"To better understand the diversity of others, it helps to understand our own diversity."
- Lila Kelly
About Lila
Personal Story
"Growing up in a small town in Minnesota didn't seem to offer much diversity. Sure, two of my best friends were the only African American and Asian American kids in my class, but we were kids and never talked about our differences. That is, until many years later.
I was shocked to hear some of the things that happened to them that I was unaware of as a child. This opened my eyes to a whole new world and, in 1992, started me on my diversity journey.
As I continue on this journey, I realize that gender, class, and white privilege are all part of my own diversity and affect the way that I am perceived and how I perceive others. Having traveled this journey for over 15 years allows me to relate to where others are and help them move along in their journeys. This is a life-long process as our world continues to change."
Background
Lila Kelly, Principal Consultant and Trainer with Lila Kelly Associates, has over 20 years experience in the areas of diversity, recruitment and selection, and career transition. She has worked with organizations to provide diversity education and planning; design structured interview questions and centralize recruiting efforts; coach interviewers and recruiters; and provide outplacement services.
Having worked for years with interviewers, job seekers, and diversity, she integrates the diverse perspectives of both interviewers and job applicants in her work.
Lila has a strong background in training and education. She has taught college courses on "Managing a Diverse Workforce," and has supervised over 100 students in creating diversity action plans for a variety of organizations.
Focus on the Missing Link
After seeing good applicants fall through the cracks numerous times, particularly diverse applicants, Lila realized that there is a missing link in the on-going topic of "recruitment and retention." That missing link is the interview process, which generally is not being addressed.
This realization led her to do research in this area, which included interviewing more than 60 people of diverse backgrounds to get their thoughts and experiences as job applicants going through the employment interview process.
Lila now works to bridge the gap between employers and an increasingly diverse applicant pool. She offers a unique approach to integrate diversity into the employment selection process, which helps interviewers and hiring managers "see through the eyes" of diverse applicants, including racial/ethnic, gay/lesbian, and disabilities perspectives.
Community Involvement
With strong community commitment, Lila:
- Leads a monthly diversity discussion group, sponsored by the American Society of Training and Development and Human Resources Professionals of Minnesota
- Serves as a board member for Human Resource Professionals of Minnesota
- Served on the board for the Catholic Charities Office of Social Justice - Campaign for Human Development
- Served on planning committees for diversity conferences and events
- Presents at conferences, professional luncheon meetings, and career fairs
- Worked with diverse groups of people in job-ready programs
Prior Experience and Education
Prior to starting her consulting and training business, Ms. Kelly worked as a director of human resources and recruiting manager for a computer consulting company. Lila holds a Masters in Human Development from St. Mary's University in Minneapolis and a B.A. in business management and communications from Metro State University, St. Paul, MN.
Associates
Lila belongs to a network of seasoned professionals, whom she collaborates with on an as-needed basis to develop client solutions.
