The purpose of The School of Business DEI Advisory Council (DEIAC) is to create a strong network of business advisors who support and advance the DEI vision, values, mission and goals of Portland State University’s School of Business. The DEIAC provides guidance and recommendations to the School’s leadership team, faculty and staff in its ongoing efforts to be proactively anti-racist and inclusive.
Email council members at sb-deiadvisoryboard-group@pdx.edu.
Emilio Vicini - Chair
Intel Finance - Server Segment Strategic Specialist
Intel Corporation
Emilio has been a resident of Portland and an employee at Intel, in Finance, since 2009, having been recruited from business school at Indiana University. He was born and raised in Harlem in New York City and graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Music Theory and Composition. His background prior to business school was in programming and application development. In 2019 he completed the PSU Post-Bac Accounting Certificate program.
At Intel, Emilio is a co-lead of the African American Finance Improvement Team, which is tasked with helping to drive the recruitment, inclusion, and career progression of African Americans in Intel Finance. He is also a member of the Hispanic mentor ring, which drives similar initiatives amongst the Hispanic population of Intel Finance. He is eager to share his insight and experiences while contributing to the diversion and inclusion efforts begin driven at PSU.
In his spare time, Emilio enjoys playing music, namely the bass and drums, and, weather permitting, rollerblading.
Ritu Madan
Principal Talent Acquisition Specialist
Portland General Electric
Ritu joined Portland General Electric in November 2019 as a Principal Talent Acquisition Specialist supporting key groups within PGE. As part of the Talent Acquisition team, she is responsible for attracting talent to the organization across various levels and specialties. Prior to this role, she worked at SUEZ North America for more than three years in Talent Acquisition where she ran an internship program, which was a combined initiative between Talent Acquisition and the Diversity department.
Ritu holds a master’s degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Fairleigh Dickinson University and is a SHRM - Senior Certified Professional with a micro-credential in People Analytics from SHRM. She has been a fervent champion of gender equity issues and has raised awareness about them in her volunteer and professional activities. Ritu brings deep experience across her several roles within Human Resources in the areas of Recruitment, Leadership and Organizational Development and Talent Management across her career.
Sanjayan Arulsakaran
Customer Success Manager
RFPIO, Inc.
Sanjay lives in Hillsboro and is a Customer Success Manager at RFPIO, a local software startup. While Sanjay and his wife fell in love with the city, they also quickly learned that there was a significant lack of racial diversity in the city's entrepreneurs, policy makers, professionals, etc. As they invested in making Portland their home, they folded themselves into efforts that drive diversity, equity, and inclusion forward. Sanjay leads DE&I efforts at the company he works at and he also sits on the board of Word Is Bond, a 501c3 that works directly to rewrite the narrative between young black men and local law enforcement agencies. Sanjay and his wife also enjoy exploring local waterfall hikes, wineries, and will be retiring from the local party scene to prepare for the new addition to their family. “Portland and its neighboring cities have so much to offer, and we have to do what’s necessary to ensure it’s equitable to all its residents."
Zanele Mutepfa Rhone
Culture and Diversity Brand Strategist
Brand Zanele
A Zimbabwean born immigrant and graduate of Portland State University, Zanele is a culture and diversity strategist, speaker, activist and philanthropist. Inspired by a lineage of Zimbabwean women leaders in her family, Zanele is the founder of a Here to Stay - a women’s speaker series celebrating the stories of change-making women in the world.
From working for Anderson Cooper at CNN to building her own diversity, equity and inclusion consulting collective, Zanele is a recognized thought-leader in her field. Honored by the Portland Business Journal as one of the "Most Influential Women in Oregon," Zanele’s creative and community focused spirit has propelled her to contribute to notable initiatives and brand strategies across global companies, communities and industries.
Zanele pushes the envelope by relentlessly proposing disruptive ideas that promote diversity throughout companies, while ensuring every community’s voice and identity is represented. With a passion to help build a future generation of inclusive leaders, Zanele share's her experiences and strategies as an instructor for The School of Business at Portland State University and Brand Strategist at Brand Zanele.
Colleen Brewer
Project Manager II, Marketing E-Business and Project Management
The Standard
Bio coming soon.
Dustin Daniel
Community Engagement Manager
Walker Tracker
Dustin Daniel is the Community Engagement Manager at Walker Tracker, where he focuses on content management and development strategies around storytelling and social media to support the organization’s outreach goals. Dustin has been with Walker Tracker since October 2020. Prior to that, he was the Employee Engagement Coordinator at Netrush, a digital retailer and e-commerce company, where he created programs and initiatives around employee engagement and community relations. He also developed the company’s first ever award winning health and wellness program. An experienced, passionate, and purpose-driven professional, Dustin’s passion for storytelling, collaboration, and relationship building enhances his value to organizations he works with.
Originally from Texas, Dustin has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Prairie View A&M University. He is on the Leadership Team of the Wellbeing Think Tank, and frequently volunteers at the Ronald McDonald House and Habitat for Humanity.
Aakanksha Rane
Student
Portland State University
Aakanksha is a current student at The School of Business where she is pursuing a degree in Human Resource Management and Leadership and Management with a minor in Sociology. Aakanksha is also an international student from India and has lived in Portland, Oregon for the past 3 years. After she graduates in Spring 2021, Aakanksha wants to work towards supporting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the workplace.
At PSU, Aakanksha works for the Center for Retail Leadership as the Event and Social Media Coordinator as well as an Adjunct Assistant. She is also the Director of Community Engagement at Parachute Media which is a modern and inclusive media brand created for and by women and nonbinary people of color.
Chris Herndon
Director of Coaching
lucidly
Since graduating with an MBA from PSU, Chris has played in many spaces. In 2017, he launched his life coaching business, Growth Mindset Coach, where he helps clients get unstuck to lead purpose-driven lives. Chris has logged over 3,000 coaching hours with around 150 clients. He's an expert at helping people get out of their own way so they can access greater fulfillment in their work, relationships and well-being. In 2020, he became the Director of Coaching at lucidly, which scales the art and science of coaching within organizations by marrying virtual coaching software with powerful group coaching experiences. He's currently on the path of towards developing a semi-rural intentional village that emphasizes honoring and supporting each person on their individual growth path, and working in harmony with the land and the outside world. He values: growth, flow, health, exploration, connection, fairness and abundance.
Tiffany Thompson
Owner/Principle Interior Designer
Duett Interiors
Tiffany is the owner of Duett Interiors, a residential design firm based in Portland, OR. She spent 10 years at Nike Inc. in a career in apparel and footwear product design before opening her own firm. The firm focuses on residential projects throughout the country with a range of different clients across the Tech Industry, Sports and Entertainment. She was recently featured in Architectural Digest, Domino Magazine, NY Magazine and has an active campaign with American Express.