What It’s Like Being an Inclusive and Diversity Leader E1
In this first episode of Under the Rug, Mary invites her mother, Andrea Seitz, to speak about her job and experiences as a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leader at Amazon, AWS. They have a discussion about why diversity, equity and inclusion is so important and why it should be taught in a workplace environment. They also discuss best practices for business leaders to make their workplace a more diverse and comfortable place.
Along with business related questions, they talk about personal experiences that Andrea has had in this line of work; the most rewarding part of her job, and hardships she has had to overcome to be the person she is today. These are the topics Mary thinks are essential to have to make the world a better place, and she hopes you feel the same way too.
For over 15 years, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud offering. Millions of customers—including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies—trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit aws.amazon.com.
Andrea Seitz is a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practitioner leading DEI strategies for Amazon Web Services (AWS). Prior to AWS, Andrea worked as an Employee Relations Manager with a focus on ADA accommodations, Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) investigations, and Affirmative Action Plans.
Andrea’s background is in Communication and Conflict Management, receiving her BA in Communication from Arizona State University, and a Masters in Conflict Management from Columbia College of South Carolina. Andrea was trained as a mediator through the Arizona Attorney General’s Office, Conflict Resolution Section, and has incorporated mediation, communication and conflict management strategies into every aspect of her career.
Andrea centers her work around being an on-ramp to DEI for people who want to step into the work of allyship, and being an advocate for equity and inclusion, and amplifying the voices of marginalized and underrepresented communities.
Andrea resides in Tempe, Arizona after spending 22 years in the Seattle area.
Connect with Andrea on LinkedIn.
About Under the Rug; The Things That Influence Our Workplace that Often Go Unspoken
This world has a lot to improve when it comes to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Education and Communication, and your host Mary Seitz wants to keep making a difference. Each Wednesday, join Mary on Under the Rug; The Things That Influence Our Workplace that Often Go Unspoken.
As a high school student at Corona del Sol High School and a part of the Career Ready Tempe program, she experiences professional working environments and ways to explore careers that interest her. This podcast is directed towards the people who want to make a difference within these problems, and believes these discussions are an important way to make a change.
Career Ready Tempe aims to help prepare and develop Tempe youth to participate in the future workforce by connecting them to college and career readiness support and partnering with Tempe businesses to provide youth with paid internship opportunities in fields that are in-demand.
Career Ready Tempe is a collaboration between the City of Tempe Human Services Department, Economic Development Department and the Tempe Chamber Foundation. The program is funded by City of Tempe Innovation Funds and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Career Readiness Lab Grant. The program has been strategically designed to align with industry needs and the initiatives of Achieve65Tempe, the City’s goal of 65 percent of Tempe’s adult population accessing post-secondary education, resulting in a certification to an advanced degree by 2030.
Career Ready Tempe serves income-eligible Tempe youth who are in their junior or senior year of high school.
