New leadership position underscores Institute’s ongoing commitment to advance Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism.
Contact: Jon Purves
Senior Media Relations Manager
The Aspen Institute
Jon.Purves@aspeninstitute.org
Washington, DC, October 8, 2020 — The Aspen Institute announced today the hiring of Miecha Ranea Forbes as its first Vice President for People and Culture. In this newly created leadership role, Forbes will serve on the Institute’s Senior Executive Team and oversee all internal talent, human resources, and people functions within the Institute. She will help put in place and lead processes and structures that ensure that the Institute has the leadership, recruitment and talent development practices, and culture in place to achieve its mission of building a free, just, and equitable society. Forbes will begin in her role in mid-November on a part-time basis and full time at the beginning of 2021.
“Miecha Ranea Forbes is a highly effective, values-driven leader with a history of organizational leadership that translates into social impact,” said Aspen Institute President and CEO Dan Porterfield. “As our first Vice President for People and Culture, Miecha will bring her considerable experience and talents to bear in helping the Aspen Institute live its mission and build upon its strengths to create a culture that is even more inclusive and in which colleagues at every level and from every background can thrive.”
“I am humbled and honored to join the Aspen Institute as it prioritizes both the individual and collective efforts required in the journey of realizing its commitment to a free, just, and equitable society,” said Miecha Ranea Forbes. “This journey is made possible through an intentional and relentless focus on the needs of people, an openness to creating a culture that embodies engagement and inclusion, and a willingness to do the work necessary at all levels to move towards true equity and anti-racism.”
Forbes is currently Senior Vice President of Culture, Inclusion, and Strategic Advising at Koya Leadership Partners, an executive search and strategic advising firm. As the primary lead for Koya’s Human Capital Consulting practice, she has a strong record in advising external clients on a wide range of human capital projects including organizational development, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), performance management, and change management. She has helped many private and public organizations improve their overall employee experience in ways that reflect the values and culture of the organization. Internally, Forbes is also responsible for the implementation of strategic DEI recommendations.
Prior to Koya Leadership Partners, Forbes was Director of Talent Acquisition with the KIPP Foundation—the nation’s largest public charter school network—where staff more than doubled during her tenure. She also has previous professional chapters with Citizen Schools and Corporate Executive Board, volunteers in various community projects in Chicago, and has a BA in Sociology and African-American Studies from Brown University.
The Aspen Institute has made a sustained commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism, both internally and in the outward-facing work of the organization. Forbes will oversee the Institute’s Human Resources Department and work closely with the Institute’s existing Managing Director for Equity and Inclusion. She will also collaborate with two key staff-led groups: a recently established Task Force on Equity and Inclusion and the Institute’s longstanding, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council (DEIC). More information about the Institute’s commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism is available here.
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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most important challenges facing the United States and the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org