February is Black History Month, but for eXp World Holdings, diversity is celebrated every day through its hiring practices, its commitment to the ONE eXp initiative for inclusion and belonging, and embracing the company’s core values.
Sybil Stewart, Director of Diversity and Employee Success and a member of the core committee of ONE eXp, is proud of eXp’s commitment to diversity and how it conducts business. As part of her responsibilities, she helps educate the company and managers on awareness in hiring and also retaining diverse talent.
“It speaks volumes to where eXp is,” said Stewart. “Where companies are closing their doors to this conversation, eXp is embracing it.”
Stewart said other companies view diversity as a box-checking activity, but eXp is extremely thoughtful. She teaches classes on unconscious bias training, and leads staff development activities, which have helped the company double its number of employees of color and ethnicities since she joined eXp in 2019. These classes also serve as an awareness to help retain diverse talent.
“We want to create avenues of authenticity where we encourage people to show up as whoever you want to be at work and be included,” said Stewart.
Even at eXp, which has a virtual work culture represented through personal avatars, there is a commitment to offering avatars that reflect how everyone looks with options for various skin tones, fashion and hairstyles.
Chris Singleton, Inky Johnson, Rochelle and Muhammad Nadhiri Delivering Keynotes
eXp has a big lineup planned for the entire month and virtual rooms have been created exclusively for events and speakers, including the Rosa Parks Auditorium, the Solidarity Speakeasy, the Harlem Renaissance Table Talk, and the Bernard Garrett Classroom.
Prominent keynote speakers appearing include Chris Singleton, Inky Johnson, and Rochelle Nadhiri and her husband, Muhammad Nadhiri.
Chris Singleton is a former professional baseball player in the Chicago Cubs organization and is now a renowned inspirational speaker. His mother, Sharonda Coleman Singleton, was a victim in the tragic murder of eight people in the Mother Emanuel AME church in Charleston, South Carolina on June 17, 2015. It is from this tragedy that Singleton was inspired to speak out to his audiences that “Love is stronger than hate.”
“Inky” Johnson always had a dream of playing professional football, but during a routine tackle while playing for the University of Tennessee in 2006, he suffered a career-ending injury that resulted in a permanently paralyzed right arm. He went on to get his degree in psychology, becoming a motivational speaker and author.
Rochelle Nadhiri works at Facebook where she focuses on privacy policies. She previously led litigation communications for the company along with privacy policy communications for face recognition, location, friending, and data transparency. She is a sought-after advisor and speaker.
Muhammad Nadhiri is a real estate developer and co-founder of Axis Development Group in San Francisco, which specializes in mixed-use projects in urban centers.
eXp Black History Month events include:
Wednesday, Feb. 24:
- Black Table Talk panel with Rochelle Nadhiri and Muhammad Nadhiri at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET in Rosa Parks Auditorium
- Message from Leadership with Jason Gesing, eXp Realty CEO at 3 p.m. PT / 6 p.m. ET in Rosa Parks Auditorium
- Solidarity Walk with Jason Gesing and Orlando eXp agent Michael Collier at 3:15 p.m. PT / 6:15 p.m. ET. Location TBA
- DJ/Mixer at 3:45 p.m. PT / 6:45 ET in Speakeasy Mixer Room
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