CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Latesha Byrd left her job and started her own business to teach diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
What You Need To Know
- Latesha Byrd helps companies transform their workplaces into equitable and safe spaces for all.
- She is also a certified career coach.
- She has provided digital training to over 150 minority business owners to bridge the racial divide.
She started out in accounting, and then switched to corporate recruiting. But neither of those jobs felt like the right fit.
“I realized I wasn’t fulfilled,” Byrd said. “I wanted to be in a career that really made a difference."
It's why she decided to start up her own business. She coaches companies on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.
“It’s about making sure that all people, no matter what background, have the same access to opportunities,” Byrd said.
She has taught workshops across the country, and even across the world.
“All of the workshops are on diversity, equity, and inclusion topics,” Byrd said “Such as unconscious bias, authentic allyship. But I also like doing consulting work about recruiting and talent acquisition.”
Byrd is now also a certified career coach.
Christine Edwards in Charlotte has taken her coaching classes.
“I was at a point in my career where I felt as though I had reached a plateau and I knew that, women, if we don’t negotiate, and be proactive, then we often get left behind,” Edwards said.
Byrd says the career coaching and workplace workshops go hand and hand.
“We want to be valued, we want to be supported, heard, and seen,” Byrd said. “There is nothing more important to a business's success than having a strong commitment to inclusion.”
Latesha Byrd is also a board member for the UNC Charlotte Black Alumni chapter. It promotes the education of current black students through scholarship opportunities and community outreach.