Our Team
We Understand People
We are strategic thinkers and creative problem-solvers with a shared mission: give the people who drive companies the tools that they need to improve so their companies become better, too.
Start with Why
We always know the “why” behind everything we do.
Always Learn
We are more focused on becoming better than being the best.
Teach Love
We fill our days with work that gives us purpose, take interest in and pay attention to others, and model that behavior for the world around us.
Build a Better Future
We believe in possibility and the potential for future growth and see every challenge, obstacle, and experience as an opportunity.
Our Team
We Understand People
We are strategic thinkers and creative problem-solvers with a shared mission: give the people who drive companies the tools that they need to improve so their companies become better, too.
Start with Why
We always know the “why” behind everything we do.
Always Learn
We are more focused on becoming better than being the best.
Teach Love
We fill our days with work that gives us purpose, take interest in and pay attention to others, and model that behavior for the world around us.
Build a Better Future
We believe in possibility and the potential for future growth and see every challenge, obstacle, and experience as an opportunity.
Alida Miranda-Wolff
she/her/hers
Alida Miranda-Wolff is the CEO and Founder of Ethos, a full-service diversity, equity, and inclusion transformation firm. By helping organizations and the people inside of them understand their relationships with power, how to use their power responsibly, and how to share their power, she helps create the conditions for everyone to thrive at work. As part of Ethos, Alida serves as the Program Director of the Women Influence Chicago Accelerator, which supports womxn-identifying technologists advance their careers through a structured four-month program combining coaching, forums, classroom learning, and mentorship. Alida is also the Executive Director and Founder of Embolden, a membership organization focused on scaling empathy through the power of female friendships.
Before Ethos, Alida headed up investors, partners, brand, and portfolio company growth at Hyde Park Angels. While at Hyde Park Angels, she helped grow the organization into the most active early-stage investor in the Midwest by developing a people-first approach to investing, one that focused on leveraging human capital as well as financial capital to drive positive outcomes.
Outside of Ethos, Alida is an Advisory Board Member at Prosper Strategies, a certified Mindfulness and Meditation instructor, classical guitarist, and working artist. Formerly, she served on mHub’s Venture Board and taught marketing and career advancement at General Assembly.
Alida Miranda-Wolff
she/her/hers
Alida Miranda-Wolff is the CEO and Founder of Ethos, a full-service diversity, equity, and inclusion transformation firm. By helping organizations and the people inside of them understand their relationships with power, how to use their power responsibly, and how to share their power, she helps create the conditions for everyone to thrive at work. As part of Ethos, Alida serves as the Program Director of the Women Influence Chicago Accelerator, which supports womxn-identifying technologists advance their careers through a structured four-month program combining coaching, forums, classroom learning, and mentorship. Alida is also the Executive Director and Founder of Embolden, a membership organization focused on scaling empathy through the power of female friendships.
Before Ethos, Alida headed up investors, partners, brand, and portfolio company growth at Hyde Park Angels. While at Hyde Park Angels, she helped grow the organization into the most active early-stage investor in the Midwest by developing a people-first approach to investing, one that focused on leveraging human capital as well as financial capital to drive positive outcomes.
Outside of Ethos, Alida is an Advisory Board Member at Prosper Strategies, a certified Mindfulness and Meditation instructor, classical guitarist, and working artist. Formerly, she served on mHub’s Venture Board and taught marketing and career advancement at General Assembly.
Strother Gaines
he/him/his
Strother Gaines is the Manager—Training and Consulting at Ethos.
Strother is a business and personal coach for creative entrepreneurs and those who want to become one. He is a multi-passionate entrepreneur with a background in theatre, public speaking, education, sales, management, leadership, and segway-tour-guiding. His private practice is called But I’m a Unicorn, Dammit!, where he passionately works to help as many people as possible own up to the fact that they’re a unique snowflake. He is the producing artistic director for DC’s only immersive theatre company, TBD Immersive. His TEDx Talk has been viewed over 30,000 times, and his work has been seen in person by over 30,000+ audience members.
Strother Gaines
he/him/his
Strother Gaines is the Manager—Training and Consulting at Ethos.
