ERG Experience
at the Great Place To Work^®

Carla Harris is an internationally renowned public speaker, author and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley. She was most recently a Vice Chairman responsible for increasing client connectivity and penetration to enhance revenue generation across the firm. She was the founder and creator of the award-winning Multicultural Innovation Lab at Morgan Stanley and the award-winning podcast “Access and Opportunity.”

In her 30+ year career, Ms. Harris has had extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial and healthcare sectors. In August 2013, she was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council. She was named to Fortune Magazine’s list of “The 50 Most Powerful Black Executives in Corporate America,” U.S. Bankers Top 25 Most Powerful Women in Finance (2009, 2010, 2011), Black Enterprise’s Top 75 Most Powerful Women in Business (2017) and Top 75 African Americans on Wall Street, and Essence Magazine’s list of “The 50 Women Who are Shaping the World.” She has been named to the New Jersey Hall of Fame (2015) and has received many awards, including the Bert King Award from the Harvard Business School African American Alumni Association and the Women of Power Award given by the National Urban League.

Ms. Harris received an MBA, Second Year Honors from Harvard Business School and an AB in economics from Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude. She is the past Chair of the Board of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and of The Executive Leadership Council, and sits on the boards of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), The Sesame Workshop, Mother Cabrini Health Foundation, and is an active member of the St. Charles Gospelites of the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church.

Gloria Goins is a visionary business development leader with over 25 years of experience in sales, operations, multicultural marketing, and implementing strategies that promote growth and expand market share. She is currently the President of Brilliant Ideas, a consultancy firm that partners with companies such as The Home Depot, Prudential Financial, The Coca Cola Company, and Canon Virginia to deliver business and employee strategies that enhance engagement and generate revenue.

Gloria recently served as Cisco’s first Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer, where her team consulted with over thirty customers to integrate DEI as a business strategy. This unique customer initiative resulted in both sales and pipeline opportunities for Cisco. Before Cisco, Gloria was the Head of Health Equity and Business Development at Amazon Pharmacy, where she developed and led the strategy to create a comprehensive healthcare platform focusing on underserved customers. In that role, Becker’s Hospital Review twice recognized Gloria as one of the top five Amazon healthcare executives to know.

At The Home Depot, Gloria developed the Hispanic business strategy, which included launching the first ever paint color palette reflecting Hispanic culture. This innovative paint palette became the company’s top-selling brand and remains popular 17 years after its launch. At Prudential Financial, she created and managed the company’s largest affiliate marketing program, which generated $100 million in revenue and grew market share among emerging markets.

Gloria is a highly sought after public speaker and thought leader in multicultural business strategies, who consults with senior executives and Boards of Directors on inclusive culture initiatives that drive growth, sales, and operational excellence. She previously served on the Board of Directors for Gaia Herbs, and on an Advisory Board for CEO of The TJX Companies. She currently serves on the Advisory Board of ChangeEngine, an HR SaaS company.

Gloria began her career as an attorney in her hometown of Miami before becoming General Attorney for a division within BellSouth (now AT&T). With the objective of improving customer service for BellSouth, she chose and implemented the technology that accounts for why all Americans must now dial ten digits to make a local call.

Gloria holds a master’s degree in business administration from Mercer University, a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Stanford University. She currently resides in Parkland, Florida, with her husband Prince, their daughter Grace, and their Yorkie Max.

Brian K. Reaves serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Belonging, Equity, and Impact Officer of UKG. In his role, Brian leads the company’s global belonging, diversity, and equity program, expanding existing initiatives while working to strengthen a culture built on trust, fairness, and equality, so every U Krewer can thrive in every stage of their career. Prior to UKG, Brian served as senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Dell Technologies. Earlier in his career, Brian was head of diversity and inclusion at SAP, and served as global head of products and innovation for the SAP d.Studio next-generation technology team. Brian has held senior executive software development and management roles across industries and in tech sectors such as cloud computing, finance, healthcare, supply chain, utilities, and telecommunications. He began his career as a software developer at the Xerox Corporation.

As AbbVie’s Chief Equity Officer, Assil Omar leads efforts to foster a diverse, equitable and inclusive culture at AbbVie.

Most recently, Ms. Omar was Vice President, Talent Acquisition and Human Capital Planning. Ms. Omar joined AbbVie in Singapore in July of 2014, to lead Talent Management and Acquisition in the Japan and Asia Pacific region. She has since held roles of growing responsibility, including Human Resource business partnership and Talent Center of Excellence positions.

Before AbbVie, Ms. Omar held Learning and Development positions at Unilever and played a key role in standing up Unilever’s flagship Leadership Development hub, Four Acres, in Singapore. She spent the earlier part of her career in Supply Chain with Agility, assuming different roles of increasing responsibility across Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Ms. Omar holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts, History, International and Comparative Studies from University of Western Ontario and a Master of Arts degree in Education from the University of Toronto. She is a First Mover Fellow at the Aspen Institute for Business and Society.

