Race and Respectful Conversations - Rev. Odell Cleveland, Bill Goebel and Deshawn Adams

Two black democrats and two white republicans - who happen to be friends - come together for a candid conversation about race, Black Lives Matter and finding common ground. Rev. Odell Cleveland and Bill Goebel from Common Ground Podcast https://thecommonground.show Deshawn Adams - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Google https://www.linkedin.com/in/deshawnadams/ A native of Greensboro, NC, Deshawn Adams is Global Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)  Program Manager at Google. In his role, Deshawn is responsible for building and scaling DEI programs across Google and providing business leaders the knowledge and skills needed to build a more representative and inclusive company. Prior to joining Google, he advised Fortune 100 companies in technology, media, and entertainment industries as a human capital consultant at Deloitte, a global consulting firm. He began his career at UPS’s corporate office in Atlanta, GA after converting his internship into a full-time opportunity in CRM Technology and Sales during his time at Morehouse College.Deshawn received his B.A. in English from Morehouse College in 2015.

Odell Cleveland is a nationally recognized leader helping diverse groups reach common ground related to pressing social problems. He has decades of experience in business and nonprofit agency leadership, as well as expertise related to addressing tough societal issues. Having grown up in poverty, he has seen safety nets turn into hammocks. One of his goals is to help individuals untangle these hammocks/safety nets and lead productive and fulfilling lives.

He provides consulting services to individuals and other organizations, with specific expertise related to poverty, welfare reform and community relations. Odell has been called on by national think tanks such as the Urban Institute and the American Enterprise Institute, as well as many local and regional organizations to provide insights that lead to solutions. He is a motivational speaker, executive trainer and an esteemed meeting facilitator, leading diverse groups through tough issues and uncomfortable conversations, while at the same time understanding the common ground that leads to positive solutions.

On the administrative front in the nonprofit world, he has expertise in legal requirements related to setting up and running agencies, board member selection and training, controlling growth, financial stability, preventing mission drift and understands the business skills required to accomplish agency mission.

On the podcast Odell talks often about his grandmother who was a member of The Gullah Geechee people.

Bill Goebel has thirty years’ experience in senior management in training, marketing, sales, licensing, manufacturing, importing & exporting and finance. Bill teaches many subject areas including culture change, leadership, LEAN, troubleshooting, problem solving, and team building. He has provided instruction to over 30 different organizations.

He is the owner and President of MPACT Solutions LLC, a training company that provides online and hands-on instruction. MPACT has a propriety online skill assessment for identifying the technical skill gap for maintenance technicians and machine operators. He also owns a franchise of Focus CFO Focus CFO, a provider of fractional CFOs. 

He has been on numerous boards for both profit and nonprofit organizations. 

He recently served on a team that started a bank to service small business commercial loans in NC. 

Bill is an Eagle Scout and currently serves as Vice Chair of Territory 15 of BSA. He is a Silver Beaver and Silver Antelope Award recipient, and a Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow. He served as Area 7 President for BSA. 

For the past 18 years, he has mentored high school boys from his local church. He has been on 13 short term mission tr