies and 5% of employees at the largest tech companies.
Leniece founded Compass Talent Group to shift the culture of work.
Leniece has led workshops on hiring for equity at foundations and schools of business and held a mirror to executives who insist on doing “business as usual”. When she unearthed a pattern of unfair hiring practices within organizations, she published a thought-piece in Vox that shook personnel departments nationwide. When Leniece isn’t navigating conversations about diversity, she spends her time with her partner raising twin toddlers, listening to NPRs Code Switch, writing about the intersections of race and work and devouring the work of Ta-Nehisi Coates.
Our Core Values
Diversity drives excellence
Diversity is not a nice-to-have. It is the anchor for workplaces that aspire to be excellent and be powered by excellent people. When companies embrace diversity – that reflects its customers and community – they exponentially grow their ability to innovate and capacity to execute.
Equity is the destination
Companies that wish to change the world must first do the internal work to ensure that their systems, policies and practices are equitable and don’t reproduce societal inequities. Establishing a culture of equity and institutionalizing a DEI lens requires that we embrace challenging conversations. We support leaders and their companies in walking the talk of equity, which we know will lead to the larger societal transformation they seek.
Impact is not optional
The greatest impact a company can have in the world is to create an environment that models justice, that celebrates difference, and creates inclusive opportunities. This type of growth requires leveling up. Compass examines bias and addresses representation gaps. We build for diversity and invest in infrastructure of belonging and equity. At Compass Talent Group, we expect better and we equip our clients to achieve better.
Philanthropy
Building diverse workplaces starts early. Many students of color don’t find out about career opportunities until it’s too late. That’s why with every partnership we donate 5% of our proceeds to non-profits equalizing opportunity for future leaders of color.