Staff Blog: Putting Diversity First with Torri Staton

Monday, January 15 is the 116th Founders Day celebration of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, and Torri Staton, Ph.D., who serves as the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity for the Raleigh Chamber, and the Director of Equitable Economic Development for Wake County Economic Development, is proud to be a member of the Sorority. Torri has been associated with the Raleigh Chamber for almost two years and has previously worked in the education sector for more than a decade. Torri initiated her DEI work in her previous roles and is thrilled to continue advocating for DEI policies in the business community.

​According to Torri, working at the Triangle DEI Alliance (a program of the Raleigh Chamber) is enjoyable because it allows her to witness the positive impact of the DEI advocacy work accomplished by the Chamber and connect with members of the community. Torri also uses the power of the Chamber to shift the way the business community thinks and approaches DEI work and is happy that she gets to help more diverse businesses utilize the Chamber’s resources.
​While you can usually find Torri talking to community members and investors about new ways to implement DEI policies in their workplaces and across the Triangle, Torri also values planning events with her team. Torri works with DEI Coordinator Serenia Parsons to plan programs such as We Connect and Courageous Conversation, one of Torri’s favorite programs to host and attend. Torri admires the Courageous Conversation series because it offers an excellent platform to raise awareness about significant community issues and engage in meaningful discussions.
​Torri often uses the events planning skills she learned in her sorority to plan DEI events. As an Alpha Kappa Alpha woman, Torri has learned the importance of making connections and loves seeing her sorority members who often attend the Chamber’s DEI events. Torri is excited about her work moving forward, especially progress centered around the A Better Wake Blueprint to Dismantle Systemic Racism. If you want to learn more about this Blueprint and how it is pushing important conversations in the business community, check it out here.