Executive director, Staff Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement in Institute Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Pearl Alexander
The Early Years:
“I came to Georgia Tech in 1987, and my first job was in personnel systems in Human Resources. I was hired to implement a new requirement called the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which ensured people’s eligibility to work in the United States. The regulations were new, so it was a challenging job.
You didn’t see women with professional titles like director or vice president. There was a handful of women of color who were faculty leaders, like Dorothy Yancey, Catherine Ross, and Georgia Persons. So, I looked up to those women as role models for how to succeed at Georgia Tech.”
Proudest Achievements:
“In my career I’m most proud of being part of Georgia Tech’s diversity, equity, and inclusion evolution — from the very beginnings of promoting equity and equal opportunity to now having a strategic plan for diversity, equity, and inclusion for the first time in my 35 years here. I’m also proud of being part of the creation of the Inclusive Leaders Academy and the Leading Women at Tech program, where we focus on strengthening women in leadership roles and support their career development. Another achievement has been leading community dialogues around conversations we needed to bring healing and foster change.”
Changes I Would Like to See:
“We need to recognize the amazing staff we have and find ways to help them advance and fulfill their career desires for however long they are at Tech. We can do a better job of succession planning to retain talented and strong contributors. Another thing that’s important is recognizing that we don’t always have to find talent externally. I don’t know why we often think that we can find better talent somewhere else. Then we lose our great homegrown talent to someplace else.”
