Jones left no room for questions on how a company can balance its own goals with efforts toward DEI this year. She made it look easy when she took on responsibility for environmental, societal and governance initiatives at CSG in December. She showed her enthusiasm for opening honest dialogue when she launched internal listening and learning sessions, leading to a company-wide Meet Up series of open Q&A sessions, educational opportunities for employees, and more to make sure employees felt heard. Jones and her suggestions work double-duty, incorporating diverse people, perspectives, voices and ideas while aligning with CSG’s culture, mission and values. Perhaps Jones’s most admirable trait is her drive for lifting others in the DEI space up, including director of government and compliance at Sprint Accessibility, Claudia Gordon. “She was the first Black female deaf attorney in the United States and has been a disability rights advocate most of her life…she’s a hero,” says Jones.
Who deserves a biopic made about their life and why?
My friend, mentor, and sorority sister Claudia Gordon. She was the first Black female deaf attorney in the United States and has been a disability rights advocate most of her life. Her work at the Department of Labor, the White House, various Chamber’s, and foundations across the country has been to empower and uplift all with disabilities. Now, she’s the Director of Government and Compliance with Sprint Accessibility and we find even more to collaborate and ideate over now that she’s in the telecom space. She’s a shero!
My best advice for fostering open, honest communication…
Be willing to listen and learn from others. You can only have an open honest conversation if you start having a conversation with yourself. Once we all acknowledge, admit, investigate, and own our own prejudices, assumptions, bigotry, and exclusionary characteristics we cannot be trusted to foster open honest convos with others.
Favorite current show that you feel embraces D&I?
“Pose” – This show has opened the world’s eyes not only to the Ballroom culture in New York in the 80’s and 90’s but dives into the truths of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, LGBTQ experiences in the U.S. trying to exist in their families, communities, and work. I learn so much more about love and family watching this show and following the trans actors who lead it. Pose could easily have educated an entire generation of people and elevated our understanding of gender, sexuality and the extreme hatred and bigotry that so many people face.