Tennessee Voices, Episode 304: Ron Snitker, chief diversity officer, Waller
Many U.S. companies responded to the 2020 racial reckoning by increasing their investment in diversity, inclusion and equity programs.
Even in the face of legislative pushback in states including Tennessee around curriculum, literature and representation, executives saw a need to keep up the work.
Waller, a Nashville-based law firm with offices in three states, recently promoted one of its team members, Ron Snitker, to chief diversity officer.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Snitker spoke about his new role, his background and life lessons.
He said he is focused on recruitment, retention, planning and community engagement.
Snitker is the former board president of the Nashville LGBT Chamber and was on the board during a period that membership growth doubled.
We also talked about his role as an advocate in a company that is inclusive even as state laws in recent years have targeted the rights of LGBTQ citizens.
Snitker is from rural Iowa and pursued a music career as a bassoonist before deciding to go into finance.
He spoke about coming out in a previous company, how he avoided going back in the closet and making his LGBTQ identity a vital part of his personal brand.
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: Being authentic in the workplace with Ron Snitker
