SHRM has appointed Carolynn Johnson as president of CEO Action for Inclusion & Diversity, a business-led coalition focused on advancing inclusion in the workplace.
Johnson takes on the role as employers face growing legal scrutiny around workplace inclusion programs, increasing pressure to link diversity initiatives to measurable business outcomes, and what she describes as rising incivility in the workplace.
Who is Carolynn Johnson?
Johnson brings more than two decades of experience in talent strategy, data analytics, governance, and executive operations. She most recently served as CEO of Fair360, formerly known as DiversityInc, where she led a multi-year transformation of the organization’s research, analytics, and commercial platform.
During her tenure at Fair360, she built out predictive workforce analytics capabilities and established a partnership with Nasdaq to expand access to benchmarking data. She also testified before the U.S. House Financial Services Committee on board diversity and disclosure legislation.
Her career includes advising global organizations in financial services, health care, technology, hospitality, and professional services on data-based workforce strategy. She has also held academic and governance roles, including co-directing the Relationships Across Differences roundtable at the Wharton School.
Johnson holds an MBA from Rutgers Business School and completed an executive management fellowship at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College. She also holds certifications from MIT in artificial intelligence in business strategy and machine learning and data systems.
What Johnson says about the role
Johnson said her goal is to build an inclusion agenda that is durable, measurable, and tied to economic outcomes.
“In today’s climate of legal uncertainty, fragile trust, and rising incivility, inclusion cannot be treated as optional—it must be legally compliant, workplace unifying, and business accretive,” Johnson said. “The future of work is being decided in real time—not by perfect language, but by disciplined execution.”
SHRM’s perspective
Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., president and CEO of SHRM, said Johnson’s background positions her well to lead the coalition at a time when inclusion, trust, and civility are central to organizational performance.
“She joins us at a pivotal moment, when inclusion, trust, and civility are essential for organizational success,” Taylor said. “Welcoming a leader of her caliber strengthens our mission to elevate inclusion and diversity as catalysts for exceptional performance throughout the global workforce.”
Betty Thompson, chair of the SHRM Board of Directors, also welcomed the appointment. “Carolynn’s leadership and passion for advancing workplace belonging and positive change are a perfect fit for SHRM’s mission,” Thompson said.
About CEO Action
CEO Action for Inclusion & Diversity is a business-led coalition that offers tools, resources, and expert guidance to help CEOs build cultures of belonging. Johnson became a signatory to the coalition in 2019, shortly after taking the top role at Fair360, and has worked alongside senior leaders to expand its reach among enterprise organizations.
SHRM represents nearly 340,000 members in 180 countries and says it touches the lives of more than 362 million workers and their families globally.
