Who we are
As strategists, we design plans of action to improve organizational performance and employee experience.
As coaches, we work with individuals to cultivate alignment between their values and desired goals.
As educators, we design learning journeys and teach new skills for an ever-changing workforce.
Our Approach
The Converge Difference
We provide guidance on what to focus on and why, finding opportunities for growth and helping implement change in ways that make sense for your organization.
We are both selective regarding clients and comprehensive in implementation because we aim for meaningful and systemic change.
80+
Clients
175+
Workshops Facilitated
15
Industries
Our Operating Principles
We are practitioners first, incorporating current research with practical application
We support individual learning and growth journeys, promoting a shift from awareness to action
We meet organizations where they are, and help them design a better workplace experience for all
We center our solutions around the needs of the most marginalized groups within the workplace
The Converge Collective
We are a group of workplace strategists who help companies and teams design and implement solutions to organizational challenges.
Each of us has far-reaching experience and specializes in an area of expertise to provide a wide range of services for your organization.
Our Collective Strategy
Collaboration is key to our collective strategy. We advance workplace inclusion and equity by learning together, aligning our actions, integrating our approaches, and actively sharing best practices.
The Benefits
Our collective model allows us to quickly activate specialists as needed throughout a client engagement. Having multiple experts helps us to achieve better client outcomes and design a variety of customized solutions.
Valerie Williams
She/Her
FOUNDER & MANAGING PARTNER
WORKPLACE STRATEGIST & ADVISOR
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Valerie Williams is a leadership coach and workplace culture strategist with an extensive background in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), talent development, recruiting, operations, and supply chain management. She was Global Head of Inclusion & Diversity at Stripe, and created the foundational Diversity and Belonging program at Airbnb before founding her consulting firm, Converge which since 2019 has partnered with over 80 companies across a dozen industries to address complex talent and inclusion challenges through strategy, advisory, coaching, training and development. Her leadership coaching approach focuses on increasing effectiveness through self-mastery and alignment. Valerie is an International Coaching Federation (ICF) accredited coach (ACC) and holds an industrial and systems engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from Emory University. Valerie has served as a guest lecturer at Emory, USC, and UC Berkeley and is sought after as a thought leader on the future of the workplace and inclusive leadership.
BONNIE OLIVA-PORTER
She/Her/Ella
Margins Studio
Equitable Workplace Design
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Bonnie has over 15 years of experience across multiple industries, from tech and VC to non-profit and government. Previously, she was a founding team member at Tala, There, she developed much of the company’s People/DEI strategy and Operations as the company grew to 600+ employees globally. Bonnie is a member of the LA Steering Committee for All RaiseShe holds a MPA from NYU and a BA from Wesleyan University.
LIZA KATSMAN
She/Her
Interlace Consulting
Inclusive Leadership
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Liza is a consultant, strategist, and facilitator, focused on helping leaders embed DEI-centered practices into their organizational culture and business operations foundationally. Her career includes a background in education, corporate business operations at Sony Pictures, and organizational change management. Her B.S. from UCLA and an MBA from UCLA Anderson.
JASMINE ADAMS
She/Her
Career Convos
Recruiting & Executive Search
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Jasmine is a human capital expert with a passion for pay equity, career advancement, and diversity and inclusion. Over the past 15+ years she has partnered with C-Suite leaders to devise people focused strategies as a management consultant with KPMG and Deloitte. A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Jasmine graduated from Agnes Scott College with a Bachelor’s in Economics and Organizational Psychology and obtained a Master’s Degree in Social Organizational Psychology from Columbia University in New York.
ALEXANDRIA SPIVA
She/Her
Workforce Inclusion
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Alexandria is a talent and workforce inclusion leader with a career in Silicon Valley for the past 15 years. Alexandria has worked at top tier tech organizations, building and scaling equitable and inclusive hiring practices through diversity recruiting, recruiting partnerships, and operational strategy at organizations such as Yahoo, Facebook, LinkedIn, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and Lyft. She holds two advisory seats for early tech startups and continues to champion building diverse, fair, and inclusive hiring practices.
RONNIE BRAITHWAITE
He/They
Instructional Design
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Ronnie Braithwaite is a seasoned Learning & Development consultant at the intersection of DEI, eLearning, and organizational development. They bring over seven years of experience across training facilitation, product management, and learning experience design. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Ronnie graduated Cum Laude from the University of Miami with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, where he studied marketing, screenwriting, and motion pictures and holds an MBA from Clark Atlanta University. Beyond his corporate achievements, Ronnie is an anti-racist activist and independent documentary filmmaker dedicated to crafting narratives that foster self-growth and empowerment, particularly within marginalized black communities.
