We are a community of organizational change scholars, practitioners, and students who are committed to promoting social justice in our work. This project began as part of an effort to collaboratively write a chapter about change for a massive anti-racist I-O psychology book, and then it evolved into its own open access book project due to the supportive contributors listed below. Please read the Introductionchapter to Social Justice in Organizational Change: An Inclusive Anthology for more background, our purpose, and our invitation to you. This work is ongoing. Please view the How to Contribute page to learn more about joining this initiative.
Bios and Positionality Statements
We encourage all SJOC chapter authors and reviewers to write a positionality statement and reflect on how their professional development and identities relate to the topics they are studying. These statements are intended to share background information about SJOC contributors in addition to some of the philosophical and personal lenses they bring to their work, which may influence their worldview, beliefs, perspectives, research, and writing.
Editor and Author
KIMBERLY S. SCOTT, PhD. (she/her)
I am the executive director of the Master’s and Executive Programs in Learning & Organizational Change (MSLOC/ELOC) at Northwestern University, where I also have appointments as Assistant Professor and Associate Dean for Innovation and Program Development. I draw on my undergraduate education in the science of psychology, my doctoral studies in organizational behavior, and my early career experiences in management and consulting to study how people thrive at work and develop into effective leaders. A great-granddaughter of farmers and German immigrant tradesmen who settled on the unceded lands of the Shawnee, Cherokee, and Myaamia people, I was born and raised in a middle-class family in the mid-west United States, an area south of where I raised my three children and currently live with my husband and our dog. Valuing fairness, kindness, and humanitarian goals, I pursue research that focuses on improving workplace environments and practices that foster employee wellness, learning and success. I also am interested in the narratives that adults create about their work lives, the meaning they draw from them, and the relationship with well-being. More information about me can be found on the faculty directory of NU’s School of Education and Social Policy.
Authors and Reviewers
ANDREA BAER (she/her)
I am a white, cisgender, middle-class woman who grew up primarily in the southern United States in a middle-class, non-religious family. I benefit from a tremendous amount of privilege because of many of these social positions. As someone who grew up in a politically conservative and religious region and whose views have frequently differed from the majority, I am also familiar with the experience of occupying a space outside of the social norm. Over the course of my life and my academic career, I have developed an increased appreciation for the importance of different ways of knowing and different forms of evidence, including the lived experiences of individuals and communities. I have become more aware of the limitations of information that is frequently presented as neutral but is not. My growing understanding of the complex social factors and conditions that influence our ways of navigating meaning making are one catalyst for my efforts to practice more inclusive scholarly practices, including inclusive citation.
DORIE ELLZEY BLESOFF (she/her)
I was raised in the southwest and midwest United States, in a white, middle-class, religious (Protestant), socially liberal home. The values that shaped my childhood were a driving force in my participation in the liberation movements of the 1960’s & 70’s where I was schooled in the structural nature of racism and sexism and other forms of “othering” and systemic oppression, alongside experiencing the power of collective voices in action. I continued my passion for transformational change professionally. In leadership roles and as an independent consultant across multiple industries and sectors, I focused on building values-based inclusive communities in workplace environments through leadership development, human resources strategy, DEIB culture change, and accountability in social impact. I received my Masters in Organizational Development from Loyola University in Chicago. I have served as Adjunct Faculty at Northwestern’s School of Education and Social Policy since 1997 with a focus on systems thinking and learning organizations at the undergraduate level and how to design sustainable change at the graduate level. I have received multiple awards for teaching, and been interviewed by professional publications including Chief Learning Officer and HR Gazette. As I embrace this last third of my life, I intend to “dig deeper” for generative learning and real change, both in myself, in my relationships, and in social institutions that I can impact. I am digging deeper into the legacy of my Northern European ancestors, and I support Reparations work in my local community. I am digging deeper into the soil in my garden to grow food and native plants with three generations of family, and I seek to learn from earth-honoring Indigenous science and to support efforts for food justice and climate justice. I am digging deeper into my own faith journey, and I join with members of many spiritual traditions in believing in the sacred interconnectedness of all Life, and in the truth of Dr. Cornel West’s statement that “Justice is what love looks like in public.” I am digging deeper into my singer/songwriter capacity for another album, and I celebrate art that helps us connect, dream, and change. I cherish opportunities to co-create as we all figure out how to move forward together.
NICOLE DESSAIN (she/her)
My perspective on this topic was informed by my personal and professional lived experiences. I grew up in a small village in Northern Germany and emigrated to the United States in my twenties. Having lived and worked across cultures has instilled in me an appreciation for different perspectives, a willingness to question my own beliefs, and a propensity for challenging “how things get done”. Professionally, I was trained in the field of Human Resources and have held roles of increasing responsibility inside organizations. As an executive at Accenture, I regularly consulted with Fortune 100 companies around their talent strategies. A few years ago, I decided to introduce the design thinking method to the Human Resources function - through my employee experience design work at talent.imperative inc., my community efforts with the HR.Hackathon Alliance, and my service as an instructor in Northwestern University's Master's in Learning & Organizational Change “Designing for Organizational Effectiveness" certification program. I am currently writing a book about Design Thinking for HR. In 2020, I co-founded #HRvsRacism, an initiative which aims to create space for HR professionals to heal, become courageous allies, and learn how to design equitable workplaces.
JONATHAN DORISCAR
My name is Jonathan Doriscar and I am a PhD student in Northwestern University Psychology Department. I identify as a first-generation Haitian Black Man from a low-income background. My review of this work on citation auditing was guided by my identity as an underrepresented individual within the space of academia. Given my identities, I reviewed the work with the expectation that this discussion on citation auditing would make future scientist reflect on the lack of diverse identities within their respective fields.
YABOME GILPIN-JACKSON, PhD. (she/her)
I am a Global African, born in Germany to Sierra Leonean parents who were part of the immediate post-colonial movement of Africans coming into the Global West to study and then returning with hopes of contributing to the (re)building of their newly independent African nations. My identity is shaped by living in Sierra Leone in my formative years before immigrating to Canada where my parents had lived and studied in the 1960s. I completed undergraduate and graduate studies at Simon Fraser University as well as completed a PhD. in Human and Organization Systems at Fielding Graduate University in the United States. This formation across three continents, while being a Black/African/Immigrant/Refugee/Cisgendered Woman immersed in western colonial education, has exposed me to different social conceptions of Black identities on the African continent and in the Diaspora. I am committed to navigating the dialectical tensions and complex truths that living in an era of decolonization and rebuilding of equity-centered futures presents us. In addition to being Founder and Principal at SLD consulting, and teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in my areas of interest/expertise I have served in Executive Leadership roles within the British Columbia Public Sector, including at Simon Fraser University. See more about my writings here.
CHRISTIAN ISBISTER
I grew up along the border of Treaty 6 and 7 Territories in what we now call central Alberta, Canada. My father’s side of the family is Métis and Ukranian, while my mother’s side is mixed European, predominantly Dutch and Irish, and I have many family ties across the prairies. I recognize that while growing up knowing I am Indigenous, I am white passing and can more easily move in many spaces, including in academia. I completed my MLIS at the University of Alberta, and remain very grateful to have learned from incredible Indigenous librarians, and carry their teachings with me. Since graduating, I have been working as the Indigenous Initiatives Librarian at UBC Okanagan, on the ancestral and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan Nation. I am still learning what it means to be an Indigenous librarian working as an uninvited guest on stolen lands.
RANJANI IYENGAR (she/her)
I was born in India and was educated in the missionary run schools in post-colonial India. Growing up, I lived in various states and learned to adapt to changing homes, schools, regional languages and cultures with ease. I started University in India and moved to the United States to complete my undergraduate and graduate studies. (M.S. Ed., Instructional Technology). I started my career in consulting at Accenture and after eight years left to join a start-up, Exult, a pioneer in HR Outsourcing. That was my first experience of entrepreneurship and a start-up culture. I was part of HR Outsourcing leadership team at Hewitt Associates when they acquired Exult. After 6 years in the outsourcing practice, I left to join Kraft Foods as the Sr Director of L&D. In my most recent role I founded and grew the North American practice of Bridge Partnership (UK), a Learning and OD consultancy. I have worked across industries with multinational organizations consulting, advising, coaching and mentoring business leaders to evolve their organization with mindful choices. Facilitating organizations/teams to articulate their purpose, and then coaching them on activating it in the strategy, leadership and culture has been a source of insight and inspiration. I started to see how the personal evolution of the leadership team combined with an understanding of how to transform systems, is critical to reshaping organizations that are not just about profit and operational efficiencies but also set up to benefit people and the planet. Like many immigrants, I am still working on integrating my various worlds so my interest in transformation for social equity is personal. I am passionate about integrating the wisdom and insight of yoga philosophy into leadership and organizational development. My interest and research are focused on the intersection of personal and systemic evolution using “narratives” as a key tool.
LIZA JAGER (she/her/ela)
I grew up in Brazil, a socially and economically polarized country with a diverse and nuanced culture. Witnessing the beauty of our diversity, the richness of our natural resources, and the creativity of our people, contrasted with the inherent inequities built into our systems, woken my desire to seek justice. I wanted justice for our invisible communities. As a young adult, working and living in various countries and learning how these cultures operate, I was again touched by how opportunities and experiences can differ based on the beliefs and systems people operate in—this widened my perspective and gave me hope for different possibilities. I wanted justice for invisible communities across the world. After traveling across continents and permanently moving to the U.S., I expanded my perspective differently. I experienced viscerally what it's like to be misunderstood because others’ lenses are not open or diverse enough. I found myself trying to find my identity once I lost it to assimilate and belong. I wanted justice for myself and for people of color. My lenses widened again when my oldest child was born blind. As my husband and I navigated the educational and social systems to find ways to support his gifts and talents, we noticed little understanding or willingness to support his needs, so I became an avid advocate. I wanted justice for my child and others with diverse needs.As a Global Leadership Consultant at RHR International and as a Lecturer and Instructor for the Masters of Science in Learning and Organizational Change at Northwestern University, I partner with top global executives and multinational organizations, and I teach leadership in organizations. I incorporate all these perspectives and life learnings into my practice and teachings and intentionally design premier inclusive content, experiences, and programs. I want to influence a more just and inclusive world.
