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Kristina Brunelle Appointed to Lead Group; Cara Valentino Appointed to Lead Racial Equity and Inclusion Program within DE&I
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — To ensure focused and sustained attention on racial equity and justice at RTI International (RTI), the non-profit research institute recently announced Kristina Brunelle to lead its Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) corporate initiatives. In addition, RTI appointed Cara Valentino, CDP to serve as its Racial Equity and Inclusion (RE&I) program manager to focus specifically on racial equity and justice issues.
The establishment of these new roles is another step toward RTI developing an internal infrastructure to evaluate its racial equity policies and practices, identify systemic issues and barriers, recommend action plans, and support the implementation of said racial equity and justice action plans and programming throughout the Institute.
As the DE&I head, Brunelle will be responsible for RTI’s overall global vision, strategy and leadership of programs and initiatives, and inclusivity learning and development at the organization. Serving as the senior DE&I advisor to RTI, she will partner with the RTI Executive Leadership Team to plan and implement a strategy that ensures alignment between the RTI DE&I Council and ongoing DE&I activities across the institute.
To establish RTI’s RE&I program, Valentino will be responsible for forming and managing an RE&I team and serving as the racial equity and inclusion advisor to RTI. She will lead the development and implementation of the racial equity and justice strategic roadmap, the change management strategy and plan for RE&I, as well as measure the effectiveness of RE&I initiatives to report on progress and identify opportunities for future initiatives.
“Kristina and Cara both have a demonstrated ability to build effective relationships with diverse groups of staff across RTI to operationalize our commitment to advance racial equity and justice in our workplaces and communities,” said E. Wayne Holden, PhD, RTI president and chief executive officer. “Their broad experience in change management and valued leadership of existing programs and initiatives addressing diversity, equity and inclusion within RTI positioned them well to guide our pursuit of a work environment that best illustrates our core value—respect for the individual.”
Brunelle joined RTI in 2016 as a director of organizational development and learning. She was appointed chair of the DE&I Council in October 2018. Under her leadership, the Council grew the DE&I program at RTI by increasing staff awareness and involvement through training and events, which helped the institute earn external recognition as a diverse and inclusive workplace.
“These are historic times, and RTI has an opportunity to be at the forefront of making a difference in the world when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging” said Brunelle. “I am honored to be able to help RTI move forward as we leverage our collective expertise to create a more just and equitable society.”
A certified diversity professional, Valentino was a founding member of RTI’s Black Employee Resource Group (BERG) in 2017 which now has a membership of more than 200 staff members. Valentino has served in multiple roles on the RTI DE&I Council, including training and development lead and BERG program lead. Her work outside RTI includes facilitating a meditation group for Black people to heal from race-based trauma and hosting regular community conversations on race.
“I am honored to bring my lifelong passion for racial equity to this leadership role in the new RE&I program,” said Valentino. “I vow to use my voice to promote a blend of constant internal transformation and external action at this critical time for racial equity.”
For more information, contact news@rti.org
