Alma Mater: Spencerian College

A quote or motto you live by: “We can change the world by changing how we talk to it.”

Fields builds inclusion into systems, not just conversations. At Viamedia, he’s led more than 130 coaching sessions and designed the Management Engagement Training Program, which has since been adopted across 100% of the company’s leadership team. He was a key component in integrating best practices following Viamedia’s acquisition of Local Factor in March. But his devotion to building bridges shows through Positive Communication Habits and Thought Process (PCHATP), an organization he created to work across corporate, community, educational and faith-based settings to usher meaningful conversations and changes where they’re needed most.

Impact Factor: Fields’ signature initiative, Freedom from Racism Training, is an online course that utilizes emotional intelligence, historical context and situational awareness to combat systemic bias and racism. The now-free program has reached over 6,000 people across the U.S. and has a 4.75-star rating, but Fields wants to impact more. With the Lake Cumberland Diversity Collective and Kentucky Humanities Speaker Bureau, he leads talks on communication, coexistence and cultural competence while supporting youth in rural and underserved communities.

Who or what had the biggest impact on your leadership journey? The biggest impact has come from people who chose to be a resource for me—and from my chance to be a resource for others. It’s the power of choice: advice only matters if we decide to act on it. That realization—that people always have agency—shaped my leadership. Helping others own that power is both a privilege and a responsibility. 

How do you amplify the voices of others around you? In this noisy world, I choose to listen aggressively. We talk about this a lot in Freedom Bridges, a nonprofit I founded. Voices are amplified when we commit ourselves to listen—not just to the words, but to the meaning beneath them. To amplify someone’s voice is to question, connect, and collaborate with something outside of us and bring it in. Often, the medicine we need is found in the words of our neighbor.

Where do you see the biggest opportunities to make an impact in the next few years? The greatest opportunity lies in how we humanize technology. Whether A.I., nanotechnology, or new forms of media, sustainable impact will come from our empathetic use of these tools. Technology is advancing faster than humanity in many ways—but when we choose to apply it with empathy, it transforms connection, builds trust, and creates hope.

If you weren’t in this business, what career might you have pursued? I’d be a comedian. Humor has the power to entertain, provoke thought, and connect people instantly. In leadership, I often find myself mediating tough conversations—and the levity of humor is door opening for deeper understanding. At its best, comedy delivers joy while disarming division.

Where do you find energy and inspiration outside the office? I’m energized by conversations that lead to action—whether I walk away with a new perspective or see someone apply knowledge I’ve shared. I find inspiration in every moment. Life only has the meaning we choose to give it, and each experience shapes how we show up for the next.

Honored For: