Vernā Myers Explained

Vernā Myers
Nationality:American
Occupation:diversity consultant, author, speaker, lawyer, corporate executive
Years Active:1992 - present

Vernā Myers [1] is an American diversity consultant,[2] author, speaker, lawyer, and corporate executive.[3] [4] She is also the founder and CEO of the Vernā Myers Company[5] [6] [7] and was the inaugural Vice President of Inclusion at Netflix (2018-2023).  At Netflix, she helped implement strategies for diversity, inclusion, and representation throughout the company. Myers gave a TED talk in 2014 called "How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them." She is also the author of two books published by the American Bar Association: Moving Diversity Forward - How To Go From Well-Meaning To Well-Doing and What If I Say The Wrong Thing: 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People.

Early life and education

Myers was raised in Baltimore, Maryland.[8] [9] She later moved to New York City to attend Barnard College of Columbia University's undergraduate program receiving a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude in Political Science.[10] Upon graduation, she moved to Boston, Massachusetts to attend Harvard Law School, receiving her Juris Doctor degree in 1985.[11]

Career

In 1992, Myers was appointed the first executive director of the Boston Law Firm Group (now the Boston Lawyers Group), a consortium of firms and corporate legal departments.[12] She also served as deputy chief of staff for the Attorney General of Massachusetts.[13] Vernā practiced corporate and real estate law in Boston at Testa, Hurwitz & Thibeault, LLP[14] and Fitch, Wiley, Richlin & Tourse, LLP.[15] Myers founded The Vernā Myers Company, where she serves as its CEO.[16]

In 2014, Myers spoke on the subject of "unconscious bias" in her TED talk, "How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them," which she gave at a TEDx event in Boston on November 15.[17] [18] She has also given talks on unconscious bias and other DEI-related topics to organizations such as Cleveland Metropolitan Bar, NASA, and the Massachusetts Women's Conference.[19]

Myers has been interviewed by television news networks such as WCVB News,[20] MPR News,[21] and CNN.[22] Myers  also created the OPUS Conference, a conference centered on race and ethnicity forlarge law firms and corporations. She also authored two books, Moving Diversity Forward: How to Go From Well-Meaning to Well-Doing, and What If I Say the Wrong Thing?: 25 Habits for Culturally Effective People.

In 2018, Vernā filled the inaugural role as VP, Inclusion Strategy at Netflix[23] She has developed the overall culture at Netflix, including inclusion frameworks for casting and production crew hiring on programs such as Bridgerton.[24]

In 2021, Myers and Arianna Huffington joined to provide a training courses on LinkedIn Learning on the subject of confronting biases.[25] The course was ranked the most popular course on the platform in 2021.

In 2024, Vernā delivered the commencement speech at Santa Clara Law School.[26]

Her quote "Diversity is being invited to the party, Inclusion is being asked to dance" has been widely cited and referenced by individuals, the press, and various organizations such as OMD, SHRM, and the Academy of Eating Disorders.[27] [28]

Myers hosts the podcast Sundays with Vernā.[29]

Harvard Business Publishing partnered with Myers to create an Introduction to Diversity video widely used throughout US Court systems.[30] Myers served as a featured instructor in the Dynamic Teaming section of the Harvard Business School Online course of their Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business (CLIMB) program.[31]

Myers also teaches diversity, equity, and inclusion courses through The Vernā Myers Company.[32] [33]

