Marvin Figaro

As DEI director of strategic partnerships at Kelly, Marvin Figaro is focused on removing barriers — both those that keep people out of the workforce and those that prevent people from expressing themselves authentically once they are in it.

Through Kelly 33, a second chance program, Figaro is focused on creating opportunities for people with criminal backgrounds, a population whose exclusion from the workforce comes at a huge cost to the economy and society, he argues. He recalls a mid-career professional who made a bad decision that resulted in an 18-month jail sentence. “After he got out, he couldn’t get a job,” Figaro explains. “Here was a person who still had all the talent, skills and experience he had built up over years, and he was shut out.”

To address the issue, Figaro works tirelessly to promote the adoption of hiring processes that focus on people’s skills and qualifications over background checks, drug screening, degree requirements and unnecessary tests. Similarly, through Kelly’s Equity@Work program, Figaro is removing barriers for other underestimated and overlooked groups, such as veterans, mothers, older adults, neurodiverse people and people with disabilities. His work is paying off. “By being intentional about opening the aperture to see new sources of talented candidates, we are able to increase fill rates while decreasing the duration of searches and time-to-start rates.”

Here was a person who still had all the talent, skills and experience he had built up over years, and he was shut out.

Looking forward, Figaro is pushing to double the number of Kelly clients involved with Kelly 33 and create partnerships within the Department of Corrections to develop job pathways for people who are still incarcerated. He is also working to partner with other staffing companies and industry leaders, keeping an eye toward building support for policies and legislation focused on eliminating barriers.

In his personal time, Figaro presents and facilitates DE&I-focused workshops at local universities and nonprofits focused on youth. He has been a committee lead for CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion, an ASA mentor and a member of ASA’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advocacy Group. He is also on the advisory board for his local chapter of Best Buddies, an organization that creates opportunities for one-on-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development and inclusive living for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.