Meet the Team Bringing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to the Salesforce Partner Ecosystem
Last week, Salesforce hosted the first meeting for the new Ecosystem Equality Partner Advisory Board. Advisory boards bring together subject matter experts from Salesforce partner companies to help advise and give feedback on a range of topics across products and industries. The Ecosystem Equality Partner Advisory Board is unique in that it focuses entirely on driving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the Salesforce ecosystem.
There was overwhelming engagement from the Salesforce Partner Community with over 350 applicants to fill 16 seats, the most applications for any partner board or council. The selected members are passionate, experienced, and ready to roll up their sleeves to positively impact our ecosystem.
Representation across company size, type, region, gender identity, and ethnicity is integral to the board’s purpose-driven work. Salesforce recognizes that the work to drive equality for all can not be done in a silo, thus these partners are important contributors as we lead with our values, listen deeply to communities (especially those that are underrepresented in tech), and begin to redesign our processes to create the fairest and most equitable experience for all.
In order to establish a strong foundation, the first meeting focused on building authentic relationships and underscoring our collective vision. Tyler Prince welcomed the board members with a profound call to action highlighting both the opportunity and obligation we all have to take action and make an impact, saying, “We are at a unique moment in history to use our business as a force for change. To not only push for more diversity and inclusion within our own organization, but to also encourage and even incentivize equality throughout the business community. Now is the time for action and we all have an active role to play.”
Our Ecosystem Equality Partner Advisory Board members will meet twice per quarter to build and support initiatives that align to Salesforce’s vision of equality for all. Get to know these leaders, their companies, and how they plan to drive exponential impact together.
Sara Chieco, Director of Technology, Social Impact, Presence Product Group
Sara is a passionate and accomplished Non-Profit Business Analyst, Software Architect, and Technical Lead with extensive services and product experience. Sara has worked with nonprofit organizations for over a decade delivering custom solutions. Prior to this she designed and coded both enterprise and client/server applications as a software engineer. She received a B.A. in Math from Wesleyan University, and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Oregon where she was a Graduate Teaching Fellow.
Dedrick Boyd, CEO, Techsparq
Dedrick works with retail brands to build a more dynamic and interactive online shopping experience. With his extensive experience bridging the technical-functional divide, Dedrick has made designing and optimizing ecommerce operations and systems his life’s work. Dedrick and his teams dig in at the intersection of data analytics and emerging technology, increasing client sales while eliminating inefficiencies and driving down costs. Before founding TechSparq, Dedrick worked at Deloitte, Ariba/SAP, and Arthur Andersen.
Tina Puente Sherman, Vice President Global Alliances, Magnet360, The Mindtree Salesforce Practice
Tina’s 30-year career combines nearly two decades in strategy and account management in B2B and consumer marketing and 12 years in an executive role with Magnet360, The Mindtree Salesforce Practice. Her contributions in roles from business development, sales management, partnership, and marketing leadership helped the practice expand across the US and become a Platinum Partner in 2014. Tina’s innate ability to connect with people and passion for nurturing key executive relationships have contributed to her success and she’s created a vast network in the Salesforce ecosystem and beyond.
Steven Emanouel, Chief Experience Officer, IVE Group Limited
Steve is a data and digital native. With a strong marketing background, Steve has successfully assisted many organizations in navigating their way through managing their data to deliver an optimized customer experience through online and offline channels. He leads a large team of software developers and data scientists, providing advice and support to a wide range of public and private sector clients on how to leverage their data for business and competitive advantage.
Vanitha Khera, CEO, Creative Systems & Consulting
Vanitha is the chief architect of the solutions developed by Creative Systems & Consulting and has directed the company’s growth strategy since its inception in 2010. Under her leadership, Creative has been named to the The 50 Fastest-Growing Women-Led Companies by Inc. Magazine, the Fast 100 Asian American Businesses by US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation, and ranked in the Inc. 5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America each year since 2015. Vanitha began her professional career as a programmer at Fujitsu for Singapore Telecom and has since earned over 20 years of technical and management expertise in multiple IT disciplines working for startups to big-five consulting companies.
Joshua Hoskins, Founder, CRMifed
Joshua is a dynamic, customer-centric entrepreneur and Salesforce MVP with 10+ years of developing innovative products and effective processes for product management and delivery. He is a skilled presenter with international experience living in Europe, Asia, and the US, managing globally distributed multicultural teams. He is passionate about helping organizations to leverage tech to solve real problems while ensuring successful execution and delivery of high-value products with minimum risk and maximum returns.
JJ Yelton, Senior Culture & Engagement Manager, Torrent Consulting
Torrent Consulting is a people-first company with the core belief that through business we can love and serve people to make an impact in the world. As the Senior Culture & Engagement Manager, JJ’s team is dedicated to knowing and supporting the company culture and employee experience. With the strength of individualization, she elevates each person’s unique qualities to create a more efficient and inclusive work environment. She desires to help others see the benefit of inclusivity and individualization over assimilation by championing a work culture that sends a message of openness, where employees can find a sense of belonging and purpose in their work.
