Building D&I Into Team and Individual Goals

AJ Jorgenson is the Vice President of Strategic Program Engagement at The Manufacturing Institute, the non-profit affiliate of the National Association of Manufacturers. Ms. Jorgenson develops and executes all strategic operations for the Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion initiative, and the Institute’s largest program, STEP Ahead.  She is also leading industry engagements to increase the number of women in manufacturing, while developing and maintaining a network of more than 1,000 STEP Ahead alumnae.

Previously, Ms. Jorgenson oversaw national Manufacturing Day to 2,500 events nationwide, reaching 350,000 students, parents, and teachers and helped lead the Institute’s partnership with the U.S. military to assist veterans and transitioning military personnel prepare for and find jobs in manufacturing. As Communications Director, she also managed all aspects of the Institute’s communications strategy and execution, public relations and internal communications for the organization.

Prior to joining the Institute, Ms. Jorgenson worked at the NAM as the Manager of Board and Strategic Initiatives, where she was responsible for developing engagement strategies for the Board of Directors.

Previously, Ms. Jorgenson served as the Executive Coordinator of Research and Development for Mars, Incorporated. Before Mars, she worked as a programs and marketing assistant, specializing in government affairs and event planning.

Ray Dempsey, Jr. is chief diversity officer for bp America and president of the bp Foundation.  Dempsey leads a broad portfolio including national strategic relationships and initiatives, supplier diversity, workforce diversity, and philanthropy.  Since joining the company in 1990, Dempsey has held a variety of management and operational roles in engineering, strategy, finance, and external affairs in the US and abroad.

Ray comes highly acclaimed, awarded by Savoy Magazine as one of the “Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America”.  Ray holds a BS in Industrial Engineering from Kansas State University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Evanston, Illinois.

Michelle leads Ingersoll Rand’s efforts to create a Progressive, Diverse and Inclusive (PDI) work environment, a key underpinning of our winning culture.  Building upon our strong PDI foundation, Michelle refreshed our long-term strategy and approach with a focus on deeply integrating PDI into our HR, functional and business processes across the company. She works closely with company leaders and our strong network of diversity champions, councils, and Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) to define the next phase of our diversity and inclusion journey.  A diverse workforce is the primary outcome of our PDI strategy and In 2018, Michelle began leading our Talent Acquisition team as well.  She has been a passionate supporter of Ingersoll Rand’s PDI and Recruiting efforts over the years, and is a founding member of the Women’s Employee Network also serving as chair.

Michelle brings extensive HR leadership experience and has demonstrated strong acumen in HR strategy and business partnership, talent management, organizational development and learning. Most recently, Michelle was vice president of human resources for the HVAC Parts and Supply Solutions SBU, where she led HR efforts and served as a strategic partner to drive diversity, inclusion and people development across the business. In addition, Michelle brings experience from various business and HR leadership roles including sales and marketing operations, strategic sourcing, learning, organization development and change management while at Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Kohler Company and John Deere.

Aleta Richards is head of commercial operations for the Coatings, Adhesives & Specialties (CAS) business unit for Covestro LLC. In her role, Richards is a member of the Covestro U.S. Country Council.

Having started her career at Covestro (then part of Bayer) in 1990, Aleta is well acquainted with the organization and brings to the role more than 20 years’ experience in marketing, sales, human resources and general management.

She has held various leadership positions throughout the company, including time spent in the North American CAS group, where she led global key account sales and strategic marketing for four years. Aleta also served as head of the Bayer U.S. HR organization, which provided HR administrative services for roughly 14,000 Bayer employees. Most recently, Aleta served as head of regional product management for the North American Polycarbonates business.

Aleta serves as executive sponsor for the Covestro ACCESS employee resource group, an internal network for African American employees. She is also the executive co-sponsor for the CHAMPS employee resource group, which is focused on veteran employees. In addition, Aleta co-hosts a book chat for female colleagues.

A Pittsburgh native, Aleta received both her bachelor’s degree and M.B.A. in marketing and international business from the University of Pittsburgh. She continues to support the PITT Community as a Board Member of PBAN, a group dedicated to helping ensure diversity within the Katz Business School MBA Program.

Aleta and her husband, Frank, currently reside in Robinson Township, Pennsylvania.