A Narrative Strategic Approach to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Charles M. Henderson, Jr.

Charles Henderson is a seasoned coach, trainer and facilitator with extensive global experience in managing diversity and empowering workers. Since 1986, Charles has worked with leaders from 25 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, the Middle East and the USA.

In 1991, individuals close to Nelson Mandela invited Charles to South Africa to assist with the transition from the inequitable and oppressive system of apartheid to a modern government that embraces the diversity of all its citizens.

Since then, he has worked with countless executives changing mindsets on race in a cross-section of multinational organizations including Nike, Citibank, all the major banks in South Africa, and in government and non-profit organizations. Most notably, he has worked with leaders at the World Bank in Asia, Africa and the USA.

Charles was awarded the prestigious Johnson & Johnson Fellowship to attend Harvard Business School. In his first year, he was elected President of the African American Students Union (“AASU”) and was widely credited with advancing his fellow classmates’ knowledge and understanding of racial and cultural diversity. Charles was also instrumental in the hiring and retention of a prominent African American professor at HBS and the acceptance of the first black South African to be admitted into the MBA program. In the wake of George Floyd’s murder, Charles was asked by the Dean of HBS to collaborate with their newly-formed, school-wide Anti-Racism Taskforce.

Currently, Charles is a Senior Educator and Coach in the executive education programs at Duke Corporate Education and Henley Business School in South Africa. He has created the popular Master Class, “Heroin to Harvard - Lead with the Story of Your Life”, which uses Charles’ amazing life journey to present a powerful and effective approach to leadership development. "Heroin to Harvard" is currently being adapted into a memoir on authentic leadership storytelling.

Before coming to South Africa, Mr. Henderson worked as a risk analyst with JPMorgan Chase and in the world headquarters of Otis Corporation, where he advised the president on diversity, equity and inclusion. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Finance from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Susan S. Harmeling, Ph.D.

Susan Harmeling's passion and academic research focuses on the intersection of business and ethical issues, which has informed her strong advocacy for increasing equity of opportunity in organizations. She is currently Professor of Clinical Entrepreneurship at the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California where she consistently receives high ratings and exceedingly enthusiastic student reviews for her teaching skills. Previously, Susan was a Tenured Associate Professor of Management at Howard University, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious HBCU (Historically Black College and University), where she taught management, entrepreneurship, and ethics.

Of note is that Susan's specialty, the Case Method, has been demonstrated to be the most effective training technique for complex, unresolved and difficult subjects - such as the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion that are faced today by so many organizations. Because it employs a narrative-based, participatory approach for presenting sensitive interpersonal scenarios and thorny management challenges and utilizes a discussion-based strategy for resolving outstanding issues, the Case Method is ideally suited for DE&I programs, where participants gain skills in communication, critical thinking, group dynamics and resolution. This kind of active, contextual and inductive learning achieves long-term retention and personal transformation, which are the two most critical components required for realizing deep and permanent organizational change.

Over her distinguished career, Susan has authored dozens of Harvard Business School Case Studies that have been taught to thousands of students and MBA classes around the world. She is an acknowledged global expert on the Case Method of instruction and the founder of the International Case Method Institute. She also served for a number of years as a Facilitator in the Case Method Program at Harvard Business School Publishing.  Her deep knowledge of case methodology is widely sought after, and she has taught extensively in executive education programs and seminars everywhere from Europe to Africa to Latin America. In addition, she has researched and developed tailored case studies on a wide cross-section of business topics for clients all over the world. 

Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Spanish Languages and Literature from Harvard University, an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics from the University of Virginia.