Allyship
Leaning into our culture of belonging: Fostering Allyship
Description
You are invited to an Ascend North Texas gathering to discuss allyship and belonging in the workplace. We'll use this time to continue elevating our self awareness, learn more on the fundamentals of allyship and listen to a panel of our colleagues share their stories and perspectives of active allyship in action. Active allyship is not a destination but a continual journey one must be prepared to travel alongside others. With this in mind, you may consider inviting a co-participant (e.g., invite a coachee, peer, mentor, etc) to join this insightful conversation.
Event Details
Date: Friday, June 17, 2022
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CT
Venue: Zoom Webinar
Admission: Complimentary
Speakers
Chris Brassell
Purpose and Inclusion Director
PwC
Chris is a strategic thinker, certified professional coach, innovative leader and nationally recognized dynamic speaker with over 27 years of human capital, radical inclusion, belonging, equity, inclusion, org. change and talent mgt. expertise.
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He is currently a National Director in PwC's Office of Purpose & Inclusion where he is responsible for driving national inclusion, belonging & diversity strategies and thought leadership designed to support the attraction, development, retention, and advancement of the most talented individuals in the Firm. He is also a nationally recognized expert on Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) allyship, work and fatherhood, multi-generational diversity and he leads progressive efforts at PwC to engage and invite men and the “majority” in the DEI dialogue.
He attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He's been an active advisory board member of the Howard University Center for Accounting Education, a member of Asia Society, the Society for Human Resource Mmgt., the National Assoc. of Black Accountants, Ascend, and the Association for Latino Professionals in Finance/Accounting. And he is a proud board member of the Neil J Brassell Foundation and BeHeadStrong organization.
He, his 20 year-old son Griffin, 17 year-old daughter Macy, and 12 year-old daughter Murphy, live in Kansas City.
Vanessa Salinas Beckstrom
Consulting Solutions Partner
PwC
Vanessa is an Investigations & Forensics Partner in PwC’s Cyber, Risk & Regulatory practice, based in Dallas, TX. She has over 20 years of experience, providing investigative, compliance and eDiscovery services in a variety of industries. Vanessa is a native Spanish speaker and has done extensive travel in Latin America, Europe and Asia, leading combined US and local engagement teams on cross-border investigations, anti-corruption due diligence and compliance engagements.
Vanessa is passionate about mentoring, diversity and inclusion and promoting women by co-leading the PwC Women's Inclusion Network and Parenting Inclusion Network in Dallas and serving as a board member of Step Up, a non-profit focused on mentoring teen girls.
She received a Bachelor of Business Administration (major in Finance and Spanish and a concentration in International Business) from the University of Notre Dame, am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF)
Patrick Church
Trust Solutions Partner
PwC
Patrick Church is a partner within PwC's Trust Solutions practice, residing in Dallas, TX. He has served clients across several industries, more recently focusing primarily within the health industries sector.
Over the past 19 years at PwC, Patrick has extensive experience supporting and guiding clients through SEC reporting, implementation and annual compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley 404 requirements, implementation and application of new accounting standards, restructurings, capital transactions, and various accounting matters including but not limited to those relating to warranty, self-insurance, valuation, impairment models, business combinations, complex estimates, and pension. Patrick credits his network of allies for the success he has experienced over the course of his professional career and he is passionate about allyship and drives behavioral change through his intentional actions.
Patrick has a Bachelors in Accounting and Finance from Indiana University Bloomington.
Tina Luna
Trust Solutions Partner
PwC
Tina is a Trust Solutions partner in the Asset and Wealth Management sector. She has a variety of experiences with clients in the financial services industry, including traditional private equity funds, fund-of-funds, real estate, venture capital and funds. She also has experience as the trusted business advisor of funds with energy focused and diversified operating partnership funds. Tina has federal, state, and foreign tax compliance and tax consulting experience related to fund structuring and planning.
Tina is highly involved with the PwC Pan-Asian Community Inclusion Network both at the national and local leves. She serves as partner champion on the national team for the awareness and education pillar, and is a frequent panelist on diversity, equity & inclusion and career development topics.
Tina is very involved in her community, serving on the board of the Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, an organization focused on creating urban green space as a focal point of development and economic revitalization in southern Dallas. She also serves on the advisory council for a Dallas Catholic school and as treasurer for her son’s parent-teacher association.
Tina is a graduate of The University of Texas - Austin, where she received her Master's in Professional Accounting (Taxation), and Southwestern University at Georgetown, where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Accounting. She is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Dallas Chapter of the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Anish Shah
Trust Partner
PwC
Anish is a partner with over 25 years experience serving EUM clients across the country. He has worked in 5 different offices, including Mumbai, India. He has also worked in our National Office. He is married with children and currently serves on two regional not for profit boards. He has a BS in accounting from Rutgers University.
Anish is highly involved with the PwC Pan-Asian Community Inclusion Network and a frequent panelist on Diversity & Inclusion, Career Development topics.