Hello! I am Demetris Cheatham, @demetris11 (she/her/hers), GitHub’s new senior director of Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DI&B) Strategy, and I’m thrilled to be in this new role.

I am very passionate about increasing DI&B (with a heavy dose of racial equity) in the tech industry, especially within open source, but this role was not one that I actively sought out. In fact, when I receive inquiries from recruiters, I typically listen, offer advice, and make referrals for many of my colleagues who are focusing on this daunting but highly rewarding work. But this position was different.

GitHub recognizes that DI&B must be approached intentionally, and infused throughout its business strategy and across its internal functions in order to have the greatest impact. That approach, combined with GitHub’s recognition that DI&B are integral to its mission and high-performance culture are what made this opportunity one that I just couldn’t pass up. GitHub asked me to join the Office of the Chief Operating Officer (OCOO) to help achieve our mission to be the home for all developers. In this rather unique role, I am responsible for leading our long-term, global DI&B strategy across four pillars: People, Platform, Philanthropy, and Policy. I’ll be collaborating with exceptional DI&B leaders on our HR, Engineering, Policy, and Social Impact teams for a truly cross-functional approach to this work.

#company #github