Who We Are

Paul T. Doyle, Founder & CEO, applies over 30 years of management experience to help organizations enhance their performance through inclusive work and service environments. By understanding how to embrace the cultures, values and behaviors of a diverse workforce, Paul helps organizations maintain the competitive edge needed for success in today’s rapidly changing global economic market. A key to his success is creating platforms of trust through intentional relationship building-allowing diversity of thought to be achieved and valued. Thus, fostering inclusive growth and innovation.

Paul holds a degree from the College of Education & Human Services at Ferris State University, from which he also received the Distinguished Alumni Award. He has completed the Executive Leadership Institute at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business. He is a Certified Diversity Professional (CDP) through the National Diversity Council and also a certified administrator of the Intercultural Developmental Inventory (IDI). Paul is a recipient of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation Leadership & Philanthropy Award, Grand Rapids “GIANTS” Leadership Award for Community Health, and the Legacy Award for Legislative Leadership. He teaches as Adjunct Faculty at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine. Paul also serves on several boards and committees to improve the quality of life for all individuals within his community through inclusion. Learn more about Paul’s passion for this industry here.

Chris is a seasoned professional with over thirty years’ experience in higher education and equity and inclusion. Chris is the Founding Director of the Bob and Aleicia Woodrick Center for Equity and Inclusion at Grand Rapids Community College. Chris prides herself on her vast community network and ability to navigate throughout our diverse community. Chris has extensive experience in equity and inclusion facilitation, and community engagement. Upon retiring from GRCC Chris founded her own consulting LLC, and worked with many organizations, consulting in the areas of Equity and Inclusion, Community Engagement and Project Management. Chris also served as Interim Executive Director at LEDA the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance.

In July 2019 Chris began working at Steelcase in the Social Innovation Programs and Partnerships, which allows her to continue to have a broader impact on our local and global community.

As the granddaughter of migrant workers, her family was one of the first Mexican families to settle in West Michigan. Chris has always prided herself on her family history and heritage and honors it by the way she has chosen to live her life of leadership and service to the entire community. While she has personally experienced bigotry and economic inequities as personal and social challenges, especially growing up in a single parent household with six siblings, she uses this personal experience to better understand others and assist them in building strength through overcoming adversity through education and community building. Chris is a graduate of Grand Rapids Public Schools, Grand Rapids Community College and Central Michigan University.

DeDe Esque brings over thirty years of experience as a smart business leader and compassionate community steward. She has experience doing her best work in program development for individual and organizational leadership, process and workshop facilitation, as well as, consulting on organizational culture and change management. Having worked in the nonprofit, financial, retail, and philanthropic sectors serving in various leadership roles from Line Meat Carver to President/CEO, DeDe works with and honors leaders with humor, grace, and truth-telling. Her work has been successful in increasing the capacity of organizations and their leaders in the nonprofit, education and corporate sectors where she draws from her skills toolkit of coaching, facilitation, project management, and training. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. She is a certified leadership coach through the Hudson Institute of Coaching and a certified Qualified Administrator for the IDI assessment tool.

Trina is an authentic and experienced leader with a background in healthcare, hospitality and
manufacturing industries. She serves her clients by infusing proven approaches to problem solving and
strategic execution with a people centric focus.
Age the young age of 14 Trina began her work experience at a family owned pizza restaurant where the
seeds of lean operations were planted, skills that influence her work today. Throughout high school and
college, she balanced working with being a multi-sport scholar-athlete.
Professionally, Trina has spent her career leading transformational change efforts from large scale
technology implementations, new construction and renovation projects to implementing new lean agile
ways of working, she excels at infusing lived experience, academia, professional development to
develop customized solutions for clients. She enjoys collaborating with other industry professionals and
best practice sharing which lead to recognition by the State of Michigan Office of Good Government
with the Symbol of Excellence.
Trina has earned multiple professional certifications as a Certified Corporate Wellness Professional
(CWP), Certified Personal and Executive Coach (CPEC), SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), Level IV Lean
Certified Instructor by the University of Michigan and Project Management Professional (PMP). She
holds Master’s degrees from Central Michigan University in Health Services Administration, Human
Resources and Information Resource Management. She received her Bachelor of Science in
Communications with a minor in Sociology from Grand Valley State University and an Associate’s Degree
from Lake Michigan College.

Kirk has been working at the intersection of Innovation and Belonging since 2014 across all sectors, primarily focused on social impact facilitation and design. He specializes in using Design Thinking (aka Human-Centered Design) to facilitate teams and organizations in reimagining how they tackle complex problems. His work with Design Thinking has its roots in being an executive coach at Stanford’s d.School since 2015. In addition to coaching at the d.School, Kirk is also a graduate of the National Equity Project’s (NEP) equitable leadership program and a certified coach and facilitator through Real LIFE Programs.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, + Belonging (DEIB) have been a cornerstone of the work Kirk has done throughout his career and the partners and organizations he has chosen to work with. His career has a central thread of engaging with historically disenfranchised communities and partnering with them in the work he does. He has designed and facilitated DEIB trainings, and centers his design practice on an equity-based model (Liberatory Design) created by his colleagues at Stanford + NEP. While working with his clients Kirk continually pushes for more representative participants and voices to be included on both sides of the design work.

Dr. Christina Edmondson is authentic, accessible, truthful, and is motivated by her faith. Blessed by an array of academic, professional, and lived experiences, Christina is committed to bringing diverse people together to promote personal and team flourishing. Christina holds a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Tennessee State University, an MS degree from the University of Rochester in Family Therapy, and a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Hampton University. Currently, Christina is a Certified Cultural Intelligence facilitator, public speaker, and mental health therapist and is often contacted by churches to consult about both diversity and mental health issues. Her writing has been seen and referenced in a variety of outlets including Essence.com, YourBlackWorld.com, and Gospel Today magazine. Christina is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. She is married to Pastor Mika Edmondson and is the mother of two wonderful little girls, Zoe and Shiloh.