Strother is a business and personal coach for creative entrepreneurs and those who want to become one. He is a multi-passionate entrepreneur with a background in theatre, public speaking, education, sales, management, leadership, and segway-tour-guiding. His private practice is called But I’m a Unicorn, Dammit!, where he passionately works to help as many people as possible own up to the fact that they’re a unique snowflake. He is the producing artistic director for DC’s only immersive theatre company, TBD Immersive. His TEDx Talk has been viewed over 30,000 times, and his work has been seen in person by over 30,000+ audience members.
Lexi Brown
she/her/hers
Lexi Brown is a Senior Associate at Ethos, working with clients to help bring their brand strategy and marketing initiatives to life, especially as they relate to their growth in DEI.
Lexi has over three years of advertising and marketing experience, with her main interests lying in branding, creative strategy, and social media strategy. Prior to Ethos, Lexi worked as a Social Media Specialist in the real estate and automotive industries. She is passionate about bringing ideas and people together and has enjoyed working in multiple areas throughout her career because it has solidified the importance of being able to adapt to and understand different stories and voices. Lexi attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for both her undergraduate and graduate years, earning a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and a Master of Science in Strategic Brand Communication.
Lexi Brown
she/her/hers
Lexi Brown is a Senior Associate at Ethos, working with clients to help bring their brand strategy and marketing initiatives to life, especially as they relate to their growth in DEI.
Lexi has over three years of advertising and marketing experience, with her main interests lying in branding, creative strategy, and social media strategy. Prior to Ethos, Lexi worked as a Social Media Specialist in the real estate and automotive industries. She is passionate about bringing ideas and people together and has enjoyed working in multiple areas throughout her career because it has solidified the importance of being able to adapt to and understand different stories and voices. Lexi attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for both her undergraduate and graduate years, earning a Bachelor of Science in Advertising and a Master of Science in Strategic Brand Communication.
Pondharshini Sadasivam
she/her/hers
Pondharshini Sadasivam is a Training Associate at Ethos Talent, overseeing the company’s training practice operations.
A first-generation immigrant, Pondharshini’s interest in DEI stems from her personal challenges with identity and her observation of the unequal allocation of resources in the criminal justice system. She is also the founder and President of D&I Futures: a group intended to inspire and provide community members accessible discussions, educational opportunities, and career advice for emerging D&I leaders. Pondharshini attended the University of San Francisco for her undergraduate career, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Politics with a concentration in Law and Justice and a double minor in Psychology and Criminal Justice Studies. Learn more about Pondharshini and her DEI work through her blog.
Pondharshini Sadasivam
she/her/hers
Pondharshini Sadasivam is a Training Associate at Ethos Talent, overseeing the company’s training practice operations.
A first-generation immigrant, Pondharshini’s interest in DEI stems from her personal challenges with identity and her observation of the unequal allocation of resources in the criminal justice system. She is also the founder and President of D&I Futures: a group intended to inspire and provide community members accessible discussions, educational opportunities, and career advice for emerging D&I leaders. Pondharshini attended the University of San Francisco for her undergraduate career, earning her Bachelor of Arts in Politics with a concentration in Law and Justice and a double minor in Psychology and Criminal Justice Studies. Learn more about Pondharshini and her DEI work through her blog.
Luis Vargas
he/him/his
Luis Vargas is a Project Specialist at Ethos Talent, supporting the team in all internal workings of Ethos operations.
Before Ethos, Luis dedicated his early career to creating a client and community-focused business model. He is motivated by building impactful client services, supportive work cultures, and efficient work practices in all his endeavors. He believes that learning through others can be a powerful force towards creating a better tomorrow. He strives to be of service to others and help them become their best self. Luis received his bachelor’s degree from Loyola University in Chicago and has participated in various collegiate programs, such as Gates Millennium Scholars, University of Chicago Collegiate Scholars, and Obama Foundations Community Leadership Corps.
Luis Vargas
he/him/his
Luis Vargas is a Project Specialist at Ethos Talent, supporting the team in all internal workings of Ethos operations.
