Elizabeth Garza-Guidara
SHE / HER / HERS
A Korean American adoptee and military veteran, Liz Garza-Guidara is the founder of Inclusiio Consulting LLC. By highlighting the structural nature of oppression, she helps everyone better understand how implicit bias is systematically reinforced in institutions and in society—so organizations can create and sustain cultures of belonging.
Creating a more inclusive society starts at the top of the food chain – lions must challenge systems of power, privilege, and oppression for mice to thrive.
Popular Talks
Boosting Corporate Revenue via Equity Consciousness: Creating Products & Services to Meet Diverse Customer Needs
Our world is comprised of diverse communities with unique needs, perspectives, and backgrounds. By designing products and services to meet the unique needs of diverse demographic groups, companies can cast a wider net for potential customers.
How Promoting Belonging Gives Your Company a Competitive Edge
Everyone wants to feel seen, heard, and valued. Fully embracing a culture of belonging promotes diversity of thought, ignites innovation, and retains top talent.
Catalyzing Organizational Growth via Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a powerful vehicle for sustainable organizational growth, but to harness it fully means integrating its principles of dignity, respect, trust and transparency into systems, policies, and procedures. Doing this entails shifting away from the conventional “check the box” DEI mindset to encouraging everyone to hold each other accountable for actions that promote as well as undermine DEI.
“Liz and I partnered on efforts to empower Afro-Colombian girls in Cartagena, Colombia. Her deep understanding of systemic racism, sexism, and classism in the Latin American context enabled her to address institutional barriers and racial inequities that these girls routinely face. Her expertise in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion helped my nonprofit to develop a mentorship program for these girls. Liz led a workshop that gave them the opportunity to map out long term goals, create action plans, and be matched with female Afro-Colombian mentors in their respective professions of interest. Her innovative approach to equity increased the girls’ accessibility to educational and socioeconomic resources while making career planning more equitable.”
– Julie Roy González Güeto, Founder & CEO of Fundación Koinonia
“Elizabeth Garza-Guidara is a solid leader and an exceptionally talented Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility strategist. Liz’s keen cultural competence enables her to build relationships with a broad and highly diverse group of people. Her profound personal experiences, authenticity, and deep commitment to social justice contributed to her lasting positive effects on our organization; her legacy will be felt for decades to come!
She is an excellent coalition builder who can foster a culture of belonging at any organization by helping to define what organizational success looks like by quickly identifying barriers to inclusion and synchronization and discovering opportunities for growth. Liz transformed Joint Interagency Task Force South’s institutional culture by making international collaboration more inclusive, equitable, and accessible for senior personnel from 20 Latin American and European nations. Her brilliant and multi-layered efforts contributed to strategic level goals and strengthened our organization’s partnerships with 20 nations. I highly recommend Liz as a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility keynote speaker, consultant, and workshop facilitator.”
– Dr. Tony Williams, Director for Logistics at Joint Interagency Task Force South
“Liz is a subject matter expert on corporate and societal dynamics that impact marginalized groups. Instead of compartmentalizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into a separate line of effort, Liz integrated DEI into a 550-member organization’s institutional culture. She did this by championing storytelling and narrative change during variety of workshops and events that she led. She demonstrated this as a 2021 keynote speaker during Asian American and Pacific Islander History Month. Her insight contextualized COVID-19 hate crimes against Asian Americans within the broader history of Asian American marginalization in the US for a 300-person audience. This is just one of many examples of how she not only cultivated a culture of psychological safety for everyone, but also empowered marginalized group members to share their experiences and perspectives without fear of retribution. Liz also led and conducted international women’s speaker series events, which highlighted the importance of empowering women in the defense and security sectors to executive leadership and to foreign Vice Chiefs of Defense. Liz’s passion, brilliance, and empathy combined with her social justice expertise and lived experiences distinguish her as an incredible strategist, speaker, and facilitator that any organization would be lucky to have.”
– Joshua Ramos, IT System Administrator at Bizzell Corporation
“Liz is an exceptional social impact leader. One of the many things I admire and respect about Liz is her natural ability to facilitate progress while bringing people together under a common vision for the greater good. As the Director of Community Engagement for the National Association of Asian American Professionals – Washington DC (NAAAP – DC) chapter, Liz advances health, economic, social justice, and educational equity and accessibility for the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community in the Washington, DC area. Liz also skillfully builds coalitions with other communities of color and marginalized groups in order to advance social justice as a collective voice.”
– Stanley Y. Fujii, Board of Trustee at NAAAP DC
Liz Garza-Guidara is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) consultant, a social justice advocate, a US Air Force veteran, and a female Korean American adopted by an Italian American family. She is also married to a wonderful man from Mexico. Her background alone made DEIA not only deeply personal to her, but also a lived truth throughout her entire life.
Liz lived and worked in 4 different countries on 4 different continents, which equipped her with a deep understanding of patterns of oppression in a variety of cultural contexts. She experienced and actively challenged racism and sexism during her time abroad and in the US. Liz’s time abroad was enriched by the expertise on race, power, and privilege that she obtained from both of her Master’s degrees. Liz has a proven track record of successfully implementing DEIA initiatives. Liz fostered an inclusive climate for a 550-member organization by launching a gender equality program and serving as a facilitator and a keynote speaker.
Amid the spike in racially motivated violence from 2020 until the present in the US, Liz served as a spokesperson at her organization’s racial injustice workshops. Additionally, Liz served as a keynote speaker for 300-person audiences during Women’s History Month and Asian American and Pacific Islander History (AAPI) Month. By highlighting the structural nature of oppression, she helped everyone to better understand how implicit bias is systematically reinforced in institutions and in society.
Liz is a fearless trailblazer. Whether she was launching a mentorship program for socioeconomically disadvantaged Afro-Colombian girls in Cartagena, Colombia or acting in a bilingual theatrical production in Florence, Italy dedicated to promoting gender equality, Liz has consistently demonstrated her commitment to posing challenging questions, engaging in courageous conversations, and offering strategic ways forward.
Let’s collaborate to ensure a transformative experience.