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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Influencers

The DE&I Influencers list honors individuals who are advancing diversity, equity and inclusion within their organizations and across the workforce solutions ecosystem at large. 

2024 DE&I Influencers

DeLibra Wesley

Founder and CEO | National Recruiting Consultants

Honoree profile

Starting her own staffing company was exciting for DeLibra Wesley, in part because she was able to create leadership roles for other women. “I’m always trying to find ways to add seats for women at the table, and I encourage other organizations to do the same,” she says. “Who says how many seats there have to be at the top?”

At the same time, though, creating National Recruiting Consultants also led Wesley to feel disheartened at first about her potential to influence DE&I. “I had done so much work to grow DE&I at my last job, and I thought that as a start-up, I wouldn’t have as big an impact. But then I started looking outward and focusing on the industry as a whole.”

That outward focus guided Wesley when she served as chairperson of the American Staffing Association’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advocacy Group, and it still drives her today as she runs her own website, Goals with DeLibra, where she holds discussions around DE&I, leadership and goal setting. But it is her work with a non-profit, Women of Color in Staffing (WOCIS), that she is most proud.

People underestimate how important representation really is. When you see experts who look like you, it changes your mind about what might be possible for you.

Wesley initially founded the group, then called Black Women in Staffing, in 2021 in response to frequent requests for mentorship from women she was meeting at conferences and staffing events. Later, the persistence of another woman led Wesley to broaden the focus of the group. “I was approached by a woman at a conference, and she did not let up. She told me, ‘I need you to start this for all women of color.’”

The group’s advisory council ultimately made the change in 2023. WOCIS is now a place for all women of color in the staffing industry and their allies to discuss current issues. Among numerous activities, WOCIS has plans to roll out a mentorship program. And with over 150 members today, Wesley hints at growing WOCIS to 1,000.

Asked about her current priorities for DE&I, Wesley says that pay equity for women is high on her list. She also watches closely to see whether diversity is built in at every opportunity.

“People underestimate how important representation really is. When you see experts who look like you, it changes your mind about what might be possible for you. You can see a spark of hope.”