From CPA to Creating Southwest's Culture: A Positively Disruptive Conversation w/ Liji Thomas - Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer at Metropolitan Water District of SoCal | The DEI Disruptors

Join us as we have a conversation about going from working as a CPA to leading the creation and deployment of Southwest's award-winning DEI strategy and pivoting into equity in beauty then water with Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, Liji Thomas.

Liji began her career lobbying on Capitol Hill for an increase in housing for low-income women and children. In 2005, Liji joined Countrywide as a Project Manager and quickly rose through the ranks to become Assistant Vice President of Compliance and Risk Management. In this role, she oversaw compliance and risk assessment in Countrywide’s offshore operations and authored Countrywide’s Model for Offshore Compliance, a cross-functional, global, risk-based approach to the company’s compliance efforts. In 2008, Liji joined the Internal Audit Department of Southwest Airlines. During her time in Internal Audit, Liji led the company’s first Capitalization of Labor Audit and published an article advancing thought leadership in the space in the 2010 issue of Internal Auditor magazine. She then assumed a role as Manager of Business Strategy, implementing new business initiatives impacting over 3,600 individuals. These initiatives included strategies to increase revenue, improve customer experience and realize process efficiencies. In the first six months of 2012, Liji impacted revenue generation in excess of $40 million. As a testament to her leadership, Liji Thomas was shoulder-tapped to help build diversity and inclusion efforts for Southwest Airlines. In this role, she informed all aspects of diversity and inclusion for the nation's largest domestic airline and helped align Southwest Airlines culture with an award-winning diversity and inclusion strategy. Liji then led diversity and inclusion efforts for both Southern California Edison, an investor-owned public utility, as well as Beautycounter, a high-growth clean beauty and cosmetics company, before being named the inaugural Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer for the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the largest supplier of treated water in the United States, responsible for delivering water to 19 million residents across Southern California. In her current role, Liji oversees workforce development efforts, business outreach, community engagement and the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council, consisting of representation from ten (10) employee resource groups and five (5) labor unions, and seeks to strengthen the organization’s commitment to equity and inclusion across all stakeholder groups.

Liji is married and is the proud mom of two girls. In her spare time, Liji contributes to various charitable and civic causes. She is a Former Jesuit Volunteer and a 1998 graduate of Vanderbilt University. She has an MBA in Finance, a Master’s degree in Accounting and a Master’s degree in Information Technology Management and Consulting and holds CPA, CIA, CRMA and SHRM- CP designations. She was chosen to deliver her graduate school commencement address and is a graduate of the Leadership Dallas Class of 2017.

The podcast is hosted by Dr. Britney Scott, a physician, black belt in lean six sigma, DEI process improvement thought leader and enthusiast. She is also the founder of The Clinic Doctor consulting practice where they create systems that sustain diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplaces. The podcast is powered by The Clinic Doctor.

The Clinic Doctor is a process improvement consulting firm specializing in diversity, equity, and inclusion within healthcare. We use process improvement to help you create happier employees and better bottomline. Connect with us at [e-mail] or learn more about us at www.clinicdoctorconsulting.com.

Connect with our guest: 

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