SIA CELEBRATES WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS PROFESSIONALS FOR DE&I
Inaugural List Recognizes Influencers in the Ecosystem
Atlanta, GA — May 18, 2021 — Allison O’Kelly has been named a DE&I Influencer! Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA), the global advisor on staffing and workforce solutions, has published its inaugural list of DE&I (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) Influencers, recognizing 50 individuals from across the workforce solutions ecosystem who standout in their actions and commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in their organizations and communities.
The list, which will appear annually, honors professionals, executives and leaders from the US and Canada whose hard work is moving the workforce solutions ecosystem in the right direction and creating needed change. With a growing crescendo around the need for workplaces to be more equitable and inclusive, conversations around diversity, belonging, fair treatment of workers, equal pay, hiring bias, discrimination, racism and more must be given top priority, especially by individuals and organizations on the frontiers of talent. The DE&I Influencers are having those conversations, and in highlighting their impact on the ecosystem, SIA hopes to provide insights and connection to help drive positive change and drive people to engage in these conversations.
As corporations continue to focus on DE&I moving forward, Allison O’Kelly says it’s crucial for staffing firms to continue pointing out where changes need to be made. She has never been afraid to speak out or make bold moves.
In 2005, O’Kelly launched the Mom Corps brand, which focused on finding flexible and part-time work for mothers.
A CPA by training, she enjoyed the flexibility of contract accounting work after welcoming her second child. When she began receiving more work than she could feasibly handle, she was happy to pass it along to her friends — and quickly realized she was onto something. Ten years after launching Mom Corps, it officially became Corps Team, and the company continues to prioritize placing diverse candidates.
For a company to bring in diverse talent, it needs a diverse slate of candidates — and O’Kelly is proud to say her organization offers that. She believes that collectively, corporations are often missing an important opportunity when utilizing staffing firms to hire contractors. “That’s where I don’t think corporations really focus on diversity. They think, ‘Oh, it’s just a contractor, we don’t care,’” O’Kelly says. “But when those people end up becoming your employees, then you missed a huge opportunity to bring in diversity from the beginning.”
A supporter of DE&I long before it became a thing, O’Kelly is unafraid to be the one to challenge those in charge. “When I hear business leaders speaking, I ask them, ‘What are you doing? What are you doing to support women-owned businesses? What are you doing to support your internal team, and the vendors that provide services to you?’” O’Kelly explains. She is passionate about keeping these issues and questions front of mind because, as she notes, we may be making progress, but we’ve still got a long way to go.
“Every day, the news delivers heartbreaking stories of inequalities, prejudices and violence in our society. The inaugural DE&I Influencers list is one step that SIA is taking to increase visibility around belonging, and around avenues for more inclusive work environments,” says Subadhra Sriram, Editor and Publisher, Media Products at SIA. “We are proud to draw attention to those professionals who are making strides in relation to diversity, equity and inclusion. These influencers are effecting change on a daily basis while carving a path for the workforce solutions ecosystem to follow.”
The DE&I Influencer website debuts this week, featuring the individual influencers and sharing their roles and involvement. Those named to the list also appear in the May/June 2021 issue of Staffing Industry Review magazine and will be honored during a private upcoming event.
The 2021 DE&I Influencers list is sponsored by the following companies dedicated to forwarding DE&I: Consciously Unbiased (premier sponsor), Glider (premier sponsor), Beeline, Kelly, Primary Talent Partners, Pyramid Consulting, Rangam, TAPFIN, and The Mom Project.
About Corps Team
Corps Team is a premier professional search and staffing firm
Corps Team is a woman-owned executive search and staffing firm, headquartered in Atlanta, GA and serving clients nationwide. An industry leader since 2005, Corps Team helps companies build their teams with highly skilled, hard-to-find professionals. Our purpose is to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the lives of our candidates, our clients, and our team by connecting great talent with great companies! Corps Team is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, with offices nationwide.
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