Marsh & McLennan Agency professional brings passion for building a more inclusive community 

April 1, 2020

This paid piece is sponsored by Marsh & McLennan Agency.

The corporate CEO of industry leader Marsh & McLennan Agency had a message for his team, and Kira Kimball heard it loud and clear.

“He said he wants to disrupt how the insurance industry shows up in the marketplace, to change the faces of our workforce,” said Kimball, who serves as chief innovation officer for the Sioux Falls and Fargo offices of MMA.

And he said: ‘This is important. I want to put resources behind it.’”

Steve Vlk, CEO of the Sioux Falls and Fargo operations, was one of the first to get on board and was named co-chair of the company’s overall diversity and inclusion strategy team.

“I went to Steve and told him I’d love to help. It’s part of my background in higher education, and I’m really passionate about it,” Kimball said.

That was just a little more than a year ago.

“So in early 2019, I started doing research about who does workplace inclusivity well, who knows how to train and how we can partner.”

That led her to the National Diversity Council, a Texas-based nonprofit that has 13 state chapters and works with employers to create inclusive workplaces.

“It touches on everything from recruitment to engagement to retention and career development,” Kimball said.

“This is important for Marsh & McLennan Agency, but it’s also important for our clients and our community. We have a community that’s increasing in its diversity and that represents our workforce of the future. No matter what industry we’re in, we need to be preparing our workplace to reflect that.”

Through the National Diversity Council and its relationship with MMA, she recently became the first South Dakotan to receive the National Diversity Council Certified Diversity Professional designation.

“We went through an extensive weeklong training experience with an exam at the end,” she said. “This designation means we are equipped to do inclusive workplace practice building.”

Kimball leads the national MMA diversity and inclusion strategy team with representatives from across MMA’s regions to provide vision for the firm.

A framework has been created companywide to roll out and drive down related initiatives with regional and local diversity and inclusion teams in place. This year, MMA is moving 6,000 colleagues nationwide through a workshop that addresses unconscious bias to provide a foundation for education. Kimball leads these workshops in Sioux Falls and has traveled to other company locations.

“I think it’s really opening people’s eyes to think differently about the world and the workplace,” Kimball said. “The good news is, this is not rocket science. It’s practical education and learning that can be successfully implemented with intention behind it. Ultimately, inclusive workplace practices become an  extension of engaging employees.”

Kimball continued: “I think about myself — when I come to work wholly as myself, authentically as I am, and I know it’s safe being me with my own differences, I do better work. I’m more productive. I’m a better leader and team member. When we honor the differences others bring to the workplace, there’s a higher likelihood they will be more engaged and put forth their best effort because they feel valued.”

Cultivating a diverse workforce is “not about quotas,” according to Kimball.

“It’s about casting the net wider, thinking differently about your talent pool and valuing how people who bring a different perspective can offer richness to your business. This will show up in the form of innovation, problem-solving, differentiation and workplace culture as a whole. It may be someone who came from a different country or has a different religion or experienced a mental health challenge, is differently abled or looks at gender differently. This diversity makes for stronger workplaces.”

Taking the conversation to the community

After having more than 100 conversations over several months with area business, industry, nonprofit and education leaders and community members, Kimball concluded employers want and need help with inclusive workplace practices. Out of those conversations, others raised their hands to help.

“I was incredibly encouraged that others said they wanted to help and rally around this effort with me.”

Together, they have formed a community coalition, Pathways to Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces.

Pathways will offer six hourlong seminars beginning this spring to introduce employers to inclusive workplace practices with six SHRM CEUs available. Coalition members joining Kimball include:

  • Tom Kelley, Gage Brothers
  • Kharka Khapangi, LSS
  • Natasha Smith, Wells Fargo
  • Karen Lundquist, EmBe
  • Jan Ritter, Sanford Health
  • Terry Liggins, The Hurdle Life Coach
  • Dawn Ingalls, Raven Industries
  • Julie Ward, Avera
  • Heather Hansen, Esurance
  • Willette Capers, Augustana University
  • Becky Kuehl, South Dakota State University
  • Colleen Moran, Independent Living Choices
  • Harriet Yocum, community advocate
  • Naomi Ludeman Smith, Impact Leadership Consulting Group

Kimball believes that by equipping employers with practical strategies, they will be positioned to craft or build upon their own diversity, equity and inclusion vision, not only to better business and industry, but for a better Sioux Falls.

“We’ve got to start somewhere, and that’s what this seminar series is about,” she said.

To learn more about Kimball’s work in diversity and inclusion, reach her at [email protected] or 605-274-7184. To register for the event series, visit the Pathways to Inclusive & Equitable Workplaces Facebook page or search “Pathways” on Eventbrite.

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Marsh & McLennan Agency professional brings passion for building a more inclusive community 

“He wants to disrupt how the insurance industry shows up in the marketplace, to change the faces of our workforce.” That was the corporate CEO’s message, and she ran with it.

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