Mayor Ginther Appoints Damita Brown Chief Diversity Officer
Mayor Andrew J. Ginther has
appointed Damita Brown Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of Diversity and
Inclusion. Beverly Stallings-Johnson has accepted a position at Wendy’s. Her
last day with the city will be March 12.
“Damita is particularly
suited to take on the role of Chief Diversity Officer,” said Mayor Ginther. “She
has shepherded the Disparity Study through every step and has been key to
keeping minority participation at record levels on many projects including the
new Crew stadium. The community has faith and trust in Damita, and so do I.”
“I am grateful to Beverly for
her service to our city. Thanks to her leadership, even during the tumultuous
last year, we were able to support small, women and minority owned businesses, by
streamlining our internal processes, connecting them with financial resources
and technical assistance, and forging innovative new partnerships,” Mayor
Ginther continued. “I wish her great success as the new Vice President and Chief
Diversity Officer for Wendy’s Worldwide.”
Brown has been with the
Office of Diversity and Inclusion since 2016, serving as deputy director and
interim director. Prior to coming to the city, Brown was a vice president for
supplier diversity with Huntington Bank and has also worked with for the
Columbus Regional Airport Authority and the United Way of Central Ohio. She
holds a master’s degree in public administration from the Ohio State University
and a bachelor’s degree in political science, history and ethnic studies from
Capital University.
“I am thrilled to lead the
Office of Diversity and Inclusion to help the city address some of its toughest
challenges,” said Brown. “I appreciate Mayor Ginther’s confidence in me and
look forward to making a lasting difference in how the city addresses minority
and gender participation in supplier contracts and the workplace.”
Mayor Ginther created the
Office of Diversity and Inclusion in the first days of his first term. It has
been instrumental in implementing implicit bias training for employees,
increasing the diversity of police and fire, and completing the first Disparity
Study in Columbus since 1993.