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.
Our Values
Start with Why
We always know the “why” behind everything we do.
Always Learn
We become better each day through research, practice, and study.
Offer Care
We guide others with empathy and compassion.
Build a Better Future
We approach change from a place of solidarity.
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.
Our Values
Start with Why
We always know the “why” behind everything we do.
Always Learn
We become better each day through research, practice, and study.
Offer Care
We guide others with empathy and compassion.
Build a Better Future
We approach change from a place of solidarity.
Ethos Team Members
Alida Miranda-Wolff
Founder and CEO
Alida Miranda-Wolff
she/her/hers
Alida Miranda-Wolff is the CEO and Founder of Ethos and author of the book Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations that Last. Alida received her certification in diversity, equity, and inclusion from Georgetown University and has eight years of practitioner experience. In 2021, Alida was a recipient of the University of Chicago’s Early Career Achievement Award.
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. She is also the founder of the membership organization, Embolden, which is focused on developing friendships between women.
Karen Thomas
Training and Programs Manager
Karen Thomas
she/her/hers
Karen Thomas is a Training and Programs Manager at Ethos.
Karen has experience in teaching, program management, and DEIB transformational work. Prior to joining Ethos, she spent nine years as a third-grade teacher and three years supporting under-served youth in Chicago to gain access to achieve their educational goals.
Outside of her teaching and programmatic work, Karen has researched racial identity and colorism in America. As a biracial and transracial adoptee that grew up in Arlington Heights, IL, she has had a strong desire to understand her place in the world. This desire has led her to develop presentations and workshops focused on racial identity, and lead conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
Karen’s passion for people and their ability to embrace individuality keeps her active in her community. Using her unique perspectives she continues to fight for a more inclusive community by serving on the board of The League of Women Voters and leading the Black Student Union at her local high school. Karen received her BA in Education from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.
Karyn Oates
Consulting Manager
Karyn Oates
She/her/hers
Karyn Oates is a Consulting Manager at Ethos, developing, managing, and implementing large-scale client projects.
Karyn is passionate about developing organizational cultures in which all employees—and particularly those from marginalized groups—can navigate their careers with dignity. This passion led her to earn a master’s degree in Human Resource Management at Roosevelt University, with a DEI concentration. Karyn has ten years of professional experience developing people strategies, writing grant proposals, and advancing employee-led DEI initiatives at the Chicago Public Library Foundation, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company. In addition to her master’s degree, Karyn holds a B.A. in Theater from Oberlin College. She is an ensemble member at Definition Theatre Company.
Lisa Tomiko Blackburn
VP of Strategy
Lisa Tomiko Blackburn
they/them/theirs
Lisa Tomiko Blackburn, JD, MBA, DEI Cert., is the VP of Strategy at Ethos, Principal of Counsel.Love, and Founder of Blackburn Law PLLC.
Prior to working as a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (“DEIB”) consultant, Lisa spent over 15 years as legal counsel, advocating for and against some of the world’s leading brands, including as General Counsel of Cypress Equities, Deputy Compliance Officer of CEC Entertainment, and Chief Development Counsel for Caesar’s Entertainment. Early in their career, Lisa was an Am Law 100 attorney and worked in the securities industry as a Series 7, 15, 22, and 63 investment agent.
Select honors include: Minority Attorney of the Year from the Dallas Bar Association (for strategic initiatives work advancing racial justice and gender equity in the legal profession); 1st place in the GRAMMY Foundation national law competition (serving as a featured GRAMMY Week speaker in connection with advocacy of performing artists’ rights); and selection for a Hawaii Supreme Court judicial clerkship (which was personally meaningful in relation to ancestral ties to the Hawaiian Islands as a descendant of plantation laborers).
Lisa is a graduate of the University of Michigan Law School (Juris Doctor degree); the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School (MBA with dual concentrations in Strategy & Consulting and Entrepreneurship); the NeuroLeadership Institute (coaching certificate); and Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership (“Georgetown”) (Strategic Diversity & Inclusion Management Program certificate).
