Berkadia’s Post

Though #DEI is a persistent issue, #blackhistorymonth serves as a good time to reflect on the progress the #realestate sector has made in promoting diversity – and what else can be done to advance the cause. When a reporter with Multi-Housing News was looking for Black sources who have excelled in the industry and mentored others, we had the perfect suggestion: Leah Granderson, Head of DEI at TJ client Lendlease. Read the resulting Q&A in today's #TJTALK where Granderson provides insights including the better decision-making and financial outcomes realized by prioritizing DEI, how networking and mentorship benefit minority professionals, and the importance that intentional, top-down leadership has on making real estate an industry open to all: https://conta.cc/432CXtm

Thrilled to share that our fearless leader, Natalie Micale is making waves 🌊 and shattering glass ceilings by joining the Tory Burch Fellows Program! Discover her journey and what this means for the agency. Link in bio to read more. #ohhelloagency #ToryBurch #SocialMediaMarketingAgency #NebraskaBusiness #womenenterprenuers #brandingagency #websitedesignagency #nebraskamarketingagency #brandingstrategy

Meet South Carolina native Deborah "DJ" Thomas! Sherecently graduated from the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business program, which aims to help Black women sole proprietors grow their businesses. Thomas, who founded A New View For You, LLC, underwent 12 weeks of intensive business education courses, including scaling for growth, marketing, finance, leadership, and customer profiles. She networked with top business professionals, which helped her to gain valuable insights to help her business grow. Thomas shared, "For me, completing this program has really given me a roadmap. I knew what I wanted to do with my business. But, I really know the direction in which my business will go now. I have my action plan. So, I know now what I need to have accomplished by three months. I know what I need to have accomplished in six months. It has given me an inspiration to continue to grow my business. To scale my business, to be able to hire other people, that's one of the other benefits of this program." Thomas plans to hire more staff to help with her interior design and remodeling business and is excited about the prospect of growth and scaling. Check out her story 🔗 https://lnkd.in/eXEnb9Wj

What does it take to build a leadership team that embodies the racial diversity, equity and inclusion that America’s consumers and businesses demand? These businesses can tell you! They scored well in our Racial Equity Dividends Index for Minnesota Companies and they’re sharing promising practices for transforming your leadership ranks. Want to learn more? Come build with us!

Most Fortune 500 boardrooms look Iike an Ivy League alumni mixer from the 1950s. Across the world's top companies, a mere 19% of board members are from racialized communities. The situation is even more dire for Black directors: 👉🏽 In the UK, just 8% of FTSE 100 directors are Black 👉🏽 In Australia, only 8% of ASX 200 directors are non Anglo-EU centric 👉🏽 In the US, Black Americans hold 7% of Fortune 500 board seats This Juneteenth, I'm challenging myself and other leaders to move beyond lip service, 👉🏽 if you are building a board of directors for your startup or small medium size enterprise, I encourage you to move beyond, performative "diversity theatre." Real change requires sustained effort and bold leadership. 👉🏽if you are not building a board, a place to start is by supporting Black business owners with your funds. I have dropped two links below to help get you started. PS: Give Erin Corine Johnson and the #ReparationsRace a follow all through June to see how you can contribute to closing the racial wealth gap of $1.5 trillion.

🏢 Architects: Did you know only 2% of licensed architects in the US are Black, and just 0.4% are Black women? These numbers highlight the ongoing need for greater diversity and representation in the industry. Our capacity for good design is only increased when the diversity of the communities we design for is represented within our firms. As we navigate these shared challenges within the profession, Black History Month is an excellent opportunity for us to highlight Black colleagues and what they are doing to lift the profession. To kick things off, (I realize she's going to be celebrated a lot today as the First Black Woman President of the American Institute of Architects, but) I wanted to give a personal shout-out to Kimberly Dowdell as she wraps her first board meeting of 2024 this afternoon. While it is easy to be inspired by the volunteer service resume, I am inspired by her humble leadership traits that show up in her daily actions. For the last month, I've seen her: ➡️ Find graceful ways to ask tough questions that incite helpful dialogue. ➡️ Share personal stories of challenging times in her career, how she's navigated them, and even reconsider how she would navigate them differently today when advising the next generation of architects. ➡️ Go out of her way to continuously thank other volunteer leaders for their time and service. To become a better leader, don't necessarily try to emulate the steps they took on their resume; learn from all the little things they do daily to support their bigger mission. Here's to much #Morein24. Kim, it is truly an honor to get to follow your lead. #architects #AIA #leadership #blackhistorymonth

It is critical to shine a light on positive efforts in our industry. We have been talking about it on our streams and the wait is over! We are excited to announce that GGP Honors for 2022-2023 submissions are now open! We will be honoring those individuals, companies, organizations, teams who have contributed to positive change and have promoted #Diversity, #Equity, #Inclusion, and #Belonging in all of its forms in the gaming industry from June 2022-May 2023. Everyone making a difference is a winner! We want to celebrate and acknowledge the great work that has been done. The internal Award nominations can be entered here https://lnkd.in/gnxmdtVc . Please nominate or feel free to pass this onto anyone you know doing great work that needs to be commended. You are allowed to submit multiple honorees. The GGP Honors Committee would also like to thank you in advance. You continued to raise the bar and show your commitment to diversity and inclusion within the gaming space. Context: Since 2006, the Gay Gaming Professionals mission has been simple: to promote, cultivate, and unite the professional game development, content creation and esports communities with results-based content and programs focused on 4 key areas: #Education, #Employment, #Expertise, and #Entrepreneurship.

Over the years, I've come to understand through my pitfalls the importance of (Truth & Character) both changed my life forever. We live in an era when the rate at which lies can be manufactured outpaces the rate at which the truth can be verified. And, in this era, society is so addicted to the unending bend of "breaking news" that we don't even stop to verify the news, the facts contained in the news or the agenda of those distributing the news. This is not a new phenomenon. It is perhaps as old as the idea of "news" itself. But the danger today is made more pronounced by the fact that with technology now freely available, anybody anywhere harbouring whatever agenda can simply manufacture lies and pass them off as "alternative facts" and society accepts them as a new truth. And all you have to quench the thirst of society is to publish a narrative that suits some faction. Amidst all this, traditional media, struggling to retain relevance in society and protect its flailing business models, chases the same bend. Accelerating the decay. Unmasking an important freedom in society, the freedom to presumption of innocence until guilt is proven. The freedom to establish acts as a path toward justice. In this era lies are TRUTHS. In this era, inconvenient truths are relegated to the back pages of publications. In this era what you want people to believe is more important than what you know is TRUE. And like low-rank soldiers soon-to-be cannon fodder, society marches forward unaware or perhaps even worse, unbothered.

More celebration of excellence! 👏 Check out this video featuring mentee Akanksha Manna, other 21st Century Leaders, Inc. award winners and myself highlighting the incredible work these students are doing in the Inclusion category!

Nobody will remember: -your title (fancy or not) -your busy calendar -your level of "stress" -how many hours you worked -how many deals you closed They will always remember: -your integrity and if you kept your word -how you made them feel -the time you spent with them (hearing them, seeing them, teaching them) -if you were there for them. -if you were genuine and your authentic self Lead with integrity first. Never lose sight of doing what is right and being your true self. #integrity #character #mindovermatter #gorealorgohome