Empathy Engineers
Alia Ali (she/her)
My name is Alia I’m the founder and principal consultant at ECC. I’ve always felt that empathy gap and I have spent my life trying to develop strategies to overcome it.
Ever since I was a child, I have lived a life of service to my community. I brought this energy to everything I did – creating and running programs for youth (one of my favorite things I’ve ever done), serving as an executive in a tech start-up in Vancouver, and working for the non-profit Voices of Muslim Women as a Female Empowerment and Leadership Instructor. I also had the opportunity to work on the Strategem 2020 and Cicely Blain Consulting (now Bakau Consulting) team for the better part of last year. I’ve been doing private consulting on workplace culture and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) for the last 3 years and created Empathy Catalyst Consulting in 2021.
The genesis of this company was born out of a genuine desire to create a workplace that not only professed its values but also practiced them. What is radical empathy in practice?
I have always felt and seen the huge opportunity cost and financial burden caused by inefficient workplace cultures and toxic work environments. The reality is- racism, sexism, and all kinds of oppression make your organization function in less than operative circumstances. And, a lack of diversity hurts your ability to evolve, grow and get creative which slows down ingenuity in today’s environment.
This work isn’t just a moral option;-it also comes with an advantageous cost-benefit ratio.
I’m grateful to do this work and do it with remarkable people who care deeply about leaving the world better off than we found it.
I would also be amiss not to take a moment and express my gratitude to Rotary International where I’ve been able to empower young professionals as well as help Rotary in the diversity, equity, and inclusivity department making the organization more equitable and accessible for all.
Rosemary June (she/they)
My name is Rosemary June, I answer to she/they pronouns, and my presence is about as large as my stature! I identify as a proud Black, trans non-binary, femme, and I welcome you to learn more about me and the work that we do here at ECC.
As a professional and personal community worker / spoken word artist, I fight to actively dismantle what bell hooks describes as the “Imperialist, capitalist, white supremacist patriarchy.” I live as an involuntary settler on stolen Coast Salish land, and my service takes place potentially anywhere you can find Black and Indigenous folks fighting for the land, their bodies, or our Ancestors.
My only necessary credentials for this work is that “I was born into this responsibility,” as my mentor would say, “Everything else is extra.” I’ve organized and performed in classrooms, religious spaces, warehouses, corporate offices, and social gatherings for about as long as I could talk. Municipal governments and grassroots collectives alike, have hired me to train groups of people in direct action techniques or to simply deliver perspective. If being a community worker / spoken word artist is my passion, then decolonizing both my internal and external space is my purpose. I do it by keeping my ear to the ground, empowering the voices of the unheard, listening to what’s needed in community, and serving in a manner that honors my Ancestors.
Morgan Switzer Rodney (she/her)
My name is Morgan Switzer-Rodney and I am a young Black biracial, kinky, queer femme. I’m a stolen person on stolen lands, with Afro-Guyanese ancestry on my father’s side and Ukrainian on my mother’s. Born and raised in northern Manitoba, (Treaty 5) and I’ve lived there for most of my pre-adult life until 2015. I currently reside on the stolen ancestral lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, S’ólh Téméxw, Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw, and səl̓ilwətaɁɬ peoples, colonially known as Vancouver, BC, and have been a guest here since 2016.
I am a Doula, speaker, and sex & kink coach with a focus on power dynamics and intersectionality. I am an activist and multidisciplinary artist who’s work explores storytelling, inter-generational collaboration, afro-futurisms, through an abolitionist, decolonial framework.
Sydney Schilling (she/her)
My name is Sydney and I’m currently a Project Lead and Research Associate for Bowtie Leadership & Development, a global leadership management firm owned by Rotarian Dr. ‘Bowtie’ Todd Jenkins, working with clients to build inclusive workplaces. I hold a Master’s Degree in Social Change from Iliff School of Theology, where I focused on organizational & leadership management, narrative justice and storytelling. I have also worked to advocate for equitable opportunities for Oregon’s small business community and currently serve on the City of Portland’s Community Equity & Inclusion Committee. I’m also really passionate about and pursued matters of social justice and inclusion, equity & diversity within the Rotary organization, working to start DEI initiatives, facilitating workshops, and featuring as a panelist on local and international webinars.
I show up to the DEI space as a student, student-teacher, and teacher. I see DEI work as an endless journey of personal and collective growth, as well as an opportunity for each person to build more inclusive environments where we all thrive. My niche is blending high-level strategy + inclusion initiatives to create more equitable workplaces, as well as coaching those that are striving for allyship through their inner work growth journeys. My purpose is to validate and amplify voices and experiences that often go unheard, and I live this out by advocating for transformative equity and inclusion in all spaces.
Outside of work and volunteer service, I enjoy travel, exploring cities, cultures, and traditions, traveling, connecting with my community, writing, spending time with family, supporting the Portland Timbers, and playing the piano.
Rabaab Khehra (she/her)
Hello all! My name is Rabaab and I am a queer Punjabi woman currently studying International Relations. I support equity work as I wish to create environments that allow for all folks to show up as their authentic selves.
I am a public speaker, past president of Surrey Rotaract, and I currently work at the Equity and Inclusion Office at UBC. Empathy, community, vulnerability and unconditional positive regard are the values through which I move around in equity work; therefore, they are at the forefront of every project I take on. In my studies, I focus on learning about histories of colonization, oppression, and discrimination to unlearn deeply rooted systemic biases that pervade our society. Empathy Catalyst Consulting aligns greatly with my values hence it is an honour to support the company’s on-going projects and workshops. I bring my knowledge of justice, equity, and community while also through ECC, continuing to expand my understanding on how to better create communities that allow for folks to not only lean into their biases without fear or judgement but also show up in their truest, most authentic identities.
Outside of school, volunteer, and work, I enjoy reading, going to the beach and biking; I’ve recently become interested in Brazilian Ju-Jitsu. My simple pleasures are most likely weekends in my bed, cooking, and writing poetry. Lastly, I do this work because I truly believe it is the way for us to cultivate love, connection, and community and it leads us to lean into our most inspired selves.
Femi Tunde-Oladepo (she/her)
My name is Femi Tunde-Oladepo (yes, that is a 13-character last name that is pronounced Tune-Day-O-lah-Day-Poh). My mum moved to Richmond, BC in the year 2000 and it was there that I developed a strong sense of self. Growing up in an area with one of the largest immigrant populations in North America exposed me to the dynamics involved in race relations. I am thankful for that upbringing because it has given me valuable understanding and perspective.
My love for intercultural connections continued in my studies at the University of Victoria. I specialized in International Business where I got to interact with folks from all over the world and learn more about our globalized world. When I can, I love to pack a bag and travel somewhere new. Whether I’m inside or outside the country, I can be found walking or trying a new restaurant in my spare time!
As someone who experienced exclusivity firsthand, I am passionate about seeing the impact that justice, equity, diversity and inclusion work can have on a community. I am constantly challenged by a world that is rapidly changing. My hope is that future generations live in a world where people across all genders and races not only feel like they belong but live like they do belong.