Dr. Cheryl Hall-Russell, President & Chief Cultural Consulta

 The seed for BW3 was planted almost two decades ago when Dr. Hall-Russell, an Indianapolis native, began to merge her cultural influences with corporate leadership. Excited that she had been uniquely prepared by life, work experiences and her education to take on  leadership positions, she also noticed patterns of bias that impacted her work and that of other Black women in majority organizations. So intrigued by the challenges, she chose to study this phenomenon for her doctoral research at Point Park University in Pittsburgh. 

Her current work is focused on researching the impact of organizationa culture on DEI initiatives.  She uses her qualitatiave research skills to examine cultures and align or amend DEI plans that improve stated goals and outcomes.  In addition to this research, Hall-Russell coaches executive leaders on implementing DEI intiatives.

Hall-Russell is in demand as a facilitator and moderator, most recently facilitating conversations for the Independent Sector's Upswerll Conference for their Main Stage guest as well as their community Exchange sessions. She is a podcastor for the long running  show "What Black Pittsburgh Needs To Know," on 1Hood Media, which brings on guest to discuss current events.  She facilitates conference discussions and is in demand as a speaker, especially as it relates to DEI, and women of color in leadership. 

She received her primary education in the Indianapolis Public Schools and went on to get her BA in Sociology from Indiana University (I.U.), a MA in Philanthropic Studies, and an MPA in Nonprofit Management also from I.U. She received her Ed.D in Leadership and Administration from Point Park University. 

As a researcher at Indiana University, Hall-Russell published seminal work on African-American philanthropy "African American Traditons of Giving and Serving: A Midwest Perspective."  She also conducted research on  impact of the black megachurch, and youth, religion and philanthropy.  Known for her direct writing style, she has been a frequent guest op/ed columnist for both the Indianapolis Star and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Prior to establishing BW3, she sat at the helm of several large nonprofits and also worked in international marketing in the corporate sector. 

Dr. Hall-Russell is the past board chair for Planned Parenthood of Western PA and works with advocacy groups the Black Environmental Collective. She serves on the advisory board for the Lilly School of Philanthropy Alumni as well as the Indiana University O'Neil School of Public and Environmental Affairs.

Select articles:  

DEI Initiatives and Broken Cultures (on resisting the urge to establish DEI programs before a company's culture is prepared to handle them) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dei-initiatives-broken-cultures-resisting-urge-move-hall-russell/

Featured: Despite a few prominent appointments, Pittsburgh-area nonprofits still struggle to diversify leadership:  https://www.post-gazette.com/business/career-workplace/2019/11/17/Women-minorities-nonprofits-leadership-diversity-Pittsburgh/stories/201911070159