Tony Byers, Ph.D. is a game-changing leader in diversity and inclusion. He is a keen strategist who takes bold steps to drive organizational cultures toward more diverse, inclusive, and high-performing transformation. He has served as the chief strategist for some of the world’s most respected companies. His thought leadership and strategic guidance is demanded by senior executive teams and boards to effectively design diversity initiatives that foster individual performance, productivity, and business growth. An engaging presenter and rapport builder, Dr. Byers works with organizational leaders to move from transactional to transformational inclusion.

Dr. Byers is an accomplished inclusion and change management specialist with 25 years of demonstrated experience leading change in large-matrix, multi-national organizations. During his professional career, he has held various leadership roles within organizations in the fields of diversity and inclusion, talent acquisition, executive coaching, and organization development.

Formerly the Head of Global Inclusion and Diversity for Starbucks Coffee Company, Dr. Byers was responsible for developing and leading the strategic direction for inclusion and diversity to drive engagement, innovation, and business growth. He has served as the head of diversity and inclusion for the H.J. Heinz Company, where he built his department from the ground up, and as a global diversity and inclusion business partner with Cargill Corporation. In addition to his internal corporate experience, Dr. Byers served as an external diversity and leadership management consultant with Vaughn-Lee and Associates and J. Howard and Associates (now Global Novations).

Dr. Byers has a proven record of quality performance and leadership in complex diverse environments including for-profit, non-profit, and academic institutions. He has served as an adjunct professor with the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Business, Metropolitan State University, and the University of Wisconsin – River Falls.

Dr. Byers earned his Doctorate in human and organizational development and a Master of Arts in organizational systems from Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California, where his dissertation proposed effective strategies to build support for diversity programs among senior leaders. His study identified 11 themes diversity practitioners can use to build support among senior leaders and includes general recommendations for implementation.