The Evolution of Ambition and Career Journeys for Women
Monday, May 5, 2025, 11:30 am - 1 pm
Location: The Metro Atlanta Chamber
191 Peachtree Street NE, Suite 3400
Women’s sense of ambition is evolving – while top female talent continue to seek responsibility, fewer are aiming for the C-suite roles and many are uncertain about their career goals. And, with a climate today limiting gender-specific development, ambition will surely continue to morph. This panel brings together research and expert voices to discuss shifting definitions of success, the impact of culture and technology, and how personal values shape professional journeys. Join us for an inspiring conversation about what ambition looks like now—and where it’s headed. Excellent perspective for self-reflection, managing women, coaching and mentoring women the women in our lives.
Panelists Include:
- Deisha Barnett, President Global Communications, UPS (Moderating)
- Michelle Hairston, Executive Partner and Advisor, Global Chief Human Resources Officer, Gartner
- Carol E. Henderson, Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Chief Diversity Officer, Adviser to the President, Emory University
- Helene Lollis, President and CEO, Pathbuilders
About our Speakers:
Deisha Barnett is an accomplished leader and corporate board director who counsels CEOs, shapes strategies, advocates for inclusion and builds high-performing teams. She is a passionate driver of transformation and results.
Deisha is on the board of directors for Urban Skin Rx, a skincare brand for diverse skin tones.
Deisha is also president of the global communications function at UPS where she leads all facets of storytelling targeting the company's 500,000+ employees and countless external stakeholders around the world. Deisha's team creates content that drives brand relevance, sparks employee engagement and reinforces UPS's purpose - moving our world forward by delivering what matters.
Previously, Deisha led the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s brand communications team and was the organization’s first head of DEI. Her work spanned communications, marketing and the millennial and gen Z-targeted movement, ChooseATL. She was also the architect behind ATL Action for Racial Equity which aims to address the effects of systemic racism in the Atlanta region and beyond.
For nearly a decade, Deisha was a senior leader in Walmart's communications team. Crisis and financial communications, consumer public relations (PR), philanthropy communications, DEI communications and CEO-positioning are among the areas that fell under her leadership. Deisha’s fingerprints helped position Walmart as an innovative business, trusted brand and responsible corporate citizen.
Deisha started her career in Ketchum’s consumer brands and multicultural marketing practices. She is known for her authentic leadership and impactful approach to storytelling. PRWeek described her as a “pro who represents the future of PR.”
Deisha is a proud member of the esteemed Arthur W. Page Society and PRWeek CCO Network Roundtable. She was named the 2022 Woman of Excellence by the United Way of Greater Atlanta. Her nonprofit board service includes: the Atlanta Conventions and Visitors Bureau, the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications, the Atlanta Press Club, the Grady Health Foundation, the Alliance Theatre and communications committee for Super Bowl LIII.
Deisha is a proud wife, mom and alumna of Clark Atlanta University (CAU). She has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications with a concentration in public relations. Her alma mater honored her with its 2022 Pathways to Excellence Award, one of the highest honors given to CAU alumni. She also serves on the university's board of advisors.
Michelle Hairston is Executive Partner and Advisor Global Chief Human Resources Officer at Gartner. She is a strategic Human Resources Executive dedicated to enhancing business performance and employer brand through collaborative partnerships with executives and boards to achieve organizational objectives. Proven change agent with a track record of delivering high-impact results in operational excellence and fostering a positive company culture. Specialized in gaining alignment and momentum behind ambitious, mission-critical business goals. Brings a unique perspective and practical approach, leveraging strong business acumen to enhance successful programs by identifying emerging trends and proactively adapting to challenges. Prior to her current role, she served as the Senior VP, Human Resources at PulteGroup. Hairston holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Emory University.
Carol E. Henderson (PhD) is Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion, Chief Diversity Officer, and Adviser to the President at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Henderson is responsible for leading the institution’s efforts on DEI. In June 2023, goals were chosen from a list of over 200 recommendations and presented to the community as Emory’s North Star for JEDI in Towards a More Inclusive Emory: Building Blocks of Transformation. These goals are now being socialized for implementation.
In October 2022, under Henderson’s leadership, Emory University was one of 103 institutions nationally, to be awarded the 2022 Insight into Diversity Higher Education Excellence in Diversity(HEED) Award. This honor recognizes colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion. In October 2023, Emory became a three-time winner of this award.
Prior to this appointment, Henderson served as the inaugural Vice Provost for Diversity at theUniversity of Delaware. During her tenure in that role, she led the university in a DEI strategic planning process as well which garnered UD three institutional awards: 2017 SHRM D & I Gold Award(co-winner), and two Insight into Diversity HEED Awards in 2017 and 2018. Prior to her appointment as Vice Provost for Diversity, Henderson served as associate director/director of undergraduate studies of then Black American Studies, and subsequently became the first chair of the department.
Henderson has spent over twenty-five years in higher education, over two decades teaching in the classroom, and is an award-winning recipient of several community, professional, teaching, and research awards, including the 2024 Administrator Excellence Award, All Black Emory, 2024 recognition for chair leadership in the Association of American Universities (AAU) Chief Diversity Officer collective, 2023 Diamond Award Excellence in Educational Leadership, Diversity | Equality | Inclusion, Humanitarian & Community Engagement from the Not Alone Foundation, and the 2023 Rising Star Award from the National Association for Diversity Officer in Higher Education (NADOHE). In 2020, Henderson was presented the Faculty Impact Award for outstanding contributions in higher education by the Women of Color Initiative, Atlanta Collaborative in Higher Education (WOCI).
She is the author/editor of six books, the special issue editor of five journal collections and has published numerous essays in critical volumes and journals. Her recent chapter, “How and When I Enter: Pearls of Wisdom for Courageous Leadership in the Academy,” is published in Dear Department Chair: Letters from Black Women Leaders to the Next Generation, Eds. Evans, Shonekan, and Adams (fall 2023). Her edited book Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education Today: Narratives of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion was published by Routledge Press in August 2024.
Henderson received her undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles, her Master of Arts in English from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and her doctorate from the University of California, Riverside. She is Professor Emerita of English and Africana Studies at the University of Delaware.
Helene Lollis has been the keeper of the vision for Pathbuilders for more than 20 years, leading the team in transforming women into leaders and organizational cultures into environments where female high-performers will thrive. As President and Chief Executive Officer, she guides strategic direction and program development, providing high-level participation with clients. Helene is extremely active in the community. She is a past chair and on the executive board of Junior Achievement of Georgia and received the Gold Leadership Award from the Junior Achievement USA Board of Directors for her service to the organization. She is a trustee of the Woodruff Arts Center and serves on the boards of the NC State University Engineering Foundation and the Rotary Club of Atlanta. She is a member of the International Women’s Forum and the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers. Helene was proud to be recognized as one of Atlanta’s Most Admired CEOs by the Atlanta Business Chronicle in 2020, and in 2022 was named a member of the inaugural class of Georgia Titans. Trained as an engineer, she spent 12 years with Amoco and BP Corporations in plastics process design, product development, marketing, strategic planning and company mergers and acquisitions. She received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemical engineering from NC State and Purdue Universities.
