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Celeste Warren’s life has been shaped by diversity and inclusion. Growing up in a small steel mill town in western Pennsylvania, she saw firsthand what the impact that inequity and exclusion could have on people. Her father was one of the first black teachers and Principals in western Pennsylvania during the late 1950s and 1960s, when battles for civil rights were raging throughout the nation.
She once asked her father how he dealt with being a trailblazer in the education system, especially during that era. He told her a story about when he first was hired as a teacher at the high school. He was an education major and they made him the Physical Education teacher. There was no gymnasium for P.E., so the class was held outside in the parking lot of the school.
When he first started teaching the students in the parking lot, the parents of the students would come and sit in their cars and watch him while he was teaching their children. He different let him sway him or distract him and continued to teach them. He taught them discipline, integrity, and respect for themselves and each other. He said that each week, the cars would diminish in the parking lot until there were none left. Overtime, he had overcome the prejudices of that era by staying true to himself, his approach, and his students.
Of all the stories and anecdotes her father shared with her about his life, it is that one that she cherishes most because it highlights some of the strongest traits of leadership: Inner strength and patience, self-confidence, and faith.
Celeste has taken those attributes with her throughout her career. As the leader for Merck’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence, she is responsible for working with global leaders to advance and embed diversity and inclusion throughout the organization. She has had to demonstrate those traits to be able to push the D&I agenda forward in the organization in the face of adversity and competing priorities.
Her passion to work with leaders to enhance the employee experience within the organization has enabled her to drive a culture of inclusion and belonging. Celeste has over 30 years of experience in the areas of change management, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Always leaving her colleagues with a “call to action” to stay relevant, stay supportive and stay in the fight, Celeste strives to make an impact on her organization and on the world around her.
She has been recognized by many organizations including: Black Enterprise’s “Top Executives in Global Diversity and Inclusion”, Savoy Magazine’s “Most Influential Women in Corporate America” and Diversity Global Magazine’s “Influential Women in Global Diversity”
Celeste’s articles on diversity, equity and inclusion have been featured in numerous national and global publications such as Savoy Magazine, Diversity Women Magazine, Manage HR Magazine and Black Enterprise. She has also had the opportunity to speak at various events across the world such as National Urban Annual Conference, London’s Festival of Marketing, CNBC Inclusion in Action Forum.
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