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DEMETRIOUSE RUSSELL

Diversity & Inclusion Partner

Founder & Managing Director
Venn Diagram Partners, LLC

Professional Background
 

Demetriouse Russell is a speaker, relationship builder and consultant who has earned a seat in the C-Suite as a trusted advisor to senior-level executives. Demetriouse specializes in the intersection between leadership development, inclusion, equity, diversity and executive coaching.  He has helped scores of leaders become more inclusive as a strategic imperative to drive results.  He has worked with leaders from The Partnership, Inc., Southern New Hampshire University, Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, KippsDeSanto & Co., Eastern Bank, West Point, The Carlyle Group, Viacom, Catalyte, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, Tufts Health Plan, British-Consulate General, Synchrony Financial, TJX, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, National Financial Partners, and United Way Worldwide as a facilitator and coach to help them build equitable and inclusive organizations. Demetriouse launched Venn Diagram Partners, LLC a global consulting collaborative, in June 2017. To achieve his vision of helping individuals feel like they belong and can belong authentically in their organizations, Demetriouse partners with thought leaders and experts from around the globe. He is the creator and facilitator of the “To Lead or Not to Lead?” workshop that takes leaders on a journey of self-discovery about their self-awareness, emotional intelligence and personal leadership branding.
 

Formerly, Demetriouse served as Director of Client Solutions at Bates Communications, a consulting firm that specializes in communicative leadership influenced by executive presence, where he developed new relationships with Fortune 1000 clients.  Prior to that, he was Director of Strategic Partnerships at Linkage, Inc., a global leadership development firm, where he was responsible for business development, managing key accounts, designing customized leadership development programs, consulting and co-facilitating workshops.  Prior to his role at Linkage, he was a Director of Corporate Relations and Market Development at Harvard Business School’s Executive Education division where he managed leading global organizations that sought comprehensive leadership development for targeted high-potential talent.  He also led the Performance Metrics Task Force for the executive education division.  Prior to his role at Harvard Business School Executive Education, Demetriouse co-Founded the Youth Development Coalition, a non-profit focused on providing educational and athletic enrichment for underexposed youth in the Greater Boston area and Israel.  For this groundbreaking initiative, he received a citation from the Honorable Governor Deval Patrick for Outstanding Community Service.
 

Prior to co-Founding the Youth Development Coalition. Demetriouse served as the Director of Private Equity for Progress Investment Management Company with responsibility for a $250 million portfolio of women and minority-owned private equity fund-of-funds investments. Prior to that, Demetriouse led the development and implementation of the Collateral and Technical Assistance Loan Fund (CATA) during his tenure at the Massachusetts Community Development Finance Corporation.  He collaborated with the HUD $187 million HUD Demonstration Disposition Program, Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, Massachusetts Economic Investment Corporation and local banks to lead the rehabilitation of inner-city public housing in Greater Boston. CATA made loans to women and minority contractors at a 100% success rate with no losses under his leadership.
 

Demetriouse participated in the “Men Advocating Real Change (MARC)” workshop hosted by PAREXEL and facilitated by Catalyst. Demetriouse co-facilitated workshop in Diversity and Inclusion with participants from Eastern Bank, United Way Worldwide, United States Airforce, TJX, and NFL. He co-facilitated a “Strategic HR Business Partner” workshop for PAREXEL. He co-facilitated a “Advancing Women in Leadership” program for the top 30 women at National Financial Partners.  He was a co-Team Leader for the 11 most senior women at the Linkage’s Women in Leadership Institute.  He led a “Leadership Team Effectiveness” workshop for the Greater Boston Morehouse College Alumni Association. He led a Strategic Planning Session for the Boston Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
 

For his education, he attended Middlebury College and transferred to Morehouse College where earned a BA in History, magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He attended the London School of Economics during his junior year on a prestigious Luard Morse Fellowship. He was also a Rhodes Scholar candidate. He received his MBA from Harvard Business School. He has served as a Global Ambassador for the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association, Steering Committee for the celebration of the African-American Student Union 50-year anniversary of the school’s first African-American graduate. He serves on the Harvard Business School African-American Alumni Association Transition Leadership Team He Co-Chairs the HBS Section K fundraising committee and mentors HBS students.  He serves on the UNCF New England Leadership Council for the 75th Anniversary. He serves on Eastern Bank’s Business Equity Fund Initiative Investment Committee in collaboration with The Boston Foundation
He has been featured in Forbes.com: “The Right Way to be a Mentor,” and in the book, Women, Minorities, & Other Extraordinary People, a New Path for Workforce Diversity by Dr. Barbara Adams. He was a guest speaker at West Point on the topic of “To Lead or Not to Lead?”. He was selected by National Grid’s Alliance of Black Professionals as the Keynote Speaker on the topic of “How to build your brand that Identifies You as a HIPO?”. He delivered a keynote workshop on the topic of “Why Values-Based Leadership Matters?” to Wellington Management’s SHADES Business Network. He blogs on leadership topics, especially as they relate to advancing women, equity, inclusion and belonging.

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