Networking and Fighting Racism

Lisa Cooper's diversity speech explains how she built a business out of a passion for diversity while utilizing the power of networking. The New York native moved to Norway as a young professional after meeting her future husband at an American night club. Going from a very multicultural and large city to a significantly more homogeneous and smaller sized city and the assumptions, stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination she encountered as a black woman sparked her interest in diversity. She became a passionate educator and advocate for diversity in the workplace.

In 2008 she founded the Leadership Foundation with the objective of developing a company geared towards implementing diversity through consulting, projects and research. In her diversity speech, Cooper also explains how her network grew, developed and supported her throughout her career.