The Equity Project, founded by Dr. Dwinita Mosby Tyler, is a woman-owned, minority-owned business that partners with organizations to meet their Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) goals. The Equity Project’s approach is to first understand where clients are on their equity journeys, meet them where they are and then equip and guide them toward achieving measurable outcomes and success. The Equity Project helps their clients to create systems where everyone in their organization has exactly what they need to thrive.
Now in its sixth year, The Equity Project has grown from one consultant to eight full-time employees and has worked with more than 300 unique clients. Without direct marketing, we have developed many of our organizational partnerships through referrals and many have extended their EDI journey beyond their initial project scope. Consulting services range from organizational equity assessments and EDI strategic planning to workshop facilitation, keynotes, executive coaching, and more.
The Equity Project has been locally and nationally recognized and works across a multitude of sectors, including federal, state, and local entities. Client work spans from local institutions like Denver Zoo and Denver Art Museum to larger corporate entities, such as Kaiser Permanente and Comcast.
Dr. Dwinita Mosby Tyler is a change maker in every sense of the phrase. She is the former Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief Inclusion Officer for Children’s Hospital Colorado – the first African American woman to hold that position in the organizations 100+ year history. She also is the former Executive Director of the Office of Human Resources for the City and County of Denver – the first African American woman to hold that position in the 63+ year history of the agency.
In 2016 – a year when the nation experienced great divisiveness and “EDI” had become more centered in the workplace, Dr. Mosby Tyler left a 32-year career in human resources and founded The Equity Project. To tackle some of the difficult conversations occurring, she developed an approach that she terms, “creating spaces filled with grace,” guiding every interaction and partnership.
“Spaces that are filled with grace understand that everyone is coming to the table with a unique set of experiences, identities and understanding, allowing employees and leaders to show up as they are, without experiencing shame or judgement,” says Mosby Tyler. “The desired outcome of the work is to strengthen the culture of organizations, not disrupt or cause harm.”
Her philosophy of creating and maintaining spaces filled with grace has been shown to disarm skeptics and nay-sayers who may not have thought of themselves as equipped enough, able, or even willing to engage in the work of creating equity. Her popular TED Talk discusses the need for “unlikely allies” within the equity movement, and her work demonstrates that everyone has a role in such efforts.
In addition to being at the helm of The Equity Project, Dr. Mosby Tyler leveraged her rich background in Human Resources and founded the HR Shop in 2018 to help small and non-profit organizations without dedicated HR departments to meet the needs of their workforce. To date, The HR Shop has partnered with 50 clients, and offers assistance with recruitment, compliance tracking, the drafting of employment policies, and everything in between.
Dr. Mosby Tyler has inspired thousands of people through her equity workshops and keynote addresses. She has a unique style, where she fuses aspects of her personal narrative with the issues of the day, and challenges participants to look inside themselves and their organizations to create the kind of world in which we all want to live. She has been directly involved in affecting the course of dozens of companies and organizations, including several in the Metro Denver area, such as: Denver Museum of Contemporary Art, Colorado Public Radio, Colorado Trust, Women’s Bean Project, Colorado Inclusive Economies, Dish Network, and many more.
Dr. Mosby Tyler, along with her husband, Dr. Timothy Tyler, created Race Talk University, a 5-week course where participants of all racial and ethnic backgrounds across the state learn how to initiate and engage in discussions about race and white supremacy. Race Talk University has had more than 75 graduates complete the course who have been empowered to engage openly and honestly in their communities and networks.