Outside of Ethos, Lisa is an adjunct lecturer for Georgetown’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging graduate certificate programs (with specializations in DEIB strategy, DEIB business modeling, and the DEIB Business Case); serves as a Co-Chair of WE LEAD, an award-winning and nationally-recognized women’s leadership program for attorneys 8-15 years into their careers; and enjoys renewal time through secular meditation.
*Ethos does not provide legal advice; in addition to direct engagements, Ethos offers subcontractor DEIB services through law firms wishing to engage Ethos on behalf of their clients.
Miriame Cherbib
Training and Programs Facilitator
Miriame Cherbib
she/her/hers
Miriame is a Training and Programs Facilitator at Ethos.
Miriame is Tunisian, French, and American. She was raised in France in a community of human rights activists who shared with her their passion for advocacy, dialogue, and collaboration.
She studied International Economics to understand how powerful international institutions use data, build models and impact developing economies and communities.
Miriame aspires to be a translator and a bridge-builder between different cultures and perspectives. Her purpose is to create the conditions for everyone to feel safe and brave enough to work towards becoming their best selves.
Outside of Ethos, she is the founder of Speaking Justice. She uses her skills to help leaders, educators, parents, and caregivers create a culture of dialogue on race and other important issues.
María Emilia Lasso de la Vega
Training and Programs Senior Associate
María Emilia Lasso de la Vega
she/her/hers
María Emilia is a Training Associate at Ethos, leading content development, technical facilitation, client communication, and training project management in our Training practice.
María Emilia has a passion for raising awareness and driving impactful change to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Learning Technologies and Design and hopes to use her experience to create engaging and meaningful learning experiences for all. Before joining the Ethos team, María Emilia worked within Higher Education developing programs to expand knowledge and understanding of critical issues that hamper both student and institutional growth. Her personal experiences exploring her identities as a minority in the US have driven her to find creative ways to build spaces focused on inclusion and belonging.
Sonni Conway
Project Manager
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.
Ariel Henley
Senior Consulting Associate
Ariel Henley
she/her/hers
Ariel Henley is a Senior Consulting Associate at Ethos. With a background in disability support services and DEIB, Ariel believes in the power of storytelling to promote empathy and create change.
Outside of Ethos, Ariel aims to educate, empower, and partner with individuals and companies in creating accessible environments and products so that everyone can thrive. As a freelance DEIB consultant, Ariel uses her expertise in disability rights, disfigurement, and belonging to help individual and corporate clients create more inclusive workplaces, incorporate accessible processes and materials, navigate difficult conversations, and thoughtfully meet clients on their journey by providing them with customized tools, guidance, and educational resources to better foster inclusive and diverse environments and create sustainable change.
Ariel is the author of A Face for Picasso, an award-winning memoir about growing up with Crouzon syndrome. She is passionate about writing as a form of activism, and hopes to use her story about growing up with a craniofacial condition to promote mainstream inclusion for individuals with physical differences. Her work has appeared in outlets like The New York Times, The Atlantic, Salon, and The Washington Post.
Taryn Mortimer
Consulting Associate
Taryn Mortimer
she/her/hers
Taryn’s professional experience spans workforce development, human resources, nonprofit program management, and social science research and evaluation. Taryn is motivated to solve complex problems in the workplace, using an interdisciplinary lens to analyze and transform systems, with the goal of promoting equity, belonging, and thriving for all workers. She is a curious and skilled researcher, and her professional research interests include work-life interface, career development along the lifespan, neurodiversity in the workplace, and corporate social responsibility. Taryn approaches DEIB work with an empathetic and consultative nature, helping partners feel optimistic and well-prepared to enact positive change.
Building off an early career at local nonprofits, Taryn returned to school as an adult to earn a B.S. in Psychology at the University of Minnesota, becoming a first-generation college graduate. In addition to her professional and academic endeavors, Taryn is passionate about promoting equity, justice, and resiliency within her Minneapolis, MN community.
