As a child, Kiwoba Allaire would visit her mother at work in San Francisco’s Union Square. On the way home, her mother would send young Kiwoba and her sister to buy food for the homeless, instructing them not to forget the utensils and napkins.
That respect, support, and attention to detail says a lot about how Allaire, Clari’s Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, executes on her life-long passion to drive equality. She’s the current chair of Clari Cares, Clari’s foundation that supports key efforts in the community, from refugees to schools to environmental actions.
Allaire is also the CEO and founder of Girls STEM Stars, a nonprofit academy advancing Black girls and youth of color from under tapped communities in STEM Education.
Can you tell us a little about your professional experience?
In my experience, tech organizations are leaders in providing competitive compensation, benefits, and career development. And yet, many diverse candidates can feel hesitant to apply.
A near-death experience, where I experienced a septic shock during a routine surgery that left me in a coma for weeks, drove me to really reflect on my life and the work I had done for the community. Out of a passion for wanting to scale the impact I could make by bringing more diversity into workplaces, I chose to start a non-profit called Girl STEM Stars in 2016.
We foster excitement, confidence, and literacy in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) for girls of color, particularly those from untapped communities, by providing free, experiential programs and by maximizing meaningful interactions with women mentors.
When I started Girl STEM Stars, many conversations around DEI (Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion) were almost taboo in the corporate landscape. Companies knew the need for diversity, but the challenges came when digging into the deeper layers of the conversation. We had to do a lot of thoughtful work on how to facilitate conversations and develop truly impactful programs. This brings us to where we are now and my work leading DEI initiatives at Clari.
Why is it critical for business growth that organizations take action around diversity, equity, and inclusion?
The benefits of diverse teams are wide-ranging and well studied. Lynn Powers, Clari’s enterprise sales director, wrote in a blog that companies with women leadership perform 50% better. Better performance, increased revenue, and more robust innovation are key indicators of diverse thought.
In STEM-related industries, we naturally celebrate the innovative ways technology can improve our lives because it helps the company stay competitive. Normalizing a presence and a voice for these demographics brings impact to companies as well as the authenticity of their products.
Based on your experience, how should organizations tackle DEI conversations and programs?
It’s all about the data.
First, it’s about ensuring that workplace discussions have diverse voices at the table. It’s also about representation, such as looking at the diversity represented on teams, leadership, and external facing materials like social images.
When top talent is considering a company, they are looking at channels like a company’s blog or social media. They want to see that the organization they are considering values the whole person. It’s no longer about work and life balance, but the integration of the whole person, coming to work and bringing their unique perspective.
Internally, these conversations should be powered by data. Setting clear goals, taking surveys, templatizing programs, and communications, and making sure that DEI actions are making measurable change.
Can you give us some examples of how Clari is approaching this?
I’m very proud to be at Clari, looking at the company’s past dedication to DEI work— but understanding there is always work to be done.
In the realm of equity, we are ensuring there are fairness and support structures within the company’s systems. For example, all new parents need time to integrate their careers with their new expanded family. We extended our paid time off for birthing and non-birthing parents as well as other types of parents, like adoptive parents, who recently welcomed a child into their lives.
Inclusion refers to ensuring that topics the employees feel are important to them, are important to the company. We want them to know that their contributions are important and their opinions are valued. At Clari, we are driving this through everything from ensuring our product itself is designed with accessibility in mind, to how our internal employee resource groups operate. We currently have 9 ERGs (employee affinity groups), so our employees can make connections, find support, and together surface any needs to the broader organization.
Tell us more about your vision for expanding Clari Cares.
When it comes to Clari Cares, our goal is to ensure we are going above and beyond. To tie this back to my mother’s story—it’s about the utensils, napkins, and a drink. We want to ensure that our giving actions are thought out, meaningful, and scalable.
We have begun using a donation platform, Bright Funds, that enables our Clari Cares efforts and makes it easier for employees to donate to causes that matter to them.
Our people are hungry to get back together and give back to the community. Our giving platform enables groups to go in, see supported charities, and organize a volunteer day.
What are you excited to help Clari develop?
Our next steps are to fully flesh out and support our ERGs and scale Clari Cares programs. We are excited that Girls STEM Stars will spend time at the Clari offices this year, to connect with our employees and learn from our leaders.
DEI work is a marathon without a finish line. It is driven by commitment and passion. and I’m humbled by the work the company has laid out for us to build on and develop in the future.
Interested in joining Clari? Check out our career possibilities.
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