Melinda Briana Epler has 25 years of experience elevating brands and developing business innovation strategies for startups, Fortune 500 companies and global NGOs.

Why you should listen

As CEO of Empovia, Melinda Briana Epler works with her clients and partners to solve diversity, equity, inclusion and sustainability together. Using her background in storytelling, behavioral science and large-scale culture change, she is a strategic advisor for executives, entrepreneurs, investors and activists around the world. She also cofounded Tech Inclusion, a series of global solutions-focused conferences where she partnered with more than 450 tech companies and community organizations and hosted over 50 solutions-focused diversity and inclusion events. Previously, she was a marketing and culture executive and award-winning documentary filmmaker.

Epler speaks, coaches and writes about diversity and inclusion, allyship, empathy and entrepreneurship. She is the author of How to Be an Ally (McGraw-Hill) and hosts the popular Leading With Empathy & Allyship podcast. She has spoken on hundreds of stages worldwide, including SXSW, Grace Hopper, Wisdom 2.0, the World Bank, White House, Clinton Foundation, Black Enterprise, Google, Indeed, Capital One, UC Berkeley and McKinsey.

Melinda Briana Epler’s TED talk