Angela Calise
Consultant
Angela Calise
she/her/hers
Her life’s mission is to create equitable spaces of belonging where diverse voices are uplifted. She strives to live out this life’s purpose through her work, scholarship, and personal life. Angela has seven years of professional experience working within the Higher Education sector where she has led strategic planning, championed staff and student retention efforts, drove research and assessment, led staff and student development and training, and developed and facilitated diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, workshops, and academic courses.
She is currently a doctoral candidate in Educational Administration at Texas A&M University and holds a M.S. in Educational Administration from Texas A&M University and a B.S. in Psychology from Long Island University- Post Campus.
Amalia Loiseau
Researcher
Amalia Loiseau
she/her/hers
Amalia Loiseau is a Researcher at Ethos.
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 DEI and wants to work either as a DEI consultant or DEI lead in the future. 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.
Alicia Hernández
Business Manager
Alicia E. Hernández
she/her/ella
Alicia E. Hernández is the Business Manager at Ethos.
She holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting and a Master of Education.
Alicia comes from a professional background in accounting and human resources within private, public, and non-profit organizations and has over ten years of experience.
Being the first in her family to graduate college and constantly feeling like she didn’t fit in, Alicia is passionate about educating and advocating for inclusion, diversity, equity, and belonging and does this by volunteering through various nonprofits.
She loves to spend time with her family, traveling, and reading for self-care.
Strother Gaines
Consultant
Strother Gaines
he/him/his
Strother Gaines is a Consultant 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.
Dorie Ellzey Blesoff
Facilitator
Dorie Ellzey Blesoff
she/her/hers
Dorie Ellzey Blesoff is a facilitator at Ethos.
She is currently the Talent Advisor for Relativity after having served as Chief People Officer during a period of rapid global growth. She helped build a company culture based on core values, continuous learning, commitment to inclusion, diversity & belonging, and positive social impact. Her passion is helping leaders create values-based sustainable culture change, building corporate universities and leadership development programs and designing and supporting wholistic DEI initiatives. With expertise as an executive coach, she provides a variety of assessments and development tools in EQ, communication/work styles, strengths, and conflict management styles.
Francine Bailey
Facilitator
Francine Bailey
she/her/hers
Francine Bailey is a facilitator at Ethos.
Francine is an attorney with over a decade of experience as a contract wrangler. She breaks complex concepts down into smaller pieces to assist individual employees and corporate business partners to make smart decisions. From employment agreements to vendor contracts, Francine has successfully negotiated on behalf of her clients for over a decade.
Because she has a lot of experience and a lot to say, she also shares her knowledge as a facilitator in trainings, podcasts, and on stage. From sexual harassment to conversations about diversity, she’s the person you go to if you need a straight answer or a guide through tough conversations.
Khalilah Lyons
Facilitator
Khalilah Lyons
she/her/hers
Khalilah Lyons is a facilitator at Ethos.
Khalilah is a disrupter of dominant cultural norms at start-ups, small corporations, consulting firms, VCs, and non-profits. Listed third as one of Mogul’s ‘Top 100 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leaders in 2021’, Khalilah has extensive experience and an engaging, no-nonsense approach that makes her sought after as a thought leader, facilitator, coach, and advisor.
Led by an appreciation for the rhythms of cultures and people, and the necessity to respect those rhythms, her work as a keynote speaker, mentor, advisory council member, thought leader, and volunteer have offered platforms for sharing actionable inspiration, creating privilege, and empowering the brilliance of others. As founder of Answer the Moment, LLC. she partners with many different organizations ready to start their diversity, equity, and inclusion journey as a DEI partner bridging capability gaps to create inspiring and engaging cultures that bring the best talent and the best from talent. Her unique approach layers the “how” and “why” we stand the way we do into the “what” of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
As managing director and co-founder of Candidly Connecting, she is igniting bold and essential conversations with children and their parents. Through this online platform, parents are equipped with tools, resources, and role models to begin having real dialogue and understand the diverse resilience that enables communities to thrive. With digestible coaching and a dynamic, online community, parents and children can create diversity and inclusion naturally in their daily lives through the power of storytelling.
