Dr. Deitra Reiser, founder of Transform for Equity, leads an organization focused on supporting corporations, organizations, and their leaders in cultivating a culture of inclusivity and deep belonging. She collaborates with a wide range of entities nationally to dismantle systems of oppression.
Driven by a commitment to advancing equitable belonging in workplaces, Dr. Reiser addresses issues such as psychological safety, team cohesiveness, and acts of exclusion Through partnerships with nonprofits, religious institutioans, schools, government agencies, and corporations, she spearheads initiatives to advance equitable belonging within organizational structures.
Dr. Reiser’s approach to organizational change centers on individual transformation as a catalyst for systemic progress. By fostering a comprehensive understanding of barriers to belonging among individuals and institutions, she supports their development through purposeful actions and initiatives.
Deploying her custom curricula, executive coaching expertise, learning sessions, and organizational assessments, Dr. Reiser empowers professionals to drive tangible change at every level. Her collaborations include prominent organizations like the Union for Reform Judaism, Montgomery County Public Schools, National Park Services, and National Council for Jewish Women.
Dr. Reiser has a wealth of experience as a school psychologist and educator spanning over two decades. She is an alumna of Bend the Arc's Selah Leadership Program, a Senior Shusterman Fellow, a certified coach, and holds a doctorate in Educational Psychology from The University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Laurel Ravelo, she/her/hers, is a biostatistician, school counselor, and community educator. In each of these roles, she has supported the growth of anti-racist spaces through her skills in creating safe environments, asking questions that encourage deeper understandings about racism, and consistently bringing a racial lens into conversations and decision making.
She has led community classes on race for over 8 years, and developed and led sessions for conferences and trainings for school professionals that disrupt systems of white supremacy.
Laurel also is an organizer who has built coalitions of people doing antiracist work in her community. She led a team of people who raised money for Black led organizations and co-organizes the Witnessing Whiteness classes in Madison. She is dedicated to her own learning while continuing to unlearn white supremacy and become better at dismantling systems of oppression.
