BIO

A graduate of Brown University, Harvard Graduate School of Education and Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications, Joelle combines her passion and interests in education, equity, and inclusion, policy, and communications in her work as the CEO and Founder of EMG, an inclusion, culture and leadership consulting practice. Leveraging decades of experience in the workplace, as well as in the home and the minivan (!), Joelle combines inspiration, ‘real talk,’ and lived experiences to facilitate dialogue and strategic solutions for individual and organizational challenges.

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A native of Queens, and raised in Long Island, NY, Joelle takes her professional and leadership cues from her mother, a trailblazer in her own right, who was the first African American woman manager in the Social Security Administration in the 1970s. Joelle began her career in higher education at Wesleyan University followed by a stint in the non-profit sector with INROADS, before transitioning to corporate America with United Technologies Corporation, and as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at Travelers Insurance. Joelle returned to higher education in 2016 as the inaugural Chief Diversity Officer at the University of Connecticut before launching EMG.

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Additionally, she currently serves as the Executive Director of Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity, a Connecticut non-profit committed to increasing the representation of lawyers of color.

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Joelle is a proud life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated and currently serves as the President of the Hartford (CT) Alumnae Chapter. Joelle is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions including most recently the Life Insurance Industry’s Partner Award for excellence in DEI leadership, and selection to participate in the Fall 2023 cohort of the Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women: Black in Business program.

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Joelle is also a trustee and chair of the equity, diversity, and inclusion standing committee of the Brown University Corporation, the University's governing body, an elected member of the East Hartford (CT) Board of Education and most recently was appointed to the Women’s Business Development Council’s (WBDC) Hartford Regional Advisory Council.

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In her most demanding role, Joelle is the mother of four children between the ages of 10 and 21 who are the wind beneath her wings.

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At her core, Joelle is passionate about encouraging and inspiring all people to reach their highest potential and creating space for open dialogue to enhance understanding.