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RALEIGH – Organizations that have women in significant leadership roles are more creative, innovative, collaborative, and profitable. Focusing on creating workplace excellence for its clients, The Diversity Movement (TDM) continues to build its own leadership capabilities, naming Shelley Willingham as Chief Revenue Officer.
In this new role, a first at TDM, Willingham will provide leadership and strategic direction for the company’s sales division. She is at the forefront of creating new opportunities for TDM to engage with organizations nationally and globally that want to revolutionize the workplace via diversity-led initiatives. Her focus is enhancing customer value, building competitive differentiation, and driving revenue and profit growth.
“Shelley Willingham is a global thought leader in DEI, inclusive marketing, and sales strategy, so promoting her to Chief Revenue Officer demonstrates the role she has played in TDM’s phenomenal growth,” said Donald Thompson, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder at The Diversity Movement. “Her results-oriented leadership and sales acumen will be critical as the company partners with organizations around the world that want to create culture-centric leaders and companies.”
Willingham is the second Black woman named to a C-suite role at TDM, following the earlier promotion of Kristie Davis to Chief Financial Officer, and will report to Thompson. Willingham is a frequent on-air commentator for CNBC and other outlets and writes a column for Forbes, which draws on her extensive expertise as an entrepreneur and marketing executive. Willingham strengthens the leadership team at The Diversity Movement via a well-honed strategic and operational lens.
“The Diversity Movement is at the forefront of culture transformation by tying DEI to real-world business results,” said Willingham. “Our employee experience platform has won accolades worldwide and our expertise is demonstrated by our world-class, expert-curated content; outstanding consulting services; online training and development courses; and cutting-edge analytics. My goal as chief revenue officer is to build on TDM’s momentum in the market and drive impact across the company, enabling us to accelerate growth and deliver value for new and existing clients.”
Willingham has broad corporate and small business experience. Earlier in her career, she founded the National Organization for Diversity in Sales and Marketing (NODSM), a company focused on helping corporate America recognize the increasing purchasing power of diverse segments and helping them market to these groups. Later, she served as Chief Communications Officer and Vice President of Marketing at Saint Augustine’s University. A Certified Diversity Executive, Willingham earned a Master of Science degree from Northeastern University and a B.A. from the University of North Carolina. She was recently appointed to a four-year term on the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Visitors.
