So growing up in the seventies, between New York City's South Bronx, which was kind of a time when buildings were often abandoned or burned to the ground, and Queens, which was then kind of the epicenter of emerging music, especially the whole hip hop scene, my guest today, Rosanna Deruthy, pretty much saw it all and drank it in.
Her family and her home were often the place where everyone gathered, where people from all walks of life had a place at the table.
And that impression never left her.
At an early age, she was also a bit of a precocious kid.
She had a very special quest, and that was to go to Harvard.
She would eventually do just that.
But weeks after beginning, she'd find herself having to withdraw due to family circumstances, never to return.
Still, that did absolutely nothing to slow her down.
In the intervening years, she has built a stunning career as a leader in diversity at giant corporations like Sigma and Seagram and Merrill lynch, now the head of global diversity, inclusion and belonging at LinkedIn.
And we kind of deconstruct that title, too, because it requires a lot of examination.
She works to bring voices to the table and empower people with a sense of value and inclusion and equality and belonging.
And we are going to keep coming back to that word, belonging.
But while the conversation touches on the role of diversity and inclusion at work, what we really go deep into is the power of being open, the power of finding your own voice, your own power of valuing others in their contribution to your life, your work, your ability to do what you're here to do, and creating a sense of wonder and welcoming and compassion and understanding in our lives in the name of making it a richer place to be a catalyst for change.
So excited to share this conversation with you.
I'm Jonathan Fields, and this is good life project.
I grew up in Queens.
I kind of grew up throughout the boroughs, with the exception of Brooklyn and Staten island.
But my father had his medical practice in the South Bronx, and I was a commuter kid because my father had his practice there and my mom worked with him.
Her aunt lived in the South Bronx.
And so by day, I'd go to school in the South Bronx and her aunt would pick me up after school.