Alumni Spotlight

Christopher Tucker

Corporate Counsel, Cummins, Inc. Barnes & Thornburg Attorney (2011-2016)

What does "The Gift of Inclusion" mean to you?

For me, diversity and inclusion go hand-in-hand; without one, the other necessarily fails. Accordingly, for the “gift of inclusion” to be meaningful, there must also be a “gift of diversity.” Those organizations that demonstrate equal efforts in diversity and inclusion can position themselves to rise to the top of their field. And those organizations that focus on either gift in isolation are likely to suffer shortcomings in the attraction/retention of talent, cultivation of creative thinking, and overall prosperity of the business.

What is your best piece of advice for building and driving inclusion?

Know your audience. People may support diversity and inclusion efforts for a variety of reasons – fairness/equality, positive impact to the bottom line, measurement stick used by others, etc. Identify why diversity and inclusion matters to your group and use the appropriate language to get their buy-in. If you don’t speak to the group in their language(s), you risk losing potential supporters, who may even turn into detractors. Conversely, if you can get the group to buy in, then you’ve created additional advocates to promote your cause.

What is your motto?

Treat others as you would like others to treat you.

Julie Dilts

Quality and Regulatory Compliance Leader, Roche Diagnostics Corp. Barnes & Thornburg Attorney (1997-2007)

What does "The Gift of Inclusion" mean to you?

Imagine how you feel when you walk into a room and someone’s face lights up as he or she says, “I am glad you are here.” Compare that to entering a room where no one notices you or, worse, they act as if you don’t belong. Creating that first experience for people is the gift of inclusion. At work, included employees are engaged employees who do their best work. The gift of inclusion is two-way. What the employer gives in inclusion, the employee returns in contribution. Why wouldn’t we want to be part of a more inclusive culture?

What is your best piece of advice for building and driving inclusion?

To build and drive inclusion, senior leaders have to authentically understand and embrace the importance of belonging and actively share their perspectives on why inclusion matters. They have to do more than help people understand the business case for inclusion, although making the business case is important, too. They have to help people feel the difference between being excluded and being included. When employees can empathize with the feelings of exclusion, they will be more likely to engage in building an inclusive culture.

What is your motto?

“Inspire Dreams. Create Opportunities.” My most important contribution is helping other people. I review this daily with my to-do list as a reminder that I have to be intentional about making time for my most important work. As a passionate advocate for inclusion, I especially hope to inspire dreams and create opportunities for others who have not had the opportunities I have had.