DEI and engineering leaders get real

In 2017, Karat launched Real Talk: Diversity in Tech. The objective was simple: create a space for DEI, engineering, and TA leaders to openly discuss what they’ve experienced as underrepresented minorities working in tech—and what companies can do to truly create diverse teams and inclusive environments.

To date, we’ve partnered with Dropbox, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Indeed, Convene, Snapchat, and Airbnb to share the real experiences of underrepresented minorities working in tech. Now we are continuing this series–virtually!

Registration is now open for the first virtual edition of Real Talk: Diversity in Tech, October 1st, 1:00 PM PST. Our panel of DEI, engineering, and talent acquisition experts will share an unfiltered conversation about their experiences as Black professionals in the technology industry before opening things up to the virtual audience for questions.

October Real Talk Panel

Wahab Owolabi, Diversity Business Partner PM, Facebook, DEI expert, and URx founder (moderator)

Wahab Owolabi is an entrepreneur, a product manager, a recruiter, and a marketer. He’s worked at Startups, Universities, and in Venture Capital. Wahab is committed to building diverse communities of talent and scaling networks to achieve a common goal whether that is building engineering teams to fuel a startup (Rubrik), growing a network of future entrepreneurs and software engineers (a16z), or bringing a sense of community and belonging to the recruiting community (URx).

Roz Francruz-Harris, Head of DTC, Technology – Talent Acquisition, WarnerMedia

An experienced recruiting leader, Roz Francuz-Harris has worked at some of the largest enterprise and fastest-growing companies in Tech and Media. With creating access to high paying roles for underrepresented communities as her passion, she has developed a reputation for building diverse recruiting teams at companies that reflect her personal values as well as the companies. She is a champion for underrepresented and underserved communities and is striving for equity in the technology and media space through pipeline initiatives, hiring strategies, development opportunities, and retention motivated programming, at the companies she serves.

Roz identifies as a Lesbian and her pronouns are she/her/hers.

Kaishon Holloway, Culture Transformation Agent, DEI Evangelist, Employee Advocacy Expert

Kaishon Holloway (he/him/his) is a Culture Transformation Agent, DEI&B Evangelist, and Employee Advocacy Expert. He is a proud Black, Gay, Millennial with a fondness for multicultural environments and a personal commitment to multigenerational mentorship. His life’s mission is to use his voice to effect positive change for the most vulnerable communities in our society. Kaishon recently spent his time as a Recruitment Evangelist coaching the world’s most iconic brands in their pursuits to connect with top talent across the globe. 

As a Keynote Conversationalist, Kaishon has a passion for equipping his audiences with actionable insights that can help them achieve immediate success with their personal and professional goals. His goal is to be a voice for the voiceless while coaching those in power to harness their resources to create fruitful opportunities for all.

Shola Oyedele, Senior Engineering Consultant, IBM

Shola Oyedele is a Senior Engineering Consultant at IBM. She provides expertise in technology and strategic thinking to Tech, Manufacturing, and Oil & Gas enterprise clients looking to innovate and improve their data and technology. Prior to her current role, she worked as a Software Engineer at Walker & Company (acquired by Procter and Gamble) and Intuit. She holds a BS in Science, Technology & Society from Stanford University.

Rafael Williams, Global Technical Recruiting Events, Twitter

Rafael Williams is an Innovative Senior-level University Programs and Diversity Recruiter with growing expertise in sourcing, developing social media strategies, identifying diverse talent, and coordinating on-campus activities. Rafael’s DEI focus includes improving diversity recruiting practices to increase the attraction and retention of diverse employees to create a richer and more inclusive environment that will drive better economic opportunities.