Shayna Johnson ’20 was a strategy intern at SAM, a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultancy and content company founded by Business School alumnae. She worked alongside the CEO to develop short-term and long-term strategic plans, including an operational budget to inform fundraising strategies. She also canvased best practices across the consulting industry to provide recommendations for systems and processes to help SAM consistently deliver high-quality products and value to clients.

SAM is a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultancy and content company that combines design thinking and storytelling to imagine, advocate for, and build more equitable systems into organizations of all kinds — from schools to corporations to government agencies. This summer, I worked alongside the founder and CEO, Stef Alicia McCalmon, in a strategy and operations role and worked on a variety of projects.

I worked with Stef to better define company offerings, develop a framework for pricing, help create the company logo, and make strategic plans for company growth. I used this information to create a company website and LinkedIn page that reflect The SAM Lab’s unique offerings. I researched 20 grants and developed a document describing my research and recommendations (apply now, consider in the future, not eligible, etc.) for each grant. Lastly, I worked on a client-facing project to create a DE&I communication guide of proper terms and best practices for speaking to and about people, communities and societies in terms of race, ethnicity, and origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, religion, and education. I worked with grassroots organizations to better understand their processes and current communication and used a variety of credible resources and conversations with Stef to develop a comprehensive, living guide. Each of these projects will help the company reach new clients and deliver value and help evaluate/propose new opportunities. In the long-term, my work this summer will help grow The SAM Lab’s influence and make the organization a leader in the incredibly important work of pushing for a more just society.

My work at The SAM Lab pulled on a variety of skills and knowledge from my MBA and prior work experience. My understanding of the nonprofit landscape was helpful in thinking about how our offerings and pricing may differ for those kinds of organizations. I applied my creativity skills and marketing experience to developing the website and LinkedIn page. I also applied my strategic thinking skills to developing the pages — for example, defining The SAM Lab’s competitive advantage. My negotiation and communication skills also helped me work with Stef and the client to develop and approve the project proposal. In some cases, I had to articulate my point of view on a specific word or phrase that should or should not be used, despite what the research said. I had to organize my thoughts effectively and tailor my communication to the audience, making sure to exhibit confidence and provide the right amount of context.

The main challenge I faced was an accelerated learning curve. I did some DE&I work at my previous employer, but it mainly focused on hiring practices. The client-facing project challenged me and exposed my own biases in terms of DE&I language. I also had to remind myself that not all sources are credible because most systems and language were created to exclude people. There were also certain issue areas that I did not have as much exposure in so I had to do a lot of reading to understand — for example, religious beliefs and gender identity. This was my first time creating a website so I spent time reviewing published websites and website developers to understand different layouts/styles. I also created mock websites to learn the different tools available to me. I developed five mock websites with different layouts and styles and worked with Stef to choose one that fit the company best.

I believe DE&I is a journey with no end destination and that there is always something to learn and improve on. I said this before working at The SAM Lab and my time working there showed me how true this is. The DE&I space has always had a lot of opportunity but this year changed the space, hopefully for good. I am glad I spent my summer at The SAM Lab and am proud of my personal and professional learnings. I enjoyed working at an organization of this size. I felt empowered to share my opinion and to work in areas I had never worked in before. I think a great part of this has to do with Stef’s leadership style and mentorship. She empowered me to take the lead on projects and asked for my opinion on topics. Stef was an excellent supervisor. I appreciated her feedback and willingness to facilitate connections for me. Working with her exposed me to the challenges in founding a company, which was helpful since one of my career goals is to create a social enterprise.

My time working with a client gave me a more concrete understanding of what it would be like to work in this space. I enjoyed the conversations I had with the client about the work they do and the challenges they face in their communication. I am proud of the work I completed and am happy to know my work received excellent feedback and has been implemented into their process. My time at The SAM Lab showed me I would be interested in working in DE&I long-term. I loved my work over the summer and may continue to work with The SAM Lab in some capacity.