EQUITY SOLUTIONS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- in 2021 As a Research and Sourcing Analyst
- Research and Sourcing Analyst
Asher Rudnick joined Equity Solutions in 2021 as a Research and Sourcing Analyst. They are now a Talent Acquisition Specialist, focusing on diversity and creating connections with executives who are interested in developing their careers and expanding their networks.
As a queer person, Asher brings experience with the LGBTQ+ community and the issues and challenges they face in the workplace. Outside of Equity Solutions, Asher likes to hike and camp with their wife and son.
FAVORITE QUOTE
"I'll fight for you because I am you." - Harvey Milk
Audra Davis, PsyD, is an Organizational Psychologist who connects research with practice. She leverages formal training, unending passion and a 20+ year track record of successfully developing people and organizations' potential to bridge where they are and where they want to be. She has guided organizations on maximizing business results through people development initiatives.
Dr. Davis has extensive leadership experience working in and consulting to non-profit and for-profit organizations spanning numerous industries, including healthcare, manufacturing, education, and government, among others. She also has functional expertise in various human resource and organizational effectiveness areas, such as global diversity, talent acquisition, talent management, customer service, business process improvement and quality. She is a certified Six Sigma Green Belt and is certified in Executive Selection Assessment.
Dr. Davis is Managing Partner and leads the Organizational Development practice at Equity Solutions. She holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from DePauw University and a master's and doctorate in Organizational Psychology from Rutgers University. She is a 2016 Diversity MBA Magazine Top 100 Under 50 winner, and a former member of the DePauw Board of Visitors.
Job Titles:
- Director of Data Analytics
Job Titles:
- Vice President and General Counsel / Danaher Corporation
Job Titles:
- a Research and Sourcing Analyst
- Research and Sourcing Analyst
Eddie joined Equity Solutions as a Research and Sourcing Analyst where he has worked on locating talented leaders and building a diverse candidate pool through researching, identifying, and executing effective search strategies. He is dedicated to finding talented individuals that can help lead organizations to greater success.
A native of Mexico and a DACA recipient, Eddie brings in experience with the Latinx community and the issues they face within the United States. In addition to Equity Solutions, Eddie is a successful soccer coach in Lexington, KY.
Gloria Mejia, MBA, PMP, DASM (She/Her/Ella) is an Organizational Development Sr. Project Manager. She is a forward-thinking individual who brings over 10 years of experience championing process improvement initiatives. Gloria understands the importance of sponsorship and strategic alignment for DEI initiatives and enjoys leveraging technology for real-time, cross-functional collaboration. She is passionate about neurodiversity and helping organizations spearhead and advance their Organizational Development efforts focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Gloria holds an Improvement Coach Certificate from the Institute of Healthcare Improvement and a certificate for Leading Racial Equity and Inclusion in Organizations from Northwestern University.
Josh Ward has been a member of Equity Solutions team since 2013. Josh has exhibited leadership, dedication, and superior client management. In 2018, he was promoted to Chief Operations Officer. In this role, he provides executive leadership and mentorship for all operations. He is responsible for all delivery system programs and services, sales, customer satisfaction, human performance and development, and business growth.
Prior to Equity Solutions, starting at the tender age of 7, Josh worked for his family's corporate photography business. He was able to leverage his operational business experience as well as the art of taking orders from mom.
Josh has a bachelor's degree in political science from DePaul University. Born and raised in Chicago, he loves spending time with his family and friends, which includes activities such as biking, live music, and cooking.
Katie Mahendra is a Client Manager who acts as a bridge between our organization and clients to ensure their satisfaction by thoroughly understanding clients' needs and by providing the right solutions to address them. She builds lasting relationships with clients by staying in contact regularly to mitigate the challenges of current projects and anticipate future needs of the client. Katie has 9 years of sales leadership experience and has built a vast network during her time in the field. Her commitment to working as part of a team in a collaborative way has ensured longstanding relationships with colleagues and clients. She is a member of ACHE, NAHSE, and NAHLE.
Katie holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Texas in Sports Management. In her spare time, Katie enjoys staying active, cooking, and spending time with family.
Latham Williams, JD has over twenty-five years of experience serving on boards and advising boards and senior leadership teams on a variety of issues including matters relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He excels at career and performance coaching, executive recruiting and leadership assessment and development.
Latham served over eleven years as the chief legal officer at Hudson Global. He also was a member of its Leadership Team and served as a board director on approximately twenty foreign Hudson Global subsidiaries. Latham was an equity partner in the Chicago offices of Gardner, Carton & Douglas (now, Faegre Drinker) and Sidley Austin LLP.
He was a guest lecturer at the University of California-Berkeley (Haas Business School), Stanford Law School, Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, Chicago-Kent College of Law, the American Medical Association, and the American Dental Association.
Latham holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology with honors from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, a master's degree in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Juris Doctor degree from the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. He studied at the University of Ghana and participated in a foreign language study abroad program in Bogota, Colombia. Latham is proficient in oral and written Spanish.
Job Titles:
- Leader
- Director of the Organizational Development Consulting Practice
- Director, Organizational Development Consulting Practice
Lisa is a change leader with over 20 years of experience leading teams in large global corporations, small businesses, and non-profit organizations. She is passionate about building capabilities of individuals and teams.
As Director of the Organizational Development Consulting Practice at Equity Solutions, Lisa guides the team by breaking down silos and successfully delivering solutions. She is a collaborative partner who brings ideas and visions to reality with an inclusive, empathetic, and innovative approach. Lisa is committed to applying project and change management to solve issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Lisa has a bachelor's degree in Comparative Government from Claremont McKenna College and a dual MBA and MA from W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and Thunderbird School of Global Management. She has certifications in PMP, Prosci Change Management, Kellogg Strategic Change Management, and Certified Scrum Master. In addition, Lisa serves on the board of Reba Early Learning Center.
