Company: Harper Slade Racial Equity Advisory

Founded in: 2022

Describe what your organization does in two sentences. We help organizations cultivate an environment where black and brown talent can thrive.

Who do you serve? Any employer or organization interested in growing their DEI maturity and specifically grown in their demonstrable racial equity commitments.

One fact you may not know about my organization is…My company is named in honor of my paternal and maternal grandmothers-Lenora Harper Robinson and Ernestine Johnson Slade.

What sets your business apart from others in the way you attract and retain talent? We help foster greater retention of black and brown talent in our client’s workplaces. Toward that end, several of our attributes set us apart in this work. We are the only racial equity firm focusing our advisory work on the links among work, race and economics. We help clients see their Diversity and Inclusion efforts as employee engagement strategies and racial equity as the workforce planning and talent strategy of the future. We root our engagements around the urgency of amplifying and accelerating the advancement of black and Hispanic talent given the advancing demographic.

What do you like about being an investor in Greater Louisville Inc.? I am most pleased with the exposure opportunities that result from the investor level commitment with GLI; both with the exposure my business enjoys and also the exposure I enjoy with the myriad opportunities to connect and learn about our region’s economic and workforce development priorities.

How does your organization engage in the community? Harper Slade is extraordinarily visible and committed to Louisville. We host our Black Professionals Mixers here each year. These are designed to help assure an accelerated sense of belonging and community among black professionals in our region-particularly those relocating here. We see these as a part of the retention strategy for black professionals. Further, we are launching a nation-wide racial equity program suite for white women called “The RAARE Woman Collective”….bringing 200 women from around the country to our city to begin this work. Lastly, our CEO, Nikki Lanier, remains committed to Louisville’s betterment via her many board memberships including One West, where she chairs the board of directors;  Louisville Regional Airport Authority, where she serves as board treasurer and secretary; and the University of Louisville’s College of Business Board of Advisors.

How can people engage with your organization? Visit our websites https://www.nikkilanier.com/ and https://www.harperslade.com/ . Connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram or email us at [email protected].