The Future of Work is Diverse, Inclusive, Just and Equitable
GlobalMindED closes the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline through connections to role models, mentors, internships for low-income students, returning adults, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.
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First African American CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Colorado: Meet Elycia Cook
What is your personal story?
I was born and raised in an area of Detroit, historically known as the Black bottom. It was given that name because it is an area that was most devastated by the 1967 riots. In fact, I was born in the middle of those riots. My parents were teens. By the time my mother was 20 years old, she was a single mom of three girls. Growing up I experienced every kind of abuse. I moved 9 times before the age of 18. Also, before the age of 18, I attended the funerals of over 8 people in my circle who lost their lives to gun violence. In every way, my life was destined to be another statistic. However, with the support, encouragement, guidance, and care of mentors, I became a first-generation high school and college graduate. It was a mentor who encouraged this round-the-way college student from Detroit, with a 3.6 GPA and a promising future but dating a drug dealer, to pursue an opportunity to study abroad in Japan. It is because of that vision of a different world given to me by Dr. Vivian Carpenter, that I fell in love with Japan and lived there for 8 years. Japan is where I found my love for mentoring and global connections. Today, I stand before you as a Black woman fluent in Japanese, a huge advocate of studying abroad and have helped many young people have that experience. Finally, because I chose a career path to ignite the power and potential of youth through mentoring, today I serve as the first person of color as the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters Colorado.
Elycia, you’ve credited your childhood exposure to mentors to leading you to become who you are today -- How did they engage you in her work and help set you on a path of a life of service to your community?
You know a lot of times people think mentoring is this great burden of service. That you must have it all together, or you are too busy to be a mentor, especially if you have your own children. What my mentors have shown me is that it is not hard to mentor in a formal mentoring program, it is just easier to say no. While all my mentors led very busy lives and were even raising kids on their own, they made service a part of their life and parenthood. The gestures, support, and guidance were not grandiose but the long-term impact has paid it forward for decades. I had an elementary teacher who was also a mentor. She saw I had the gift of gab, so she helped me to join a program to be a youth newscaster and she always said, girl one day that mouth is going to make you some money! Ironically, today as a CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters, my greatest role is to use that “gift of gab” to elevate our story, celebrate our youth, advocate for justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion, ask for resources especially money, build teams, and speak life into so many young people to help them find their voice and reach their full potential. If it were not for a mentor I had as a teenager, I may have repeated a generational cycle of teen pregnancy. Finally, the mentor who helped a young girl who had never left a 50-mile radius of her home move to Japan, had a greater plan to pluck me out of a not so healthy situation, and expose me to a world of opportunities, that expanded beyond the auto industry. (If you grew up in Detroit, that was your trajectory). I could go on and on because mentoring is not just one episodic event, it is a lifestyle that is summed up in one phrase trademarked my previous mentoring organization: MENTORLIFE™, to always have someone investing in you, and pay it forward by always investing in someone else.
You’re very open about facing some challenges along your path (i.e. the CPA exams); would you share what and who motivated you to keep pushing forward and the lessons you might share with others following in your footsteps?
There are so many who have motivated me and continue to do so. My greatest inspiration was my grandmother, who I recently lost at the age of 100. She was a strong Black woman from the deep South who only had a 6th grade education, raised 11 children and some of her grandchildren, including me. Her life and wisdom helped me to see I could do anything. I am encouraged by my in-laws Felix and Margie Cook, who taught me and my children that community service is the rent we pay for life on this earth. They have also worked hard to pass down generational wealth and opportunity to my daughters. I am inspired by my girls, Aliyah and Milani, who at very early ages have used their voice to advocate for key issues in Denver. These include Aliyah being the voice and face of HB 11-1475, also known as Aliyah’s law, which is a strategic initiative to attract and recruit more teacher of colors to Colorado. Both of my girls noticed that their school dress code policies were more punitive towards girls, especially girls of color. They advocated for change and were eventually a part of a task force to change the dress code for their district. Finally, Milani was instrumental in telling her stories of hair discrimination and was instrumental in helping make Colorado the 4th state in the nation to pass the CROWN ACT (Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair) which prohibits racial discrimination based on hair texture and protective hairstyles. Other Mentors include Big Brothers Big Sisters National CEO Artis Stevens, the first Black CEO in the 117 years. My greatest mentors are the Black women in my Soul Sista Circle here in Denver, the nine other Black Female CEOs recently hired across the nation by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and the many other #BlackGirlMagic leaders in Colorado such as Vanecia Kerr, Dr. Angie Paccione, Lana Hailemariam, just to name a few. The lessons that I share with others are those that I embrace daily and have taught my children since Day 1: “Closed mouths don’t get fed,” “You teach people how to treat you,” “We do what we have to do, so we can do what we want to do,” and finally, in the words of the late great Maya Angelou, “People will not remember what you said, they may not remember what you did, they will always remember how you made them feel.”