Khalilah believes in the power that bold conversations have to shift cultures where lived experiences are appreciated and all identities can genuinely flourish.
Kirsten Ramos
Facilitator
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.
LaTonya Wilkins
Facilitator
LaTonya Wilkins
she/her/hers
Latonya Wilkins is a facilitator at Ethos.
Founder of The Change Coaches, LLC, LaTonya specializes in coaching executives on leading “below the surface” to build psychologically safe relationships with their teams across differences. She is a sought-after keynote speaker and has inspired audiences all over the world. Through highly customized coaching, culture academies, consulting, and human-centered design services, LaTonya and her team work with executives, upwardly mobile professionals, and teams to create cultures of belonging and motivating environments. She built her career working in HR, talent management, and learning & development at Fortune 500 companies before teaching and taking on progressive leadership roles at the University of Illinois’ Gies College of Business. LaTonya was rated an “excellent” teacher by her undergraduate business students, and she is also a board member of the LGBTQ+ Alumni Association at Indiana University.
Michelle Bess
Facilitator
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.
Trevor Jenkins
Facilitator
Trevor Jenkins
he/him/his
Trevor Jenkins a Facilitator at Ethos, specializing in racial equity and anti-racism.
Trevor is the Sr. Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Manager at ServiceNow. 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.
Lore Espinoza
Facilitator
Lore Espinoza
(they/them & she/her)
Lore sees education as a powerful tool to bring about socially just development and advancement. Lore left their home country of Venezuela at age and has lived on four continents and nine different countries. Identifying as a diasporic Colombo-Venezuelan, fat, queer, womyn of color, with an invisible disability, during this constant
translocation Lore has seen how their identities are read differently based on the sociocultural environments they inhabit. These experiences at the intersection of different and ever-changing identities have fostered in Lore a dedication to developing opportunities that advance inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, and social justice within the specific cultural contexts they are placed in.
Lore has focused their professional experience towards advancing better practices within academic institutions and organizations; creating programs that ground IDEAS concepts to multicultural and transnational contexts; and developing culturally sensitive workshops on gender, sexuality, and anti-racist practices while fostering safe learning spaces.
Lore holds a B.A. in International Studies and Political Science from Middlebury College (USA), a Graduate Certificate in LGBT Health, Policy, and Practice from the George Washington University (USA), and an Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degree in Women and Gender Studies from the Central European University (Hungary/Austria) and the Universidad de Granada (Spain).
In their spare time, Lore can usually be found in their kitchen producing all sorts of delicious treats, reading historical fiction and bad young adult novels, or giving into their niece’s every whim.
Micky ScottBey Jones
Facilitator/Coach
Micky ScottBey Jones
(she/her/hers)
With over 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience, Micky is a Black, queer woman with an international and intersectional understanding of social change and fierce dedication to cultivating personal transformation and resilience in leaders. Her work is grounded in program development, training, and facilitation of healing and transformation circles through intercultural dialogue and integrative storytelling. She is a highly sought-after facilitator who has guided numerous groups across the U.S., South Africa, Israel-Palestine, and beyond.
Micky was trained in the spiritual, philosophical, and practical strategies of nonviolence by Rev. James Lawson, noted advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. She is also a certified Enneagram coach and teacher through the School of Conscious Living and is completing additional certification with The Narrative Enneagram. Micky received a Master of Arts in Intercultural Studies from the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies (NAIITS) at Portland Seminary, where she concentrated in indigenous theologies, intercultural theory and praxis, and religion. Prior to graduate school, she studied human development at Middle Tennessee State University and dedicated over a decade to the health of babies and their families as a mother-baby professional, doula trainer, lactation educator and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.
Above all, Micky enjoys working with organizations, communities, and individuals to nurture mutual flourishing, inclusive justice, deeper understanding, and radical belonging.
Contact Us
How can we help? Contact us to see how we can scale belonging in your company.
Contact Us
How can we help? Contact us to see how we can scale belonging in your company.
