Conversations with Leaders
I Belong: Everyone wants to be part of a success story
Evonne Delaney '02, a first-generation college student, shared her journey about finding a sense of belonging and helping promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in her role at YETI as the chief human resources officer. Delaney said she was initially attracted to YETI because of its inclusive and welcoming culture. She said, “I found YETI, and YETI found me.”
Currently, she drives the DEI and belonging programs at YETI. This is an important aspect of her job because YETI must be internally diverse to reflect its consumers. For instance, YETI’s consumer base was 75 percent white men seven years ago, and now it’s 50/50 male and female. So, for Delaney to be in the position she is now, as a woman of color, is empowering. She believes that promoting DEI and belonging is important in the workspace because the company needs to consider their consumers. Keeping the consumers in mind drives her work because if YETI internally doesn’t reflect the diversity of its customers, then something is wrong.
Delaney also spoke about her sense of belonging. She said, “Going to university is similar to getting your first job...Everyone wants to belong somewhere, but if you choose wrong, it’s not a good situation for the employer or employee.” While finding a sense of belonging in your job is important, it’s more important to consider your compatibility with the company you work for. There’s always a space for someone to feel like they belong. She concluded that people’s stories are important to who they are and the spaces that they enter. When applying for jobs, she said it’s important to know everyone wants to be part of a success story.
Kevin Lux Ven, Carroll School Undergraduate Program Assistant
Ethics & Lunch: Authenticity in the jewelry industry
According to Vivian Grimes, founder and CEO of Henri Noël Fine Jewelry, the jewelry industry is dominated by males. Grimes is working to change this with her all-female team. “Historically, jewelry was made by men and sold to men buying for their wives,” Grimes ’16 said. “Jewelry is very much a male-dominated industry.” Grimes was joined by her business partner and former roommate, Carolina Menendez ’16.
Grimes said Henri Noël specializes in gold and gemstone pieces. She said the jewelry industry has been steeped in controversy because it funded civil wars and insurgent groups in African nations such as Angola and Sierra Leone during the 1990s. But an international effort in recent years sought to change this through the Kimberley Process, which regulates over 99 percent of diamonds sold in the United States, according to Grimes.
“The Kimberley Process was started to eliminate or at least lessen conflict diamonds, which help to fund wars and armed conflict against governments,” Grimes said. “[Our suppliers] are saying and agreeing that all of our diamonds meet the requirements to be conflict-free.” According to Menendez, large diamond suppliers historically controlled diamond mining. However, recent protests by young people prompted these suppliers to turn control over to the countries that economically depend on the diamond industry.
"At the end of the day, the countries that have the natural resources should own all of those resources,“ Menendez said. “A lot of the change has to do with social pressure from younger generations saying that we’re not going to buy this because it’s not right.”
Adapted from The Heights article by Jack Beckman '27
Article about Vivian and Carolina and their passion for craftsmanship.
Social Impact & Lunch: Adapting to the needs of the people
Patrick Lee, the Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action's fall 2023 visiting professional, co-founded Trinity Financial, Inc., a real estate development and property management company. Trinity builds affordable and market-rate housing in CT, MA, NY, and RI and has built 10,000 housing units across the four states. Trinity socially impacts the community in which they build housing, and students understood better how Trinity tries to ensure that they are fostering the public good.
Lee and his partner’s aspiration for the company was to transform communities they care about. A primary goal for Trinity is to make sure they’re being sustainable and energy-efficient in the communities they work in. Lee and his team also try to be mindful of the community they’re working in by listening to their concerns. For example, Lee worked on an old courthouse in Worcester, MA; it was a historical building turned into a 130-unit complex for different income levels. However, the community wanted something in the building to benefit the larger community. So, in the space, a small public museum was added to the building, giving the community a voice in the space they lived.
According to Lee, for those thinking about entering a profession in real estate, it’s important to know that it’s an embodiment of different fields of study: finance, politics, society, and psychology. Lee said that real estate practitioners are good at listening to people, which is fundamental to the job. It’s imperative to listen to the people impacted by the development work in their community. Lee concluded that as time passes, future generations must adapt to people’s needs.
Kevin Lux Ven, Carroll School Undergraduate Program Assistant