Sashalla Lemond, PhD Student

Sashalla Lemond has an unwavering passion for promoting and improving Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). With a background in investment banking and business management, she has more than 20 years of demonstrated drive in addressing social issues within the workplace. Sashalla currently serves as an IDEA executive focused on Workforce Engagement at one of the most prestigious research institutions in the world and serves as a Board Member of Diversity in Health Training Institute. In 2017, Sashalla was awarded the Rising Start Barclays Business Diversity Award for transforming the Embrace Black Professionals Forum. In her prior role at Deutsche Bank, she was elected Chairperson of Jacksonville’s Chapter of Women on Wall Street, where she built the Employee Resource Group from the ground up, earning her Deutsche Bank’s 2011 Leader in Diversity award. Recently in 2023, Sashalla was named as one of the Top 50 Women Leaders of San Francisco. Sashalla also serve as co-founder and advisor of the informal group called The Collective – Cross Firms BERG, a network of Black Employee Resource Group leaders across 30+ firms including top 10 major Wall Street firms. In her previous role as Managing Director at FHLBank SF, Sashalla had worked diligently with the Bank’s team members and leaders to transform Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the Bank; she operationalized a scalable and measurable DEI program that had yielded results. She had introduced new relationships and sponsorship opportunities that support women, people from systemically disadvantaged populations, LGBTQIA+, veterans and disabled owned businesses. In collaboration with Human Resources, she led the design and implementation of the first 1:1 mentor match program and formalized the organization’s Employee Resource Groups representing gender, ethnicity, LGBTQ+, and working parents. She is part of Disability:IN’s Supplier Diversity Certification – International Certification Committee Member. Her impressive experience includes – but is by no means limited to – building Employee Resource Groups from the ground up, installing DEI initiatives to support systemically disadvantaged populations, and launching businesses designed to help rising leaders navigate the corporate environment. Throughout her career, Sashalla has contributed to corporate change by raising awareness of DEI as a Keynote Speaker and Panelist at the PGA Tour, Ernst &Young, Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PWC), Affordable Housing Clearinghouse, and many others. ​ In all facets of her work, Sashalla is passionate about sharing her professional knowledge and experience to build workforces designed to empower individuals from all walks of life.