Jina is a consultant and speaker on diversity, inclusion, culture, and belonging. She creates training programs and workshops to help clients move forward in their D&I journey. She is a storyteller and speaks candidly about her experiences, hard lessons, and ‘aha’ moments that helped her understand the importance of individuality, the value of curiosity, and the courage it takes to “just” be yourself. Often described as “approachable” and “relatable” by her clients, she works with purpose and the intention of being engaging, practical, and immediately applicable to real-world situations. Jina draws from her unique background and mix of work experiences to offer examples and share insights designed to benefit everyone across the workplace ecosystem – executives, management, employees, and customers.

Previously, she was Principal Consultant at EtiennePartners (EP), a boutique consulting firm that offered a unique strategy development, workshops & coaching to leaders, executives and entrepreneurs. Co-founded with her husband, EP was a full-time partnership in both work and life. Although in different professions, their work often intersected around the importance of self-awareness in leadership and navigating conflict within teams. Combining their experiences, backgrounds, and work led to the development of their unique approach to D&I, which she continues to use in her practice today.

   

Ruth Coles Harris is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Business School Dean Emeritus at Virginia Union University and the first African-American woman to become a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  She was among the first 100 African-Americans in the United States to become CPAs.

Her 48-year career was spent at Virginia Union University as a professor and administrator, where she was the founding Dean of the Sydney Lewis School of Business.  She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, among them The State Council For Higher Education For Virginia’s Outstanding Faculty Award, The Tenneco Excellence in Teaching Award, The Sears Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award and the Fox TV Network’s Black Achiever’s Award, to name a few.

She is the inaugural recipient of the Ruth Coles Harris Advancing Diversity and Inclusion Award, which is awarded annually by the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants.  The Ruth Coles Harris Leadership Institute, established in the Sydney Lewis School of Business at Virginia Union University, is in her honor.   Harris was the recipient of the Virginia Business and Professional Women’s Leadership Award  given by the Business and Professional Women’s Association Foundation.   She was also selected by the Library of Virginia for inclusion in Virginia Women in History.   She is the recipient of the Richmond North Chapter #5356, AARP’s Community Service Award.

Because of her service to the accounting profession, she was recognized jointly by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants as Virginia’s Outstanding Accounting Educator (the first female to be so recognized by VSCPA).  She also received the Distinguished Career in Accounting Award from VSCPA.