Diversifying Our Boards 

We recently received one of three Katherine S. and Axel G. Rosin Fund grants from The Scherman Foundation to support a brand new Board of Directors diversification program. In collaboration with national diversity consultants from The Raben Group and Hewlett Consulting Partners, A.R.T./New York will offer field research, workshops, and networking events to create more inclusive theatre cultures and connect professionals of color with nonprofit theatre boards. 

“Working with Alicin Williamson and Whitney Tome of the Raben Group's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practice, A.R.T./New York will develop a thoughtful and ambitious strategy for making New York City's nonprofit theatre sector more inclusive through facilitation and training; market research and events with members of affinity groups such as The Hispanic Federation, the Center for Urban Professionals, and the Urban League.”

–Ginny Louloudes, Executive Director of A.R.T./New York

Alicin Williamson leads The Raben Group’s New York office, where she draws on her diverse experience conceiving of and managing large-scale initiatives in government affairs, media strategy, employee engagement, brand reputation, and communications to help advance her clients’ missions.

Diversity and inclusion play a central role in Alicin’s own mission, and she is a leader in that work for The Raben Group. Her clients range multinational corporations to national and local non-profit organizations.

Alicin partners with client senior leadership and management on vision alignment, thought leadership, and diversity and inclusion. She helped craft Airbnb’s original public policy strategy and their diversity work, worked with the board of NAMIC to create systems change and organizational redesign as they experienced a leadership transition. Alicin has led projects developing and implementing communications plans regarding key issues on diversity both externally and internally.

Prior to joining Raben, Alicin built her career fostering public affairs and corporate social responsibilities initiatives. She served as a Senior VP at MTV Networks and Viacom where she created the company’s Corporate Responsibility and Public Affairs department and helped build the Office of Global Inclusion to increase company visibility in diverse communities and aid diversity recruitment efforts. Alicin also partnered with Viacom Government Affairs, building coalitions between advocacy groups and corporate relations in support of the company’s legislative agenda and oversaw employee engagement.As a program director and Senior Program Officer at The Fund for the City of New York, Alicin provided technical assistance and capacity building to city agencies and nonprofit youth-serving organizations.Alicin has been recognized with a commendation from the City of New York for women’s leadership, induction to the YWCA Academy of Women Leaders, and a “Woman of Influence” award from Essence Magazine and several recognitions from the cable and telecommunications industry.Alicin serves on the board executive committees of the New York Urban League, Food Research and Action Center and as board chair of All Souls School. She previously was on the board of NAMIC and the USO.

Whitney Tome has worked with fishermen, environmentalists, advocates, political strategists, government employees, and thought leaders to develop the approach and solutions needed for the problem. Combining her facilitation skills, knowledge of environmental issues, and understanding of people, Whitney is able to walk into any room, ask the right questions, develop a strategy in the moment and leave everyone with action items and tasks.Prior to joining the Raben Group, Whitney served as the director of diversity and inclusion at the National Parks Conservation Association where she lead, defined and crafted metrics and measures for the organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts. Whitney has advised complex ocean stakeholder processes as a Program Manager and Mediator at the Meridian Institute including facilitating public meetings for regional ocean planning bodies that included state, federal and tribal partners.At Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Whitney served as a strategist, cat herder and trusted advisor in dozens of state and federal political campaigns. She also developed, launched and grew the Fisheries Leadership and Sustainability Forum – a partnership between EDF, Duke and Stanford. Whitney developed everything from the curriculum for fisheries managers to managing the steering committee, budget and partners for the Fisheries Forum.In developing the Fisheries Forum. Whitney adopted a ‘soup to nuts’ management process. She developed the curriculum for and identified experts in fisheries science, law and policy to help educate federal fisheries managers. Her subtle, yet persuasive approach with fishermen, state and federal employees earned her respect. Within a few short years, due to Whitney’s continuous relationship building, and well-executed and informative events, the National Marine Fisheries Service asked the Forum to lead an entire sector of the largest conference in the United States focused on the reauthorization of the Magnuson-Stevens Act – Managing Our Nation’s Fisheries Conference.Whitney earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Middlebury College and a J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law. She also won the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) International Mediation Competition in Paris, France.In addition to serving as Counsel, Whitney is also the executive director for Green 2.0, an initiative to increase the racial diversity of the largest national environmental NGOs, foundations and federal government agencies.