Before Ethos, Luis dedicated his early career to creating a client and community-focused business model. He is motivated by building impactful client services, supportive work cultures, and efficient work practices in all his endeavors. He believes that learning through others can be a powerful force towards creating a better tomorrow. He strives to be of service to others and help them become their best self. Luis received his bachelor’s degree from Loyola University in Chicago and has participated in various collegiate programs, such as Gates Millennium Scholars, University of Chicago Collegiate Scholars, and Obama Foundations Community Leadership Corps.
Sonni Conway
she/her/hers
Sonni Conway is a Project Manager at Ethos, overseeing team operations, resource management, and system architecture.
Sonni is passionate about process, organization, efficiency, and helping teams do their best work. She enjoys creative problem solving and iterating on her solutions until she finds the one that sticks. Prior to joining Ethos, she spent 9 years in the creative field as a graphic designer, branding director, and creative director. Sonni graduated with a B.A. in Graphic Design from Flagler College.
Sonni Conway
she/her/hers
Sonni Conway is a Project Manager at Ethos, overseeing team operations, resource management, and system architecture.
Sonni is passionate about process, organization, efficiency, and helping teams do their best work. She enjoys creative problem solving and iterating on her solutions until she finds the one that sticks. Prior to joining Ethos, she spent 9 years in the creative field as a graphic designer, branding director, and creative director. Sonni graduated with a B.A. in Graphic Design from Flagler College.
Amalia Loiseau
she/her/hers
Amalia Loiseau is an Intern at Ethos, primarily supporting projects and assignments across our Consulting, Training, and Inclusive Communications practices.
Amalia is a junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying Industrial/Organizational Psychology with a minor in Leadership Studies. She has a passion for D&I and wants to work either as a D&I consultant or D&I lead in the future. Ever since her sophomore year of high school, Amalia has been involved in organizations focused on racial equality such as Students Organized Against Racism and co-founded an organization called Evanston Fight for Black Lives. On campus, she is involved in Phi Chi Theta business fraternity as the Diversity & Inclusion chair and a project associate for Illinois Enactus.
Amalia Loiseau
she/her/hers
Amalia Loiseau is an Intern at Ethos, primarily supporting projects and assignments across our Consulting, Training, and Inclusive Communications practices.
Amalia is a junior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign studying Industrial/Organizational Psychology with a minor in Leadership Studies. She has a passion for D&I and wants to work either as a D&I consultant or D&I lead in the future. Ever since her sophomore year of high school, Amalia has been involved in organizations focused on racial equality such as Students Organized Against Racism and co-founded an organization called Evanston Fight for Black Lives. On campus, she is involved in Phi Chi Theta business fraternity as the Diversity & Inclusion chair and a project associate for Illinois Enactus.
Jake Burger
he/him/his
Jake Burger serves as Finance Manager at Ethos, focusing on day-to-day execution of the accounting function as well as financial reporting and strategy.
Jake is a Senior Analyst with Accelerated Growth, where he helps companies build and solidify their accounting and finance infrastructure and utilizes his expertise in process optimization and financial reporting to lead accounting clean-up, stabilize month-end close, and provide reliable financial metrics for clients. Prior to AG, Jake worked at PwC in it’s Compensation, Tax, and Accounting practice. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Mathematics and an MBA concentrated in Entrepreneurship from the University of Notre Dame.
Jake Burger
he/him/his
Jake Burger serves as Finance Manager at Ethos, focusing on day-to-day execution of the accounting function as well as financial reporting and strategy.
Jake is a Senior Analyst with Accelerated Growth, where he helps companies build and solidify their accounting and finance infrastructure and utilizes his expertise in process optimization and financial reporting to lead accounting clean-up, stabilize month-end close, and provide reliable financial metrics for clients. Prior to AG, Jake worked at PwC in it’s Compensation, Tax, and Accounting practice. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Mathematics and an MBA concentrated in Entrepreneurship from the University of Notre Dame.
Michelle Bess
she/her/hers
Michelle Bess is a Facilitator at Ethos, specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion and management.
