{"id":74153,"date":"2021-02-26T16:11:21","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T21:11:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=74153"},"modified":"2025-10-17T16:31:19","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T20:31:19","slug":"theodore-equity-diversity-inclusion-workplace","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/theodore-equity-diversity-inclusion-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Black History Month: Nadia Theodore Talks Advancing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion in the Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Celebrating Black History Month: Nadia Theodore Talks Advancing Equity, Diversity, Inclusion in the Workplace\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

Carleton University Political Science<\/a> alumna, Nadia Theodore, has had a successful career that has taken her around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upon completing her master\u2019s degree at Carleton in 2004, Theodore had every intention of taking time off to travel the world, but she liked her new government job so much that she decided to stay for one year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One year ended up turning into 20 years in the federal public service, with a career that took her from the Canada Revenue Agency, Public Safety Canada and then Global Affairs. When the opportunity to join the iconic Canadian company Maple Leaf Foods Inc. arose, she couldn\u2019t say no. Theodore\u2019s current position is senior vice- president of Global Government and Industry Relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Nadia
Nadia Theodore<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In this role, Theodore collaborates across the organization in developing and implementing the company\u2019s government and industry relations strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cEveryone used to tell me that it was virtually impossible to transition from government to the private sector, and I love doing things people say I can\u2019t do.\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Theodore\u2019s professional journey hasn\u2019t always been smooth sailing, however. As a Black woman in a leadership position, she has had to overcome systemic barriers in the workplace to get to where she is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUntil they are dismantled and reframed, systemic barriers can only be overcome by working twice as hard for twice as long as you would have otherwise had to,\u201d says Theodore. \u201cThis is why women and Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) professionals get frustrated when their skills, abilities and authority are questioned.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That inspires Theodore to use her leadership role to encourage her colleagues to challenge their beliefs and explore new perspectives.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI try to provide more data points for them to consider, integrate their world view and the way they look at workplace culture and merit systems,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

She also works to amplify voices that don\u2019t always get the spotlight and whose contributions sometimes fly under the radar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI strongly believe that getting to equity in the workplace is about opportunity, access and radical support,\u201d says Theodore. \u201cWith those three things, we could do better at leveraging the talent we already have in our organizations but is hidden in plain sight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

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Inspiring and Motivating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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Theodore says that she uses her leadership position to lift others up and support those early on in their careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She remains actively involved within the Carleton community through the Alumni Mentors program, where she inspires and motivates people looking to enter the world of international relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theodore offered advice to current Black and racialized students who may feel discouraged while navigating an education system that was not designed for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat I found helped me was having a small group who were \u2018my people\u2019,\u201d Theodore says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt takes a lot of energy to thrive in white, male, straight, cis-gendered spaces when that is not how you identify. There is a lot of time spent \u2018performing\u2019 to try to be accepted. Having a couple of people that you can be your authentic self around really helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In January, Theodore moderated Carleton University\u2019s SOAR Leadership Conference with keynote speaker and global human rights activist, Martin Luther King III<\/a>. Together, they discussed women\u2019s contributions to the civil rights movement, the legacy and impact of his parents\u2019 work and how he stays positive in the face of adversity and hatred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr.
The Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Theodore shared her perspective on what Black History Month represents to her this year.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cTraditionally, Black History Month has been about celebrating the accomplishments of Black Canadians and the contributions they have made to the economic, social and political fabric of our country,\u201d Theodore says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This history is not well- known, which is why in December 1995, the Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine put forward the motion to have February recognized as Black History Month in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor me, the month has evolved in its meaning and should be a catalyst for broader discussion on what Black future looks like,\u201d Theodore says, \u201cHow are we going to create equitable spaces across Canada? How are we going to ensure that 10 years from now, we aren\u2019t still talking about `firsts\u2019 and `one of only a few\u2019 when we talk about Black contributions at senior levels across our country\u2019s organizations?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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During Black History Month, Carleton University is celebrating the many achievements and contributions of our Black community members. Visit our Black History Month page<\/a> through the month of February to read new stories about our staff, faculty, students and alumni.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\nMore Stories<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Carleton University Political Science alumna, Nadia Theodore, has had a successful career that has taken her around the world. Upon completing her master\u2019s degree at Carleton in 2004, Theodore had every intention of taking time off to travel the world, but she liked her new government job so much that she decided to stay for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":74152,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[28],"cu_story_tag":[1930,1921],"class_list":["post-74153","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-community-partnerships","cu_story_tag-equity-diversity-and-inclusion","cu_story_tag-faculty-of-public-and-global-affairs"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/74153","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/74153\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":98505,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/74153\/revisions\/98505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=74153"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=74153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}