Join us for our next Lunch with LT Leaders, featuring Ruchika Tulshyan, LT'16, an award-winning author who is passionate about designing equitable workplaces.

As CEO and founder of Candour, she advises companies on diversity, equity & inclusion strategy and communications. She regularly writes for the New York Times and Harvard Business Review on workplace equity. Ruchika and her colleague, Jodi-Ann Burey, were recently guests on Brené Brown's "Dare to Lead" podcast, discussing imposter syndrome and the articles they have written together about the topic.

Her first book, "The Diversity Advantage: Fixing Gender Inequality in the Workplace," focuses on leadership strategies to advance women at work. Her second book, "Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work," will be published in March 2022. You can pre-order the book online here.

During our hour together, Ruchika will talk about her leadership journey and how leaders can design equitable workplaces and cultivate a culture of belonging. There will be time for Q&A. She will be interviewed by her LT classmate, Ben Reuler, LT’16, Founder & CEO of In The Area Productions LLC.

Our Lunch with LT Leaders series highlights inspiring LT alumni who are working to make our region a more resilient and equitable place where people from all communities and identities thrive. Through Zoom, featured leaders share their leadership journeys and then open the conversation for questions. Each session takes place from 12:00-1:00 p.m. Following the program, there is an optional 30-minute facilitated discussion to debrief and connect with other alumni. So, grab your lunch and join us! You must register ahead of time to receive the Zoom link.

Note: To help our speaker(s) and participants have candid and open dialogues, we are NOT recording this alumni event.

EVENT DETAILS:

• When: March 3, 2022
  Program: 12:00-1:00 p.m.
  Post-Program Debrief (Optional): 1:00-1:30 p.m.

• Where: Zoom (we’ll send you the link the day before the event)

• Who: LT alumni, LT’22 class members, Honorary LT, and guests

• Cost: $0 - $30

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Ruchika Tulshyan, LT’16, is an award-winning inclusion strategist who is deeply passionate about designing equitable workplaces. Through her company, Candour, she advises companies on diversity, equity & inclusion strategy and communications. Ruchika is known for her intersectional and data-driven approach. 

She is a keynote speaker who has addressed audiences at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pixar, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, U.S. Congress and more. 

Ruchika's book, "The Diversity Advantage: Fixing Gender Inequality in the Workplace" focuses on leadership strategies to advance women at work. Her second book "Inclusion on Purpose" will be published by MIT Press in February 2022 and is available for pre-order now.

​Ruchika is known for leveraging her deep expertise in communications to create a common language around diversity, equity, inclusion and intersectionality.

​Ruchika writes regularly for the New York Times and Harvard Business Review on workplace equity. A former journalist, she is now often quoted in media including The New York Times, NPR and Bloomberg. 

​In 2019, Ruchika was named to the Thinkers50 "On the Radar" list. She was also named to a list of Most Influential D&I leaders in 2019 and 2020. 

​A Singaporean foodie, Ruchika currently calls Seattle home. 

Ben Reuler, LT’16, is Founder & CEO of In The Area Productions LLC which provides testimonial speaking and 1:1 processing sessions rooted in love and anti-racism. Ben is deeply committed to building workplace cultures where employees from all backgrounds feel seen, and supported by their employer, and where harmful default systems are dismantled. Ben is a former licensed social worker and executive director; he is currently winding down a 7 ½ year stint with Seattle Works where Ben and his team evolved a white-founded, white-led organization into one where power was shifted to a BIPOC-led staff and board; leadership was distributed; and employees from all backgrounds could bring their full, authentic selves to work. Morale improved. Retention improved. Representation improved. And business got way better. This institutional transformation helped Ben understand, viscerally, what is possible.

Ben earned his MSW from the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration and Bachelors degree in Comparative Sociology from the University of Puget Sound. In 2016 Ben was honored with the Social Impact Award from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration Alumni Association; in 2018, Ben was one of 120 people across the country invited to attend Harvard Business School's Young American Leaders Program; additionally, he is a graduate of Leadership Tomorrow’s Class of 2016 and was invited by Dr. Julie Pham, LT’16, to serve as an inaugural Fellow with Washington Technology Industry Association’s cross sector collaboration ion program. Ben recently served three years on the international Affiliate Assembly for Points of Light, the world's leading organization dedicated to the power of volunteerism.

Ben himself has been a lifelong volunteer and was honored with the Akemi Tanemura Service Award for Exemplary Efforts in Community Outreach. Ben is the head coach for the Puggles (baby platypi) youth basketball team for Seattle Parks & Recreation out of Northgate Community Center, the only known team in the history of Seattle Parks & Recreation with its own anthem.