Dez is a native Ohioan with over 15 years of biomedical research experience. Dez received his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the National Institutes of Health in the Graduate Partnership Program with Howard University, where he studied the genetic causes of childhood obesity. Dez then completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Gladstone Institutes where he researched HIV latency in human tonsils. After a postdoc, Dez transitioned to Thermo Fisher Scientific where he focused on business development and sales within the distribution segment of Thermo. Currently, Dez works at QIAGEN as a strategic account manager, where he is focused on providing engineered solutions to unlock valuable molecular insights faster, better, and more efficiently through partnerships and collaborations that streamline scientific discovery.
Outside of work, Dez is an avid runner and can be found exploring new trails, cycling all around California, or doing yoga.
Divya is the Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Alpine Investors. Prior to her work in private equity, Divya was the recipient of the City of San Francisco's 2019 Fish Fellowship. During her time working in city government, she launched Mayor London Breed’s signature youth workforce program, successfully designing the City of San Francisco’s largest, fully paid internship initiative with over 2000 youth and 150 employers engaging in the program’s first year.
She credits much of her professional success to the skills and mindsets she learned early in her career as a first-grade teacher in Arizona. She remains committed to creating a better world for her former students, many of whom would benefit from the impactful programs that Oasis offers. Divya is an alumna of Teach For America and holds dual degrees in Sociology and Classical Languages from the University of Nebraska.
Outside of work, Divya is a proud Board Member for Oasis For Girls, an after school program for young San Francisco women of color focused on cultivating the skills, knowledge, and confidence to discover their dreams and build strong futures.
Fields Jackson, Jr. is currently the CEO and Chief Cheerleader of Racing Toward Diversity Magazine, Cary, NC. Racing Toward Diversity is a quarterly magazine that showcases the best diversity efforts and initiatives being made today. Written with business and educational audiences in mind, its stories reach an estimated 3.5 million readers through the publication, newspaper, blog and associated social media.
Jackson also is President of the College Diversity Network; Adjunct professor at Shaw University in Raleigh, NC; Distinguished Visiting Professor at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC; and former Executive Director of the HBCU Business Dean Roundtable.
He was recognized by Diversity Best Practices as one of the Top Diversity Thought Leaders on Twitter and has been identified as #13 of the top 100 global influencers focusing on Gender Equality and Diversity (http://bit.ly/2HD46LD) by Onalytica, a London-based company that helps run influencer programs for some of the largest brands in the world.
Hive Learning recently recognized Jackson as one of the Most Influential Diversity &Inclusion Leaders – 2019. Hive said Jackson is an influential Diversity and Inclusion advocate and expert who advocates that job seekers conduct their due diligence in finding diverse workplace opportunities through research, networking and asking the right questions.
Jackson received his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy from Allegheny College, Meadville, PA, and an MBA from Northern Illinois, DeKalb, Ill.
Scott is the Managing Director at Cerca Talent+, a Global Recruitment Solutions firm, where he directs the Diagnostics Talent Acquisition activities for the organization. Scott’s background as a recruiter, search firm owner and industry sales and marketing director, gives him an inequitable advantage in today’s talent market.
Regarded as an expert in Talent Acquisition, Talent Branding and Employment Technology, Scott has consulted with some of the largest companies in the world on how best to implement talent acquisition strategies into daily practice.
Scott’s past experiences include senior sales and marketing roles at global organizations including Bayer AG and Johnson & Johnson. His last industry position was the Global Director of Marketing at Veridex, a Johnson & Johnson Company. where he was responsible for all upstream and downstream marketing activities pertaining to the molecular oncology products of the organization.
Scott earned his bachelor's degree in marketing from the University of Arkansas, and his MBA from the Sam Walton School of Business. During his time in Fayetteville, AR, Scott was a three-year letterman on athletic scholarship for the Arkansas Razorback Football Team. During his senior year, he was elected as the Offensive Team Captain by his peers.
Scott now resides in New Jersey with his wife and four daughters.
Kaci has spent her career exploring ways to improve the connection between the education and workforce systems with the goal of moving more people out of poverty and into family-sustaining careers. She currently serves as the Executive Director of HHW Ohio- a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating women’s success in high-wage/high-demand industries. She also serves as the Director of Partnerships for New Growth Group, a national education and workforce development research and consulting firm. Before joining New Growth she served as the Senior Manager, Knowledge for StriveTogether. Kaci has earned her MS in Urban Studies from Cleveland State University and her BA in Political Science from the Ohio State University- where she graduated from the honor’s program.
