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    Photo Todd Corley

    March 24, 2016

    Putting Transparency, Authenticity, Persistence and Optimism to Work

    Todd Corley ’91 has dedicated his professional life to helping companies cultivate a resource that is critical to their success – a talented, diverse workforce. As the senior manager for diversity at Starwood Hotels and Resorts and, more recently, as chief diversity officer at clothing retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, Corley helped build staffs that not only better reflect the world at large, but which also foster creativity and innovation, drive economic growth, and aid those companies in reaching their full potential. Today, in his new role as an entrepreneur, Corley is utilizing those experiences to promote change.

    Corley is the owner of the TAPO Institute, a consultancy and think tank dedicated to developing leadership that is transparent, authentic, persistent and optimistic (TAPO). Since establishing the firm in 2014, he has undertaken a number of projects aimed at helping organizations, including schools, businesses and nonprofit groups, develop inclusive leadership. Corley conducted a community-wide forum to combat bullying, developed a strategy to help an international foundation identify new funding sources that grew contributions by 60 percent, and assisted Ohio’s fastest-growing school district in doubling its minority educators in just two years.

    At the heart of the Le Moyne graduate’s work is his belief that good leaders are “reflective, intentional and collaborative, committed to having tough but important conversations and asking important questions.” Corley has lived that mission himself. When he arrived at Abercrombie & Fitch in 2004, more than 90 percent of its store associates were white. By the time he left the company ten years later, more than half of the employees were minorities, while the company grew by 400 new stores. In addition, the Human Rights Campaign has named Abercrombie “A Best Place to Work” for the LGBT community every year since 2007. At TAPO, Corley provides his clients with a variety of tools, ranging from communication strategies to training programs, to help them create an atmosphere that promotes sustainability, innovation and growth.

    Of all the factors that influence the ways we look at leadership and inclusion, Corley said that one of the biggest is the prevalence of the Millennial Generation, which recently overtook Generation X as the largest generation in the workforce. Having worked closely with Millennials throughout his career, Corley said they embody the values of transparency, authenticity, persistence and optimism upon which TAPO was founded. They also play a significant role in his work. For example, Corley recently worked with a biotechnology company that employs 50,000 people across 50 nations to attract young talent in fields of science, technology engineering and math. With this generation, he said, it is about showing them how they can use those skills to create a cleaner, safer, healthier world.

    Corley carefully selects the projects TAPO works on to ensure that his clients’ words and best intentions are in alignment with their actions. He shares with them that diversity goes beyond race and ethnicity to differences in experiences and ways of thinking. He also impresses upon them how critical it is to be reflective and intentional in their work and to constantly evaluate where they are and where they want to go.

    “For me leadership is behaving in a way that shows your values and how your purpose-driven mission can motivate you,” he said. “It means being decisive and fair, brave enough to have tough conversations, but empathetic to those around you.”

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