How do you advise the next generation of to discover their own paths?
My advice to the next generation is to honor their ancestral history. Heed the advice of your elders, even when it seems “ol skool” remember they were once you and they accomplished some great things with even greater battles of oppression and inequities. Also, find something that you are passionate about and you will never work a day in your life. I knew from a very early age, that I wanted to be the person that I needed most as a child. Working in the mentoring field has allowed me to fulfill that promise to myself. Although I work long hours. I am reliant on the community for monies to support our work, so I am always fundraising. My heart breaks to see the burdens of poverty, inequity, abuse, the opioid crisis, youth suicide and trauma, and so much more that our youth go through. For me serving young people is not work, it is a calling and a labor of love. Whatever path you choose, make sure make sure it feeds your soul and bears much fruit for you and others for years to come. It may take time to find out what that really is for you but do not give up. Be curious, a learner, practice servant leadership and always bet on yourself.
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Join us in Denver June 7-9 for GlobalMindED 2023 |
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Early Bird Registration Open Now
To get a feel for the conference experience, please see this brief video by The PhD Project from the 2022 GlobalMindED Conference
- GlobalMindED June 2022 DEI conference
- Complete 2022 Program
- Inclusive Leader Awards Program 2022
- 800+ attendees
- 140 students from 41 universities/colleges, 58 received scholarships
- 300+ speakers from 65 universities/colleges and 47 businesses
- 130 universities/colleges represented
- Majority of panels featured at least one student
- 74 % diverse speakers
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Social Justice and Equity: A constant evolution but we still haven’t hit the mark! |
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Social Justice and Equity: A Constant Evolution but we Still Haven’t Hit the Mark!, a Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable presentation |
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Dr. Ryan Ross; Assoc. V. Chancellor Student Affairs, Equity, & Inclusion, Colorado Community College System
Reiland Rabaka; Founder and Director, Center for African and African American Studies, University of Colorado Boulder,
Lana Hailemariam; Chief Executive Officer, StandUP, LLC,
Emily Shamsid-Deen; Principal, ESD Consulting,
Dr. Roberto Montoya; Chief Educational Equity Officer, Colorado Department of Higher Education,
Keith Station; Deputy Chief of Staff—Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, City of Omaha Mayor’s Office
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The GlobalMindED Inclusive Success NetworkTM had another banner year of growth, impact, and outcomes for First Generation, poverty-affected and minoritized students. Here are some of the highlights:
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Return of in-person GlobalMindED conference with record attendance and the largest First Gen Leadership Class ever of 122 student leaders. See PhD Project brief video of the event.
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Our fourth annual Inclusive Leader Awards recognized 15 DEIB leaders across sectors.
- Almost all our 100+ panels and sessions of 2022 featured a student.
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Of the 300+ speakers, 73% were diverse leaders sharing their thoughts.
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We held our first Industry Marketplace Career Exploration Arena at GlobalMindED 2022 with 40 companies, giving K-12, college students, educators, and leaders a way to learn about emerging fields and careers. Join us for the next one at GlobalMindED 2023.
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Our first satellite event at Georgia Institute of Tech was livestreamed via the Atlanta PBS affiliate.
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We became an official initiative of the Foundation for the Support the United Nations (FSUN) and will hold our first UN event on March 22, 2023.
- ·We served ten colleges with the GlobalMindED Success Collaborative connecting students at each HBCU, MSI, HIS and Tribal College with role models, mentors, internships, and jobs.
- We had partners/volunteers from Microsoft, Salesforce, Rubrik, HP, Stanford MBA and more.
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We spoke at the White House Initiative for HBCUs with sponsor Hewlett Packard.
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Our team, Board, Colorado Board and Executive Leadership Council are all majority diverse serving a majority diverse population of emerging leaders.
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We continued to publish our daily newsletter and conduct monthly virtual Equity events, led by people of color with majority diverse panelists and students. These are the role models for our students.
- Our annual operating budget increased by 67% emerging COVID strong.
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We doubled our staff from four to eight as we grow to scale our impact.
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Our Young Professionals grew to 40 strong, with a ten-person leadership cabinet made up of, but not limited to, graduates of our programs who are now working professionals.
- Since 2015, we have successfully connected 1,200+ students to internships and jobs.
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Our founder, Carol Carter, was recognized as one of the Most Powerful Women in Denver by the Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce and one of the Most Admired CEOs by the Denver Business Journal.
We are grateful for the support, inclusive leadership, and financial contributions of our community and sponsors who work tirelessly to open doors for the students we serve, the institutions who support them, and the businesses and non-profits who are committed to hiring a capable, diverse talent pipeline. We look forward to seeing all of you June 7-9 at our best event yet, GlobalMindED 2023 - Transforming Boundaries: Creating Systemic Access and Equity. The Inclusive Leaders Awards Dinner is June 7, followed by the conference June 8- 9 at the Denver Downtown Sheraton.
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