Meet the EBDI Team

President and Co-Founder

Ahmmad Brown

Ahmmad works with client-partners to design engagements that support their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. His DEI practice integrates theoretical and methodological approaches from the academic literature, as well as narrative development and storytelling. With EBDI, Ahmmad has worked directly with over two dozen client-partners across the private, non-profit, and public sectors and has supported EBDI’s external research. His thought leadership appears in Forbes. Prior to EBDI, Ahmmad was a consultant with The Bridgespan Group and served as the Diversity Recruitment Director at Williams College, where he helped define admission priorities, and led efforts for the recruitment of first-generation, low-income, and BIPOC populations. In addition to leading EBDI, Ahmmad is an assistant professor in the master’s and executive programs in learning and organization change at Northwestern University, where he also leads the Leading Equity and Inclusion in Organizations Certificate (LEIOC) program. Ahmmad received a PhD in Organizational Behavior from Harvard University and holds an MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University, and a BA in Sociology & Anthropology and Japanese from Swarthmore College.

Principal Advisor

Dustin Liu

Dustin joined the EBDI team in 2021 and currently serves as a Principal Advisor. Dustin is a Taiwanese-American and proud New Yorker currently living in the Bay Area where he is a Lecturer at Stanford University teaching courses in design. In his work at EBDI, Dustin designs learning experiences and curriculum to support leaders in their work around equity-based strategy and dialogue. Dustin's previous engagements have included work with the Pomona College Office of Admissions and Merit America where he partnered with senior leaders to build organisational capacity for more inclusive ways of operating. This work has has centered on building relationships and developing learning journeys to support greater organizational resilience. Dustin holds a BS from Cornell University and a MEd from Harvard University.

Advisor and Co-Founder

Jéssica Oliveira

Originally from Belo Horizonte, Brazil, and raised in the northeastern United States, Jéssica Oliveira (they/she) is a formerly undocumented mixed-race nonbinary femme and a writer, community organizer, and facilitator. As co-director of Matahari Women Workers Center, they have held democratic decision-making processes, led a participatory budgeting strategy, and developed a popular education curriculum to combat gender-based violence and harassment for domestic and restaurant workers in Massachusetts. At EBDI, Jéss has facilitated group dialogue and loves working with BIPOC workers and readers navigating race, gender, and positional dynamics within their organizations. She believes the loving awareness gained through courageous conversations can lead to valued-aligned transformation. Before organizing and coaching, Jéss was a middle school teacher, an executive assistant, and a certified medical interpreter and EMT. She holds a BA in International Relations from Brigham Young University in Idaho. Outside of her work, she loves to read fiction and is working on a novel manuscript at GrubStreet.

Advisor

Molly Routt

As a coach and consultant, Molly brings resourcefulness, empathy, levity, and dedicated partnership to every engagement. Through her company, GoodShift Studio, Molly specializes in working with visionary leaders in the social sector and creative environments needing support to bring their big ideas to life. Molly acts as a partner and collaborator, bringing the structures, practices, and guidance to develop inclusive, growth-oriented, and resilient teams. She merges her love of tackling challenges creatively with her passion and expertise in DEI learning and consulting to help leaders and teams make positive change sustainable. Molly holds an MS in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University and a BA in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Oklahoma. She completed a year-long certification in individual and organizational coaching at The Hudson Institute of Coaching and is an accredited coach (ACC) through the International Coach Federation (ICF).

Advisor

Brandon Wilks

Brandon collaborates with leaders to actualize their strategic goals. He brings his lived experience and formal methodologies to drive culture change, foster leadership competencies, and improve organizational effectiveness. His approach to DEI prioritizes team learning and process improvement to sustain progress towards clients’ aspirations. Brandon has presented DEI research and strategies to executive leadership teams and served as a keynote speaker for global town halls and conferences on related topics. With a diverse portfolio spanning various sectors, he excels in co-creating bespoke strategies and executing impactful organizational transformations. Brandon received a BA in Sociology from Harvard University and a MS in Learning and Organizational Change from Northwestern University.