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Dnika J. Travis

Vice President, Corporate Practice & Women of Color Research at Catalyst

Catalyst

About me

Dnika J. Travis, PhD, specializes in organizational change, leadership and communication effectiveness, and workforce diversity and inclusion. In her position, Dnika is responsible for leading Catalyst research on the advancement and inclusion of women of color in the workplace. She is a Center Leader for the Catalyst Research Center for Corporate Practice where she distinguishes sound talent management strategies from programmatic fads and documents the best practices. In her position, she leads the Center’s research agenda, conceptualizes and develops methodologies, as well as conducts analyses for the Center’s global projects.

Dnika has been widely published, and her research has been funded by several foundations and government branches including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Hogg Foundation for Mental Health, and the Texas Workforce Commission. She has extensive consulting, training, and teaching experience—in the nonprofit, public, and corporate sectors helping organizations develop engaged teams that produce quality outcomes and business results.

Prior to joining Catalyst, Dnika was an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) School of Social Work. While at UT, she was inducted into the inaugural class of the Society for Teaching Excellence. She maintains an affiliation with UT as a Fellow, leading research on employee voice, inclusion, and retention in health and human services. Dnika is also on the Editorial Board of AFFILIA: Journal of Women and Social Work.

Dnika earned her PhD in social work from the University of Southern California, MSW in community organization and program evaluation from the University of Michigan, and BA in sociology from Hampton University.