Job Titles:
- Organizational Development Project Analyst
- Project Analyst
Marc Cabe is an Organizational Development Project Analyst specializing in organizational development solutions for various organizations. Marc is responsible for collecting and analyzing data and developing deliverables for projects in a timely manner.
Marc has experience utilizing data driven insights to develop learning strategies and best practices for organizations in different fields. He has developed insights for a variety of organizations including Non-profit Organizations, Corporate Law Firms, Educational Institutions, and a Fortune 500 company. He is passionate about utilizing his experiences to ensure more diverse, equitable, and inclusive practices are instituted to reduce disparities for marginalized communities.
Marc has a bachelor's degree in psychology from Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Science degree in Organizational Applied Psychology from the University of Southern California. He is a member of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Asian American Psychological Association.
Mescha Grammer-Ploss, JD, brings over 10 years of experience to a Senior Consultant role at Equity Solutions. Her particular strengths are legal, healthcare and policy consulting, along with M&A, operational and compliance risk management. She began her career as a medical malpractice defense attorney, working with clients such as CNA and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Mescha moved over to the Illinois Attorney General's office and worked closely with citizen protection agencies and helped create and implement legal policies and protections for at-risk communities. As a Regional Attorney Advisor for the U.S. Social Security Administration, Mescha advised Federal Judges on the practice and implementation of Federal Disability law, its budgetary controls and its procedural implementation.
With an understanding of legal and policy spaces, Mescha decided to formalize her experience at the University of Chicago's Harris School. As a result, she was able to assist United HealthCare expand their Medicaid reach with prison populations and assist the University of Chicago in creating the Southside's first trauma center in nearly three decades. Currently, she applies these experiences to tackling health disparities in outcomes as it relates to race/ethnicity and gender. As a former Senior Advisor/Practice Director for Leavitt Partners and founder of JoiHealth, she has developed curriculum and trained federal and state agencies, hospital systems, and alliances on practical, evidence-based solutions to these problems.
Mescha has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Juris Doctorate from The University of Iowa. She also has a Master of Arts in Health Administration and Policy from the University of Chicago.
Job Titles:
- Director of Client Engagement
- Equity Solutions' Director of Client Engagement
Mike is Equity Solutions' Director of Client Engagement, bringing more than 20 years of experience to our client relationships. His background includes client-facing roles across a range of industries, each requiring the willingness to thoroughly understand client's needs, and the ability to provide the right solution to address them. Mike recognizes the value of true partnerships and handles each of them professionally and impactfully. His expertise includes creating and executing custom solutions when no existing solution provides the right fit. His skillset includes negotiating pricing, terms, and other contractual elements to create win/wins for clients and Equity Solutions. He also participates in regular product, industry, and systems trainings to stay current regarding trends and resources.
Immediately prior to joining Equity Solutions, Mike was a Client Manager at Dex Media. Before that, he worked for Gary Steelheads, Lexmark International, and Xerox Corporation. Mike graduated from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a bachelor's degree in Marketing.
FAVORITE QUOTE
"The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't said." - Peter Drucker
As a seasoned professional, Robin has served in various leadership positions in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. She has presented at local, regional, and national conferences on health disparities for women and underserved populations. She joined the Equity Solutions team in 2020 as a Senior Consultant.
Robin was part of the planning and development of the DePaul Center of Community Health Equity and Rush University Medical Center partnership. In 2018 she received the Unsung Heroine Award from the Cook County Board of Commissioners for her community work in reaching women in underserved communities to improve health outcomes. The initiative entailed a robust, culturally competent model to educate and improve health behaviors and lifestyle choices. The Health Legacy Program she created was recognized and funded by the Cigna Foundation and continues to take place throughout the Chicago-land area.
Robin earned her bachelor's in science degree from Xavier University of Louisiana, and master's degree in Health and Hospital administration from Sarah Lawrence College in New York.
Job Titles:
- Senior Client Manager With
Ron Estrada is a Senior Client Manager with Equity Solutions. Based in Chicago, he has over 20 years of experience in sales, account management, customer relations, clinical advising, marketing, advertising, and promotional content development across diverse industries. He thrives on working as a customer-centric problem solver, partnering with an enthusiastic clientele base, and networking to pursue new relationship opportunities that lead to bolstering community engagement and facilitating equitable business practices.
Ron earned his BA from Purdue University and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goddard College in Vermont. In his time away from work, he enjoys playing rugby, writing, watching movies with his family, sipping bourbon, and listening to Nick Cave, the Grateful Dead, and Stevie Wonder while relaxing in his hammock.
Job Titles:
- Development Project Manager
- Organizational Development Project Manager
Yamna Quadri is an Organizational Development Project Manager specializing in operational solutions through communication, analyses, and efficiency. Working in the healthcare industry for over 10 years has helped Yamna develop her business acumen.
Her career in clinical and administrative roles enabled her to gain a comprehensive understanding about the healthcare sector and other industries. She is responsible for planning, communicating, and executing various projects. Yamna is able to provide customized support to various stakeholders, from C-suite executives to front-line employees. At an organizational level, she assists with strategic plan development and implementing solutions.
Yamna graduated with a Psychology degree from the University of Michigan and earned her Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She has also earned a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) certification from the University of Utah. Addressing DEI challenges in the workplace while promoting innovative processes to overcome these challenges is one of her passions. In her spare time, she is a movie buff and enjoys traveling.