Simon Yates is the Managing Vice President of Change Management and Associate Engagement at Marriott International. He leads a team responsible for transforming how the company connects with its 900,000 associates, job seekers, and external stakeholders worldwide. Through innovative change management and strategic engagement initiatives, Simon has driven the successful integration of technology to enhance internal communication, making Marriott’s global workforce more connected and empowered. Notably, his leadership has been pivotal in expanding the impact of Marriott’s well-being program, TakeCare, and advancing the company’s Associate Resource Groups (ARGs), further solidifying Marriott's position as a people-first organization.

Since joining Marriott in 2018, Simon has held key roles in internal and external communications across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, engaging with associates across 76 countries and 25 languages. Prior to Marriott, he worked with British Airways, Royal Bank of Scotland, and Royal Sun Alliance, where he led initiatives to enhance employee engagement and organizational change.

A passionate advocate for inclusion and belonging, Simon is dedicated to building an environment where all individuals feel valued and respected. He is also a strong believer in the power of communication to build trust and engagement.

Educated in the UK, Simon holds a Bachelor's degree in Information Systems and Business Studies. He currently resides in Washington, D.C., with his husband.

Matt Bush is a Principal Strategic Advisor at Great Place to Work. For years he has leveraged his quantitative and qualitative analytical abilities and deep knowledge of people and culture to advise and guide organizations in their journey to become great workplaces for all regardless of industry, size, and complexity.

Derek Valentine leads the Global Employee Resource Group (ERG) Program and the Global External Talent Engagement efforts for the Belonging, Equity & Impact team of UKG. In his Global ERG Leadership role, Derek is leading a team that helps to develop a structure and framework for UKG’s ERG program that will allow the ERGs to make a quantifiable impact to each ERG member as well as a positive business impact to UKG as a whole. In his Global External Talent Engagement role, Derek leads a team that aligns with UKG’s HR (Talent Acquisition, Talent Management, Learning & Development) teams to help them identify qualified traditionally overlooked talent as well as develop a pipeline of qualified traditionally overlooked talent to source for UKG career opportunities.

Derek has held various roles throughout his over 25 years of corporate experience including, Sales, Marketing, and Operations. His most recent role was as a Regional Sales Director leading Sales teams at Secureworks a Cybersecurity Division of Dell Technologies. Derek was also a Chapter Founder and Leader of the Atlanta Chapter of Dell Technologies Black Networking Alliance Employee Resource Group. Under Derek’s leadership this chapter played a pivotal role in driving Dell’s Diverse Talent Engagement efforts and programs at HBCUs/MSIs. Derek has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from North Carolina State University and a Master’s in Business Administration in Marketing from Clark Atlanta University.

Nicole Taylor is a visionary leader with over 20 years of experience driving cultural transformation, leadership development, and organizational impact. As Manager of Belonging, Equity, and Impact (BEI) at UKG, she is a strategic architect behind the company’s Employee Resource Group (ERG) ecosystem, fostering innovation, strengthening connections, and creating opportunities for employees to grow and thrive.

A trusted advisor and catalyst for change, Nicole has been instrumental in empowering ERG leaders, designing scalable programs, and forging high-impact partnerships that enhance engagement, spark innovation, and evolve workplace culture. Nicole specializes in ERG program development, talent acceleration, and cross-functional collaboration. She has led initiatives that have increased active ERG membership, strengthened executive sponsorship, and positioned ERGs as strategic partners in business growth and employee retention.

As a certified professional coach, Nicole is committed to co-creating spaces where employees can lead with authenticity, collaborate meaningfully, and make a lasting impact.

Born and raised in The Bronx, NY, she continues to call it home, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and two rescue cats Emerald and Esme.

Kelly Chan has been at UKG for 8.5 years holding various roles, but her passions led her to become one of the co-founders and former co-chair of AsPIRE (Asians and Pacific Islanders Raising Equity) Employee Resource Group (ERG). Where she played a pivotal role in fostering intersectionality, collaboration, and cultural celebration across the organization.

Now a key member of the Belonging, Equity and Impact team, they help to support the Employee Resource Group Program by onboarding and developing ERG leaders, driving impactful initiatives, providing resources and training, and partnering with teams such as marketing and global communications to amplify equity and inclusion across UKG. Kelly’s expertise spans program development, leadership training, and strategic collaboration, helping ERGs drive meaningful change.

Originally from Stockton, California, she now resides in Long Beach, California with her husband and two fur children (Salem Moon and Nacho Sun).

Yolanda Valdivia has been an integral part of UKG for 7.5 years, during which she has embraced various roles across the organization. Currently, she plays a vital role in supporting implementation methodologies and teams within the Customer Experience organization. As a founding member of UNIDOS (meaning "united" in Spanish), an Employee Resource Group (ERG), she has served in a leadership or Co-Chair capacity for the past three years. Yolanda is dedicated to empowering members to express their voices confidently. The group's mission focuses on creating networking and development opportunities, fostering impactful conversations, and nurturing a vibrant community in a supportive and uplifting environment.

Originally from California, Yolanda now resides in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she enjoys life with her two beloved fur babies, Oliver and Aramis, alongside her husband, Brant.