Speaker
Ten-year HR and talent management veteran Lynette Barksdale is a thought leader and change agent in tech committed to cultivating an inclusive culture both inside and outside the walls of the workplace. Entering her fourth year at Google, Lynette serves as the Interim Head of Google’s Black Community Engagement, a role she will hold until February when she becomes the Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Access, a division of Alphabet (Google’s holding company). She has responsibility for spearheading diversity and inclusion initiatives necessary to create the next pipeline of talent at the tech giant. She is also the Global Co-Chair for the company’s Black Googlers Network employee resource group and sits on the Boards of Directors for the Austin Urban League and Mainspring Schools. Prior to Google, Lynette held HR roles of increasing responsibility with Teach for America and Target Stores, developing a breadth of experience developing and managing systems to train leaders, drive improvements to diversity and retention, identify and close skills gaps, and improve HR operations. She is a DMV native and currently resides in Austin, TX.