Toni V. Martin, Owner, Systems To Success
Toni is a Salesforce MVP, 3X certified Salesforce professional, seasoned Business Analyst and frequent Dreamforce speaker with experience on agile teams for various organizations. As a Salesforce Partner, Systems To Success helps small businesses implement and optimize Salesforce Essentials. As the producer of the Salesforce Business Analyst Virtual Summit, Toni convenes hundreds of current and aspiring business analysts to learn how to help guide businesses to improve business processes and efficiency in Salesforce.
Stewart Monk, General Manager/VP EMEA, FinancialForce
Stewart Monk manages an international team responsible for developing strategies to accelerate and scale revenues across the region. Stewart is a recognized leader in creating and managing high-performance go-to-market organizations with three decades of experience. He has also taken a lead role in Diversity and Inclusion — originating and acting as Ambassador for LGBT initiatives at Oracle and supporting programs to encourage diverse talent across the technology sector. He actively mentors members of the LGBTQ community in tech and is currently supporting diversity in hiring through FinancialForce graduate programs while providing support and insights to other ISV Salesforce partners on this topic.
Eric Ramos, Director of Analytics, BusinessOnline
Eric Ramos is a data analytics leader with over 15 years of experience in business intelligence and analytics. Eric helped the BusinessOnline B2B Sales & Marketing Teams accelerate their sales cycle and improve marketing efficiency to acquire customers. Eric’s passion lies in helping marketers unlock their maximum potential by developing a Salesforce App called Kudoz The Opportunity Analyzer (www.kudoz.io), which will be made public in Summer 2021. Born and raised in Los Angeles, Eric grew up as a first-generation Mexican American. He learned early on to work hard for what he wanted and treat everyone with respect. He benefited from minority programs such as INROADS that elevate the development of underrepresented talent. Eric now mentors students at San Diego High School and is involved with the City of Downtown Community Planning Council as an elected representative.
John Knight, Partner & CEO, Cloud Trailz
John came from a background working in a few different internal admin roles, then after working at another consulting firm, decided to start his own and now leads a team focused on Salesforce implementation and consulting for small businesses. Based in the suburbs of Atlanta, John has a particular passion for Duluth, GA where he lives with his wife and two kids. Hobbies include playing chess, flying drones, and rollerblading.
Zel Mason, Co-CEO & Marketing Director, The Architect Club
Creative thinker, compelling presenter and constructive visionary, Zel has fought for diversity and inclusion throughout her career. From a young woman working for Barclays, to developing and delivering Equality & Human Rights training for the UK Police Service, she has used her career to inspire, encourage, and build equity for the communities she serves. With a background that spans journalism, business advice, and Salesforce training, Zel believes in being bold, simple, and adding to people’s lives. At The Architect Club, she uses her talents to conceive new concepts for delivering Salesforce sustainably by nurturing diverse talent across the ecosystem to offer the insight, energy, and innovation that drive us all forward.
Gaurav Kheterpal, Chief Learning Officer, MTX Group, Inc.
Gaurav is a hands-on technology leader with 21 years of industry experience currently working at MTX Group, a leading digital transformation consulting enterprise focused on the Public Sector. In 2020 he was nominated to Forbes Technology Council and is now an acting member. He has presented as a speaker at the world’s leading conferences including Dreamforce, Salesforce World Tour, London’s Calling, and several others. He has been recognized by Salesforce as an MVP, Trailblazer, and also serves on the Service Cloud Partner Advisory Board. He is passionate about promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion in his personal and professional life.
Zedrick Applin, Program Manager — Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, nCino
Zedrick began at nCino 2 years ago as a Principal Product Manager prior to transitioning into his new role. He has spent 15+ years of his career in the financial services industry, serving as banking regulator, consultant, and compliance officer in past roles. Zedrick obtained his Bachelor of Business administration in Economics at Texas Tech University and his Masters of Business Administration at Baylor University.
Ashley Allen, CEO/Founder, ITequality
Ashley was an at-risk kid in and out of psychiatric hospitals, but despite many personal challenges graduated with a 4-year degree in mathematics as a single mom. Out of college in 2011 and pregnant, they found a job on Craigslist writing Salesforce test code from home. Ashley then went on to work as a nonprofit consultant, a CPQ consultant, and an in-house administrator. At ITequality, Ashley leads initiatives to help people who are struggling in situations similar to what they faced. Ashley believes determined people will pick themselves up when given a helping hand, a mentor, and the right guidance from compassionate people. Proceeds from ITequality will be used to start a nonprofit tutoring cafe for at-risk children.
Tiffany Spencer, Partner & COO, Esor Consulting Group
Tiffany, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, is a Salesforce MVP, Orlando Salesforce Community Group Co-Leader, and 7x Certified Salesforce professional with over 12 years of experience leading digital transformations for small to large corporations. She is the Founder/Executive Director of HBCUforce, a non-profit that partners with Historically Black Colleges and Universities to implement programs that provide early access to cloud computing careers through exposure to Salesforce. Currently, she also serves as the President of Black Orlando Tech, a nonprofit organization working to increase the awareness, activities, network, and resources for local minorities who pursue careers in technology. Tiffany is very active in the community and uses her expertise to mentor African American young women.
Join the Partner Diversity & Inclusion group in the Partner Community (log-in required) to learn more and get involved.
