The Better Maine Conference: Building Inclusive Workplaces

Laura Shen joined WEX in 2019. As the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Laura is responsible for articulation and global execution of WEX’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy. She previously led strategy & planning for WEX’s Corporate Payments line of business. At WEX, Laura also sits on the Corporate Philanthropy Committee. Prior to WEX, Laura managed client engagements at L.E.K. Consulting, a boutique strategy consulting firm. Prior to LEK, Laura served in a Chief of Staff role at the World Bank and before that began her career at Citibank. Laura holds an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a Bachelor’s from Georgetown University in Washington, DC. She is a Trustee of Georgetown’s George F. Baker Scholar Program and a Board Member at Rippleffect and the Telling Room.

Margo Walsh has over 20 years of experience in recruiting, staffing and employee development. Recruiting for the Investment Banking Division within Goldman Sachs, Margo worked to develop the Diversity Round Table in order to provide mentorship and assimilation support for people of diverse backgrounds. For ten years following she recruited for the rapid expansion of the international human resources consulting firm, Hewitt. While at Hewitt she worked to incorporate the curriculum of the American Institute for Managing Diversity and targeted recruiting for Asia. In 2014 MaineWorks was recognized as the most successful innovative business in the State of Maine by SCORE. Margo Walsh was honored as one of five Women to Watch by MaineBiz Magazine. MaineWorks is featured on the video for the Federal Minimum Wage Campaign. With a passion for economic and social development, Margo has steered MaineWorks to recently receive Certification as a B-Corporation which demonstrates that her for profit-company has a specific and measurable social mission. Margo grew up in Cumberland, Maine and graduated from Waynflete School in Portland. After earning a BA in Psychology from Wheaton College, Margo moved to New York City and began a career in College and MBA recruiting.

Stephanie founded IntWork in 2019. As a recruiter, Stephanie connects employers to BIPOC and immigrant candidates, primarily in STEM-related fields. When she is consulting, Stephanie helps leadership teams adapt to system changes to address DEI goals, as well as training front-line staff. Prior to IntWork, Stephanie was the Manager of Interpreter and Cross-Cultural Services at Maine Medical Center. At NYC Health and Hospitals, Stephanie was Founder and Senior Director of Health Equity & Center for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS), where she helped to reduce cultural and linguistic barriers across 11 public hospitals. Stephanie also Co-Chaired and Co-Founded HHC’s Equity Council, an executive strategic body tasked with identifying and addressing disparities. Stephanie holds an MBA from the Zicklin School of Business, and is the recipient of the Disparities Leadership Program Award from Harvard Medical School.

Marwa, her husband, and their four children have called Bangor their home since 2005. Marwa, the daughter of Egyptian immigrants, grew up in Stillwater, Oklahoma before moving to the east coast with her husband. She earned her Master’s Degree in Curriculum, Assessment, and Instruction from the University of Maine in Orono, and is now a Doctoral student in the Literacy Education program. Marwa also received DEI certification from Yale and Cornell Universities. She is the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Northern Light Health and a Tutor Trainer for the Literacy Volunteers of Bangor. She currently serves on the Boards of Directors of the Maine Multicultural Center, the Good Shepherd Food Bank, the Bangor Y, and the Auxiliary of the Penobscot County Medical Society. Additionally, she was elected to serve her first term on the Bangor School Committee in November 2019, for which she is the current chairwoman. She is running for re-election in November 2022. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, reading, cooking, running, and taking boxing classes.

Sebastiane joined MaineHeath’s DEI department in fall of 2020. Currently they serve as the DEI Specialist creating educational programs for MaineHealth’s CareTeam members and management. Sebastiane has an extensive background in cross-cultural psychology, professional education, and working across a variety of nonprofits, from healthcare to small grassroots organizations. In addition to their role with the DEI department, Sebastiane is a psychology PHD candidate, and serves on the board of several nonprofit organizations including those within the LGBTQ community, working with post-combat veterans suffering from PTSD, and within the field of anti-racism.

Madison began working for MaineHealth in 2016 and has been with the organization’s DEI department since January 2022. She was originally drawn to DEI by a desire to facilitate affirming experiences for employees, but much of her work currently involves health equity and improving data collection necessary to identify and address health inequities experienced by historically marginalized populations. Additionally, Madison assists with developing and delivering educational content, and is particularly passionate about championing inclusive language.

Ella Bowman has been the Town of Oakland’s town manager since 2014. As town manager, Ella is in charge of hiring all town employees, supervision of twelve department heads, developing and managing the annual budget, representing the Town of Oakland at various functions, both within the town as well as on different boards within the region. Prior to taking the job as town manager, Ella worked as a patrol officer for the Oakland Police Department. She served in this position for fifteen years. Additionally, Ella has a history of working in leadership positions, having owned a local business for a ten years span, as well as working as a foreman in the lumber industry. Ella is a graduate of Madison High School. She attended the University of Maine, attaining a degree in Forestry. She has five children and five grandchildren. In her spare time, Ella enjoys taking motorcycle rides, mountain biking, hiking, ocean kayaking, snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, and spending time around the house.

Heather Kerner is an occupational therapist in the RSU 18 school district and the founder of The Good Crust. The Good Crust makes artisan pizza dough using 100% Maine Grains in addition to pursuing a social mission that integrates people with unique needs, in purposeful paid work. The Good Crust welcomes Mainers with different cognitive and physical abilities to train on the dough packing team. Recently The Good Crust had a grand opening for their new location in Canaan, Maine, which Governor Mills attended and congratulated the team for their unique approach to workforce development.

Joseph L’Africain is the Director for Instructional Design and Assessment for the Maine Community College System. Joseph is a passionate educationalist, with a background in multicultural communication and multicultural education, and 15 years of teaching experience at the community college and university levels. He holds an EdS from DePaul University in Curriculum Studies with a focus on Multicultural Education. When not designing curriculum, you can find Joseph on some sort of adventure with his lovely bride, doing research, or on the hunt for antique corkscrews.