2015 Workplaces that Work Subject Matter Experts
DEEPALI BAGATI, Ph.D. is the executive director for Catalyst’s United States region. She is responsible for leading and strengthening Catalyst’s offerings and solutions for the U.S. member companies. Previously, Dr. Bagati was a vice president of the Catalyst Inclusive Leadership Initiative, and led curriculum development to transform diversity research, expertise and advocacy into skill-building leadership programs for emerging leaders. She recently launched Catalyst’s introductory course on Inclusive Leadership Training on the edX platform. Dr. Bagati also led the growth and expansion of Catalyst India, and managed the Catalyst India advisory board and developed knowledge products on women in business. Most recently, Dr. Bagati authored “Leadership Gap in India Inc.: Myths and Realities” and the 2010 “India Benchmarking Report.” In her prior role at Catalyst, as a director of research, Dr. Bagati led research on workplace challenges for women of color and developed solutions for building more effective and inclusive workplaces. Dr. Bagati co-led the Women of Color in Professional Services series, led the Women of Color Issue Specialty Team and authored several reports. She was a member of the Catalyst Award Evaluation committee, and of Catalyst’s Diversity and Inclusion advisory council. She earned her Ph.D. in social work and social research from Bryn Mawr College, with her dissertation focusing on the impact of microcredit loans on gender relations at the household level for low-income women in New Delhi. Dr. Bagati also earned an M.A. in social work and a B.A. in economics, with honors, from Delhi University, New Delhi, India.
CYNTHIA H. BOWMAN is a learning and leadership development executive for the global wealth and investment management businesses including US Trust, global wealth and retirement solutions, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management, philanthropic and family office and Bank of America Capital Management. She is also responsible for diversity and inclusion across GWIM. Bowman joined Bank of America in 2007 and has served in various leadership roles throughout global human resources. Prior to her current role, she was global diversity and inclusion executive, responsible for the company’s global strategy and initiatives. Bowman is a member of several of Bank of America’s employee networks, including the Black Professional Group (BPG) and Leadership, Education, Advocacy, Development (LEAD) for Women. Externally, she has received recognition from the Georgia National Diversity Council as one of the “Most Powerful and Influential Women 2013,” and from Diversity MBA Magazine as one of the top “50 Senior Executives under 50.” She was also awarded a “2014 Trailblazer award by re:gender. Bowman graduated from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management with an M.B.A. in organization behavior and operations. She also has a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and a B.S. from Spelman College.
HEATHER FOUST-CUMMINGS PhD, leads the Catalyst Research Center for Equity in Business Leadership with a focus on understanding relationships between diversity, corporate governance and board and firm performance. As part of the tenth anniversary Catalyst Census of Women board directors of the Fortune 500, Dr. Foust-Cummings profiled the experiences of women board directors of companies that had demonstrated a sustained commitment over time to having a significant proportion of women on the board. Additionally, she examines the role of sponsors in influencing the advancement and retention of senior-level and high-potential women and men, which she speaks about frequently. Prior to joining Catalyst, Dr. Foust-Cummings taught at Columbia University and conducted brand analyses for the Corporate Research Department at Young & Rubicam. Dr. Foust-Cummings earned her Ph.D. and an M.A. in political science and a certificate in women’s studies from Emory University. She also earned a B.S. in political science and secondary education from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
DAVID DUNCAN, Ph.D. is a senior partner at Innosight, a global strategy and innovation consulting firm, where he leads the financial services and innovation capabilities practices. He is coauthor of the Harvard Business Review article “Build an Innovation Engine in 90 Days” and “Building A Growth Factory,” an e-book published by Harvard Business Review Press. He has worked with Fortune 50 companies across the full spectrum of financial services industries, including banking, insurance, capital markets and transaction banking. He has also worked extensively across the healthcare sector, including with payers, providers, pharmaceutical and medical device companies. His work has focused on helping senior executives to develop long-term growth strategies, often with an emphasis on transformation and renewal in the face of industry disruption. He is equally involved in helping leaders to execute on strategy, and in helping companies to institutionalize new growth innovation capabilities through the design and deployment of a broad range of enablers. He has also worked extensively on helping companies directly to find, develop, and commercialize high-potential growth opportunities. Prior to joining Innosight, Duncan spent four years as a consultant at McKinsey & Company, and prior to that earned a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University.