Michelle Y. Bess serves as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director at Sprout Social, focusing on efforts to ensure all people feel a sense of belonging and that their voices are heard. Prior to Sprout Social, Michelle worked in college persistence at OneGoal and Posse Chicago.
Michelle attended Whitworth University, earning a B.A. in Biology and completed Georgetown University’s Executive Certificate in Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management. She was recognized as a 2018 AdWeek Rising Brand Star, serves as the Board Chair of Degrees of Change, and is the Founder and Co-Lead of The Brave Space.
Michelle Bess
she/her/hers
Michelle Bess is a Facilitator at Ethos, specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion and management.
Michelle Y. Bess serves as the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director at Sprout Social, focusing on efforts to ensure all people feel a sense of belonging and that their voices are heard. Prior to Sprout Social, Michelle worked in college persistence at OneGoal and Posse Chicago.
Michelle attended Whitworth University, earning a B.A. in Biology and completed Georgetown University’s Executive Certificate in Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management. She was recognized as a 2018 AdWeek Rising Brand Star, serves as the Board Chair of Degrees of Change, and is the Founder and Co-Lead of The Brave Space.
Francine Bailey
she/her/hers
Francine Bailey is a facilitator at Ethos, specializing in employment law.
Francine has spent the majority of her career within the context of the employment relationship. Whether employees and companies are at the beginning, middle, or end of the employment relationship, she has worked with them to reach a resolution. In addition to practicing in employment law, she also took some time to learn the ins and outs of recruiting, as well as running the operational background of a consulting startup and utilizing the services of independent contractors. Today, Francine is the founding attorney of the Bailey Law Firm.
Francine is an alumni of the University of Wisconsin Law School and received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell College in International Business and French with a minor in Spanish.
Francine Bailey
she/her/hers
Francine Bailey is a facilitator at Ethos, specializing in employment law.
Francine has spent the majority of her career within the context of the employment relationship. Whether employees and companies are at the beginning, middle, or end of the employment relationship, she has worked with them to reach a resolution. In addition to practicing in employment law, she also took some time to learn the ins and outs of recruiting, as well as running the operational background of a consulting startup and utilizing the services of independent contractors. Today, Francine is the founding attorney of the Bailey Law Firm.
Francine is an alumni of the University of Wisconsin Law School and received her bachelor’s degree from Cornell College in International Business and French with a minor in Spanish.
Trevor Jenkins
he/him/his
Trevor Jenkins a Facilitator at Ethos, specializing in racial equity and anti-racism.
Trevor is the Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) at ActiveCampaign. He has over a decade of experience in multi-ethnic churches and is passionate about helping people understand the severity of racism and inequality in America.
Trevor Jenkins
he/him/his
Trevor Jenkins a Facilitator at Ethos, specializing in racial equity and anti-racism.
Trevor is the Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) at ActiveCampaign. He has over a decade of experience in multi-ethnic churches and is passionate about helping people understand the severity of racism and inequality in America.
Kirsten Ramos
she/her/hers
Kirsten Ramos is a facilitator at Ethos.
For over 12 years, Kirsten has motivated individuals to look within themselves to work more effectively with others. She has led learning and development activities for smaller, post-startup organizations to a Fortune 500 company. Her passions include assisting participants with presentation skills, emotional intelligence, leadership and management skills enhancement, and working with early-career team members to develop them for maximum, positive impact within organizations.
She has a Synchronous Learning Delivery certificate from the American Society for Training & Development (ATD) and has significant experience in creating and delivering virtual learning to meet the demands of the global workforce.
Kirsten Ramos
she/her/hers
Kirsten Ramos is a facilitator at Ethos.
For over 12 years, Kirsten has motivated individuals to look within themselves to work more effectively with others. She has led learning and development activities for smaller, post-startup organizations to a Fortune 500 company. Her passions include assisting participants with presentation skills, emotional intelligence, leadership and management skills enhancement, and working with early-career team members to develop them for maximum, positive impact within organizations.
She has a Synchronous Learning Delivery certificate from the American Society for Training & Development (ATD) and has significant experience in creating and delivering virtual learning to meet the demands of the global workforce.
