Maryland Tech Council’s DEI in Action Pledge Makers Coffee & Conversation

It’s never enough to simply recognize the importance and value of diversity, equity and inclusivity (DEI) for an organization. It is critical that a commitment to DEI include implementation of an action-oriented approach for achieving diversity, equity and inclusivity. That’s why the Maryland Tech Council’s (MTC) Technology Inclusivity Initiative (TI2) Steering Committee developed a DEI in Action Pledge through which organizations are invited to join MTC in the commitment to advance DEI by taking the Pledge.

Since releasing the DEI in Action Pledge in 2021, organizations of varying sizes across a variety of industry sectors, have taken the Pledge. As part of “taking the Pledge,” each organization indicates three action items they will undertake to advance DEI. Every organization that has taken the Pledge indicated they would appreciate help from the Maryland Tech Council in accomplishing their three selected DEI action items. In response to those requests, MTC is hosting its first DEI in Action Pledge Makers Coffee & Conversation program.

For this informal program, Pledge Makers will be joined by two professionals with experience in helping organizations on their DEI journey, one with strategy and tool development expertise, the other with HR-specific expertise. The forum is designed to connect each Pledge Maker with other individuals and organizations committed to advancing DEI and to hear experiences and discover tips and tools for use in advancing DEI within their own organization from two DEI thought-leaders and practitioners.

There is no cost to attend this Pledge Makers program, but attendance is limited to team members from Pledge Maker organizations. Not sure if your company is a Pledge Maker? View the Pledge Makers’ logos at the bottom of this page. To review and take the Pledge for your organization, click here.

About Our Guest DEI Specialists: 

• Sertrice Grice, MS, is Co-Owner & Chief Consulting Officer of Mattingly Solutions, a woman-owned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consulting firm.
  Co-Author of Inclusalytics, How Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leaders Use Data to Drive Their Work, Sertrice is passionate about helping organizations use metrics to create data-driven DEI strategies that drive meaningful change. She serves clients though DEI executive advising, DEI measurement consulting, and building/delivering inclusive behavioral change solutions. Sertrice is the Vice-Chair of the board for Blacks in I/O and also volunteers for national organizations including the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority. Sertrice received her B.S. in Psychology from Emporia State University and her M.S. in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Radford University. She is currently located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

• Kimberly N. Prescott, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, President, Prescott HR, Inc.
  Early on in her corporate HR career, Kimberly Prescott earned a reputation as a confident, fearless advisor. Kimberly noticed that while some of her HR colleagues hesitated to make the bold or tough recommendations that a situation required, she was unintimidated by sticky situations, driven to serve companies and leaders with the best advice and guidance for what to do next. Her willingness to address, head on, the issues at hand — along with her love of all things HR (employment law compliance, employee relations and business strategy) — led her to start her own HR consulting firm. Prescott HR was launched in 2015 to relentlessly handle all of the HR challenges, not just the easy ones. Kimberly brings over two decades of experience from previous HR leadership and director positions, including at Whole Foods, Social Solutions, Maxim Healthcare Services and TEKsystems.  Community and giving back is important to Kimberly. Among others, she is the Board Secretary of Leadership Howard County, Board Member of the Girl Scouts of Central Maryland, Board Secretary of XPX Maryland, Chair of the Labor and Employment Subcommittee for the Howard County Chamber, Past President of the Community Foundation of Howard County and she is a pro bono consultant with the Taproot Foundation.
  When Kimberly is not working, she spends time with her husband and daughter, traveling and doing “research” for her podcast HR & Cocktails

The DEI in Action Pledge is part of the Maryland Tech Council’s Technology Inclusivity initiative (TI2). TI2 aims to advance diversity, equity and inclusivity in Maryland’s tech-based industries and fuel socioeconomic advancement via technology for underrepresented and underestimated groups.