SONYA KALEEL (she/her)
I grew up in a small, rural community in the Midwest USA, in a family that immigrated from the Ottoman empire’s province of Greater Syria, now named Lebanon. My work is informed by years of unpacking the complex layers of socialization into systems of oppression as a white-presenting Arab American, cis-gender female, and (later-in-life) mother and spouse in a multiracial family. My leadership experience spans over 30 years in organizational learning, leadership development, intercultural effectiveness, social justice advocacy, and community-based grassroots work. I received my Master’s degree in Learning and Organizational Change (MSLOC) from Northwestern University. As the founder of The Inclusion Practice, I help leaders and changemakers find their purpose and be accountable to the work of inclusion and justice using courageous and compassionate change methods. I serve on the adjunct faculty team for Northwestern University’s Leading Equity & Inclusion in Organizations (LEIO) certificate program. I believe that we hold the power to transform systems, both individually and collectively. I am inspired by the wisdom and resilience of Black women and women of color, like Angela Davis and Arundhati Roy, who have been at the forefront of this work. I am committed to showing up for the work of liberation for me, my ancestors, and our collective humanity. May we all find our way back home and heal into the future.
MATT MINAHAN (he/him)
I am the son of a pacificist civil servant, working in the US Department of Defense in support of a war that he deeply opposed. But it is what he did to raise the seven of us in a lower middle-class household in the 50s-80s in the US. As I write this, I reflect on my own role as a son, a father, a husband, and brother to my five sisters. My perspective on this work is formed by the deep commitment to social justice that I learned from my parents and my work in international and human development in dozens of the poorest countries in the world. As a white, (mostly) healthy, cis-gendered man, I am deeply aware of the many areas of privilege in my life. I have access to institutions and organizations that affect the world, consulting to them on strategy, structure, and culture. I get to teach MS and PhD students in Organization Development, shaping the future practitioners in the field. And, I have the privilege to work with the political system where I live and chair a non-profit board supporting those in need on environmental justice, affordable housing, and access to water and recreation for those who have none. It is painful, but necessary, for me to acknowledge that I live on land stolen by my ancestors from native peoples who were deprived of access to their heritage and killed for it. These are themes in my life that shape who I am, what I believe, and what I do.
SARAH OWUSU (she/her)
I am co-founder of a consultancy based in Mozambique, working globally with leaders and organisations to build their culture and capacity for innovation. I work in this space because I have a deep interested in the future and a tendency to be scanning the world for what is unfolding. I believe that people should take seriously their role and agency in responding thoughtfully in these unprecedented times. I’ve been privileged to have access to an expensive education, doing an undergraduate and Master’s in Philosophy at University of London - these studies have significantly shaped my thinking. I’m conscious of how Western-centric my academic trajectory has been, and in recent years have committed to broadening my knowledge to include more sources of knowledge. This includes learning from people and voices often considered “at the margins.” In this pursuit, I’ve built a multidisciplinary toolkit that draws from Design, Design Thinking, Dialogic OD, systems thinking, and from feminist thinkers, social justice spaces and organisers, movement building methodologies, and the arts. I am a certified Integral Coach, a Reiki practitioner, and recently completed a Yoga Teacher Trainer course. These three threads in my journey mean I am interested in working holistically, taking a systems and contextual view of most situations, and also consider spirituality in my life and work. I am a Danish-Ghanaian woman, born in Botswana but have lived, schooled and worked across three continents and many countries. I often describe myself as pan-African and pan-European. In my professional career I have gravitated towards work with social impact and social justice organisations, or work that considers inclusivity as central.
LENA ROSS (she/her)
I was born in Australia where I have studied and worked all my life. Born to parents of Mediterranean background, I am a first generation Australian who grew up in a multi-lingual household where English was not the first spoken language. I hold a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) and worked in corporate in the areas of education, learning and development and change management since completing my under-graduate studies. With a high value placed on learning – both formal and informal – I remain curious and have written two books on Change Management and co-authored The Agile Change Playbook.
SAMANTHA SOLOWAY (she/her)
I am a born and raised Chicagoan and grew up just minutes away from my extended family. I am a product of my Jewish ancestors who care deeply about culture and tradition. My passion was inspired by two friends, both individuals with disabilities, who were forced to use technology that was created for them, not by or with them. I am motivated to make inclusion a reality because to me, a lesser standard should not exist. I studied Special Education at Vanderbilt before joining Yahoo’s Accessibility team. I now work at PNC Bank on their Experience Innovation team. Everyday, I am driven to make products and services more accessible to, and representative of, all. I received my Master’s in Product Design, Development and Management and look forward to continuing to “choose kind” in whatever I do.
SJOC Project Contributors
SJOC book chapters reflect inspirations, ideas, and insights from all of the following current and past contributors to this SJOC project:
