Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois Center for Nonprofit Excellence

Adrienne focuses on advancing DEI work. Her capabilities include:

• Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) candid conversations
• DEI/implicit bias/cultural competence/social justice workshops, presentations, webinars and assessments
• DEI research
• DEI policy development
• DEI strategic plan development
• DEI strengths coaching
• DEI e-learning curriculum development
• DEI talent acquisition and management strategy
• Diversifying STEM education to career pathways

Adrienne Coleman, Ed.D., CDP is an innovative, creative, problem centered, equity-minded leader who has contributed to the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) space for the past fifteen years. She created Candid Conversations Matter, LLC in 2018 to advance DEI work. As a speaker, researcher and DEI expert, she has influenced educational institutions, social-service organizations, law enforcement, government agencies and international groups in moving DEI work forward. She has been responsible for assessing barriers and developing strategies focused on recruiting and retaining a diverse community, designing training initiatives on equity-mindedness and cultural competency, and operationalizing DEI policies and implementing strategic plans.

In addition to her leadership with CCM, Adrienne is the director of equity and inclusion at the Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy and is a board member for the Illinois Association for Gifted Children. Adrienne served as an AmeriCorps member and was part of the United States delegation team that assisted Moldova (Eastern Europe) in addressing issues of human trafficking and inadequate health education.

Coleman was the recipient of the 2018 IMSA Presidential Leadership Award, the 2018 Top Ladies of Distinction Hidden Figures Award, the Leon Lederman Scholar's Award for year's 2013 through 2018, the 2016 NAACP Trailblazer in Education Award and the IMSA 2012 E = MC2 award for her contributions to diversity space and equity-focused research. Her globally shared equity-focused research in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) has informed programs nationally and led to the development of the D-STEM Equity Model, a comprehensive approach to diversifying the STEM education to career pipeline, from a racial perspective. View her research.