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Teron Buford is a champion of inclusion and intercultural awareness. He finds joy in empowering and providing resources to historically underrepresented and underserved populations while also helping allied powerholders understand their position of privilege and how to operate from that space to meaningfully promote systemic justice.

Teron spent the first 10 years of his professional career guiding historically underrepresented high school students to and through their college admissions processes en route to earning their undergraduate degree. He later spent three years leading Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts at a staffing agency in Minneapolis before transitioning into the role of Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging at a non-profit company located in the Twin Cities. There, he is responsible for driving the DEIB strategy and ensuring the company’s ability to access, attract and retain a diverse workforce that reflects the communities it serves.

In addition to a number of other involvements, Teron helped found the Minnesota Alliance of Officials of Color, formerly served on the Board of People Serving People (the homeless shelter he lived in when he moved to Minneapolis) and currently serves on the Board of a charter school in Bloomington/Richfield as the DEI Chair.

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Omar Williams is the Americas Product Portfolio Leader for the 3M Precision Grinding & Finishing Business & interim board president of Yellow Tree Theatre. He previously served as the 2021 ERG Chair for the 3M Black Leadership Advancement Coalition (3M BLAC), where he was recognized for his exceptional leadership with the 2021 Melrose Twin Cities Principled Leadership and 3M BLAC Transformational Chair Leadership awards. These accolades reflect his dedication to bold transformation and purpose-driven advocacy for equity & inclusion.

Before joining 3M, Omar, a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), held influential leadership roles in accounting, finance, and consulting across various industries, including biopharmaceuticals and public accounting. He holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Clark University, a Graduate Certificate in Accounting from Worcester State University, and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

Outside of work, Omar cherishes quality time with friends and family. He also enjoys competing in the APA (billiards), snowboarding, and immersing himself in international cross-cultural experiences.

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In this episode, our podcast hosts, Dr. Gabriel Warren and Karl O. Benson take a moment to reflect on their journey through season 1 of the podcast. They express their gratitude to all the listeners who have made their first year a success. Listen to them reflect on their favorite episodes of season 1, talk about having the podcast being streamed in 14 countries, and discuss some of the feedback they've been receiving from listeners. Finally, Dr. Gabriel and Karl talk about their vision for season 2 and their hope to partner with organization's employee resource groups and doing some live recording of the podcast, along with the virtual interviews like you've been accustomed to from year one.

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