Professionals of color have a very different experience of building a career in Boston, relative to their white peers and colleagues. Throughout the season, we’ve heard stories of these experiences and the work leaders in our community are doing to repair, among other things, our broken talent pipeline. 

In our final episode of season 2, our guests investigate issues of equity and diversity as they impact career development opportunities here in Boston (and beyond). Are candidates of color discouraged from coming to a city like Boston to pursue professional opportunities? What work is being done to fix this problem? And how are professionals of color able to find meaningful connection with the city? These questions, and more. 

Highlights from this episode: 

• Stephanie Browne (Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts) recounts the challenges she faced while establishing herself professionally here in Boston 
• Chair of the Commonwealth Institute, Pam Reeve, explains how the pandemic exposed pervasive issues of inequity 
• Art Papas, CEO and Co-founder of Bullhorn, highlights the impact of social media on conversations around corporate social responsibility 
• Chris Comparato, CEO of Toast, discusses new ways for leaders to communicate about complex issues  
• Microsoft Airband Initiative’s Director of Digital Transformation, Aimee Sprung, talks about the impact and importance of keeping a diverse set of voices in the mix 
• Pratt Wiley, CEO of The Partnership, illustrates why connecting people of color to cultural resources is integral to growing a vibrant and diverse professional community 

Thank you for following us on our journey this season as we investigated Boston’s challenges as a microcosm for bigger issues of equity and access. Through topics like access to technology, healthcare innovations, the future of education, and forward-thinking DE&I strategies, we worked to take Boston’s Brand Problem out of the shadows, and onto the Tech Trail. But the conversation doesn’t end here – keep it going on social and let us know what burning questions you have about equity, access, and the city of Boston.