Select public speaking engagements

Bibliography

Awards and recognition

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Introduction to this course. Fair and Effective Interviewing for Diversity and Inclusion. LinkedIn. November 19, 2021. June 30, 2023.
  2. Web site: Petri . Alexandra E. . 2017-07-07 . When Potential Mentors Are Mostly White and Male . 2023-01-17 . The Atlantic . en.
  3. News: Diversity in the Workplace: Building Inclusive Company Culture with Vernā Myers . en-US . Washington Post . 2023-01-17 . 0190-8286.
  4. Web site: 2018-08-29 . Netflix Hires 'Inclusion Strategy' Lead Verna Myers . 2023-01-17 . en-US.
  5. Web site: 2023-06-28 . Netflix’s Verna Myers to Exit, Wade Davis Promoted to Lead Inclusion Strategy . 2024-10-28 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  6. Web site: 2023-06-28 . Netflix’s First Head of Inclusion Vernā Myers to Step Down After Five Years, Wade Davis Promoted (EXCLUSIVE) . 2024-10-28 . Variety . en-US.
  7. Web site: Insights: Powered by Barnard . barnard.edu.
  8. Web site: Vernā Myers: Bringing Inclusion and Equity to Netflix – SoulVision Magazine . 2023-01-17 . en-US.
  9. Web site: Big Ideas with Vernā Myers . 2023-01-17 . American Libraries Magazine . en-US.
  10. Web site: Vernā Myers - Speaker . 2023-01-17 . Texas Conference for Women . en-US.
  11. 2018-09-14 . Celebrating 65 Years of Alumnae . Harvard Law School.
  12. Web site: Black Excellence: Verna Myers '82BC . 2023-01-17 . Columbia University Athletics . en.
  13. Web site: 2021-01-22 . Inviting new people to make stories. How this VP is pushing Netflix to diversify . 2023-01-17 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  14. Web site: 2015-09-22 . Flex Success™ Leadership Institute -Spotlight on Verna Myers . 2023-01-17 . Diversity and Flexibility Alliance . en-US.
  15. Web site: Summer/Fall 2014 NEPDEC . 2023-01-17 . www.nepdec.org.
  16. Web site: 2023-08-16 . 10 Diversity Keynote Speakers Partnering with Business to Build Inclusive Culture . 2024-10-28 . BigSpeak Motivational Speakers Bureau: Keynote Speakers, Business Speakers and Celebrity Speakers . en-US.
  17. Web site: Miller . Kelsey . The Uncomfortable Truth About Race . 2023-01-17 . www.refinery29.com . en.
  18. Web site: VERNA MYERS is today's TED talk – TEDxBoston . 2023-01-17 . tedxboston.com.
  19. Web site: Janet H. Cho . The Plain Dealer . 2016-05-25 . Diversity is being invited to the party and asked to dance . 2023-01-17 . cleveland . en.
  20. Web site: 2020-06-28 . CityLine: June 28, 2020: Verna Myers, VP of Inclusion Strategy . 2023-01-17 . WCVB . en.
  21. Web site: 2016-01-05 . 'What If I Say the Wrong Thing?': How to talk about race . MPR News.
  22. Web site: CNN.com - Transcripts . 2023-01-17 . www.cnn.com.
  23. Web site: 2020-03-02 . Diversity execs from Twitter, Netflix, Salesforce talk strategy . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20200302132552/https://www.businessinsider.com/diversity-inclusion-strategy-chiefs-twitter-netflix-salesforce-2020-2 . 2020-03-02 . 2023-01-17 . Business Inder.
  24. Web site: 2022-03-21 . 'I'd love to see more crew who're black and brown,' says Bridgerton's Charithra Chandran . 2023-01-17 . EasternEye . en-GB.
  25. Web site: Liu . Jennifer . LinkedIn Learning's most popular class of 2021 is about unconscious bias . 2023-01-17 . CNBC . en.
  26. Web site: The Power to Change the World . 2024-10-28 . Santa Clara Magazine . en.
  27. Web site: Who's Dancing at the Party: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion within AED . 2023-01-17 . www.aedweb.org . en.
  28. Web site: Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance . 2023-01-17 . OMD . en-US.
  29. Web site: 2023-06-26 . 7 Top DEI Speakers You Can Learn From . 2024-10-28 . The Speaker Lab . en-US.
  30. Introduction to Diversity . en . 2024-10-30 . vimeo.com.
  31. Web site: Credential of Leadership, Impact, and Management in Business HBS Online . 2024-10-30 . online.hbs.edu.
  32. Web site: Vernā Myers to Deliver Keynote at 2023 NRPA Annual Conference Feature Parks & Recreation Magazine NRPA . 2024-10-28 . www.nrpa.org . en.
  33. Web site: 2024-04-13 . Championing inclusion: Verna Myers' evolution as a DEI advocate . 2024-10-28 . AFRO American Newspapers . en-US.
  34. Web site: 2013-05-03 . On the Town: Local bar associations celebrate Law Day . 2024-10-30 . NY Daily Record . en-US.
  35. Web site: Vernā Myers - Speaker . 2024-10-30 . Pennsylvania Conference for Women . en-US.
  36. Web site: Big Ideas with Vernā Myers . 2023-01-17 . American Libraries Magazine . en-US.
  37. Web site: 2016-10-13 . Making Tulsa's workforce more inclusive is key to progress, speaker says . 2024-10-30 . Tulsa World . en.
  38. Web site: Vernā Myers - Speaker . 2024-10-30 . MA Conference for Women . en-US.
  39. Web site: 2019-06-20 . Creating A Culture Of Inclusion: Vernā Myers @ Baker McKenzie's #FutureWorks . 2024-10-30 . The Employer Report . en-US.
  40. Web site: 2020-07-07 . 4 Steps Companies Should Take to Be Anti-Racist, According to Netflix's Inclusion VP . 2024-10-30 . TheWrap . en-US.
  41. Web site: 2022-06-15 . 8 Biggest Takeaways From Variety's Changemakers Summit . 2023-01-17 . Variety . en-US.
  42. Web site: 2023-03-27 . NRPA Announces Verna Myers as the Keynote Speaker for the 2023 NRPA Annual Conference Recreation Management . 2024-10-30 . recmanagement.com . en.
  43. Web site: Business digest for March 5, 2009 . 2024-10-30 . MetroWest Daily News . en-US.
  44. Web site: 2023-Fellows by Induction Year . 2024-10-30 . www.collegeoflpm.org.
  45. Web site: 2023-05-22 . The Municipal - June 2023 by The Papers Inc. - Issuu . 2024-10-30 . issuu.com . en.
  46. Web site: WBC Trailblazer In Gender Equity And Diversity Award Presentation: Vernā Myers . 2024-10-30 . Women Business Collaborative . en-US.

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