DAN FARLEY is a senior managing director of State Street Global Advisors, and the chief investment officer for SSGA’s investment solutions group (ISG). In this role, he is responsible for the management and development of asset allocation strategies for institutional clients worldwide. His responsibilities include the design and management of liability driven investments, tactical asset allocation and overlay strategies. He is a member of SSGA’s executive management group. Prior to this role, Farley was the head of the US MACS team. He is also a member of CFA Institute and the Boston Securities Analyst Society. Farley serves as the executive sponsor for State Street’s Latin American Professional Group as well as co-leads State Street’s executive leadership work stream focusing on diversity. He serves on the board of directors of the Crispus Attucks Children’s Center in Dorchester, MA. Farley earned a B.S.B.A. from Stonehill College and an M.B.A. from Bentley College, and has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.
RICHARD LOPEZ is a director of diversity and inclusion at Dell. He is responsible for providing consultation and subject matter expertise to senior leaders and HR on the principles and practices of diversity and inclusion as a business imperative. He drives leadership commitment to diversity goals that align with the people strategy and business objectives. He designs and implements diversity action plans, leadership training programs and initiatives to foster an inclusive work culture. He actively promotes diversity at Dell and is the global project lead for Dell’s Men Advocating Real Change (MARC) initiative that focuses on engaging men in inclusion initiatives. Prior to working at Dell, Lopez worked for Ernst & Young and has extensive experience in international assignment management, expatriate tax, vendor management, compensation, benefits and M&A. He completed international assignments in London, UK and Guadalajara, Mexico. He earned a B.A. in international business from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and is certified as a Global Mobility Specialist by the Worldwide ERC.
JULIE S. NUGENT examines organizational diversity efforts, change models, career experiences and perceptions of women and men professionals across various levels and industries. As vice president and center leader of the Catalyst Research Center for Corporate Practice, Nugent distinguishes sound talent management strategies from programmatic fads and documents the best practices. She plays an integral role in developing strategies and implementing milestones for the Center. Her work also consists of investigating and researching organization-specific diversity programs and workplace environments and providing actionable recommendations. She frequently speaks to corporate and public audiences and the media on topics including women’s leadership and advancement, mentoring, diversity and inclusion strategies, LGBT inclusion, and the Catalyst award, which she chaired for over six years. She has authored numerous external book chapters as well as many Catalyst publications, including a suite of company practices and Catalyst award-winning initiatives. Nugent also taught a course on gender in the workplace as a former adjunct assistant professor at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service. Nugent earned an M.A. in industrial and organizational psychology from New York University and a B.A. in psychology and English from Ohio University, where she graduated with top honors.
ANGELA PEACOCK is the dynamic chair of the people development team, an award-winning global training organization, specializing in leading-edge virtual delivery. As facilitator and challenger to senior corporate teams, she coaches and mentors executives from financial services, pharma, media and technology sectors. She is an inspirational speaker and conference host. The people development team offers key interventions in the area of implicit and explicit bias, talent, inclusive leadership, gender balance, women’s development, men’s development, leadership, strategy and culture change via a variety of platforms. Peacock is an advisor to boards in the U.K., Europe, U.S., Asia and South Africa looking to take new approaches to inclusive leadership, management, culture and talent. Her strategic insights and realistic solutions on how to move the inclusion dial, by working directly in the talent management, diversity and organizational development space is sought after globally. Her gender-specific workshops combine impression management, confidence building, career development and strategic programs. Whether speaking to 1,500 delegates at a corporate conference, on a retreat with a team of executives, or delivering leading-edge workshops virtually, Peacock is renowned for her energy, positivity and outcomes that create tangible results. Her organization leads the field in global virtual training via WebEx, live meetings, e-learning and telepresence.