Dr. Katherine Giscombe directed the groundbreaking study on race and gender in the workplace, Women of Color in Corporate Management: Opportunities and Barriers, which was sponsored by the Ford Foundation and the non-profit organization Catalyst. Having authored a series of reports based on that and subsequent research, she continues to be a national presence in creating solutions for women of color and organizations. She currently conducts consulting engagements focused on creating inclusive workplaces, with clients in corporate, professional services, and educational organizations.

A frequent presenter at business and academic conferences, Dr. Giscombe received her Doctorate in Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan and trained in research methodology at the Institute for Social Research. She has extensive corporate work experience, having supported marketing and new product development in several Fortune 500 companies prior to her non-profit work at Catalyst.  She speaks on a variety of topics, including career development, glass and concrete ceiling issues, mentoring and sponsorship, and the creation of inclusive environments. Dr. Giscombe has served on several advisory boards, most recently the Women’s Inter-Cultural Exchange (WIE), a non-profit devoted to building and bridging social capital among women of diverse cultures. Given her multi-disciplinary perspective and interest in contextual factors affecting the lives of people of color, she is an active task force member of the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative. This national collaborative, managed by the Center for Global Policy Solutions and the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, builds awareness and support for efforts to address racial and ethnic wealth inequalities based on structural factors.

Dr. Giscombe was selected by The Network Journal as one of “25 Influential Black Women in Business” awardees for 2005. This award has normally gone to presidents and CFOs, but Dr. Giscombe was honored for her significant research contributions that influenced corporate culture. She received the 2007 “Legacy of Leadership” award from Spelman College Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement, which recognizes individuals who have demonstrated models of leadership and bridge-building across gender and race. In 2009 she was named a “Woman to Watch” by Profiles in Diversity Journal.

Dr. Giscombe is the author of several publications related to talent management and inclusion, currently pens a quarterly column for Diversity Woman Magazine, and has written several op-eds in support of the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative. Her most recent work, “Creating Effective Formal Mentoring Programs for Women of Color,” appears in Mentoring Diverse Leaders: Creating Change for People, Processes, and Paradigms (Eds. A.J. Murrell & S. Blake-Beard).