Celebrations for Pride Month, which recognizes the LGBTQ+ community throughout June, begins next week! At Protiviti, we take great joy in honoring diversity within our firm, as our organization stands united in fostering an inclusive workspace that champions personal authenticity.
Our theme for this year’s Pride Month, “Together Toward Tomorrow”, calls on us to share our unique perspectives and experiences that will enrich our understanding of the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Engage with us as we strive to build a brighter, more inclusive future together, provide opportunities to hear LGBTQ+ voices, and celebrate the diversity of our community. Throughout the month, the proPRIDE Employee Network Group, will be hosting events to create awareness, share our stories and celebrate our community.
Today, we are sharing the stories of proPRIDE leaders. Read more below!
Chenell York, Senior Manager, Digital – Atlanta
How are you connected to proPRIDE and/or Protiviti’s inclusion efforts?
It’s meaningful to be part of a community within Protiviti that not only recognizes but actively celebrates LGBTQ+ identities. proPRIDE has given me a space to feel seen and supported, while also offering opportunities to advocate for inclusion across the firm. My involvement reflects a commitment to ensuring that others—especially those who are just beginning to navigate their identities at work—know they’re not alone and that there’s room for all of us to thrive here.
Why is allyship for the LGBTQ+ community important to you?
Allyship matters because silence can feel like indifference—or worse, complicity. I’ve seen how powerful it is when people use their voice to uplift and protect others. As someone who values fairness and authenticity, I want to ensure LGBTQ+ colleagues and friends never have to question whether they belong. Being an ally means standing beside them not just during Pride Month, but every day—in meetings, in conversations, and in shaping our culture.
How can we foster a more inclusive environment in our communities and workplaces to ensure that everyone feels valued and respected?
It starts with listening—really listening—to lived experiences different from our own and then drive action from what we’ve learned. Inclusion means designing systems, policies, and day-to-day practices that reflect diverse perspectives. We can foster inclusion by challenging biases, advocating for equitable opportunities, and celebrating difference as a strength, not a barrier.
Each of us has unique contributions to make. What is one action you believe every individual, regardless of their background, can take to create a more inclusive tomorrow?
One powerful action is to speak up—whether that means amplifying someone’s idea in a meeting, correcting a harmful stereotype, or simply asking thoughtful questions. Inclusion grows when we step out of passive observation and into active participation. Small, consistent actions like these create ripple effects that reshape cultures.
Steven Stachowicz, Managing Director, R&C – Chicago
How are you connected to proPRIDE and/or Protiviti’s inclusion efforts?
I am a member of proPride and Protiviti’s Parents Network employee network groups, both nationally as well as locally in Chicago. I am proud to work alongside many talented leaders and colleagues that give voice to the diverse perspectives of our workplace, and that volunteer willingly and tirelessly to create a culture of awareness, inclusion and community.
Why is allyship for the LGBTQ+ community important to you?
We all need the voices of our family, friends and colleagues when we are together and need to talk, but very importantly we need those voices to talk when we are not together. Allies create safe spaces in their willingness to support, advocate and include. Differences can create a separateness, but allies create a sense of belonging. We celebrate together, we tackle prejudice and lack of awareness together, and we build a togetherness that fosters inclusion, hope, progress.
How can we foster a more inclusive environment in our communities and workplaces to ensure that everyone feels valued and respected?
In my experience, we foster a more inclusive environment when we listen and we learn. We each have all the tools to be inclusive, empathetic, and aware, but being so takes doing so, and doing so takes practice. No one is perfect, and people make mistakes – when we give each other the grace to make mistakes and learn from them, we grow together far more closely than we were before. It is said that when you know better, do better. I do not believe that inclusivity is a “given” – it is a series of actions and behaviors we all need to practice. The effect is powerful.
Each of us has unique contributions to make. What is one action you believe every individual, regardless of their background, can take to create a more inclusive tomorrow?
When we learn more about others’ backgrounds, we become far more capable of understanding the values and the challenges communities face, and why they are so impactful to the people that show up every day in our lives. I may not be able to literally walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, but why would that stop me from learning more, becoming more aware, and respectfully relating to that person? I think it is true that all of us uniquely contribute to the workplace, and fostering an inclusive environment is the way that we create a space for all of us to learn how we contribute and to benefit from the contributions of others.
By embracing diversity and fostering an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, we create a stronger, more vibrant community. Happy Pride Month!
