Meet
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My name is Aisha I. DeBerry and I am an Inclusive Leadership Strategist.
Welcome to this safe space. So glad to have you here.
I am certain you are wondering why this work is important to me. Allow me to share. I have had countless experiences where I felt like I did not belong in the room. I am 5’3’’, a woman, black, small in stature, from Mississippi, and a public-school attendee. Many of these identifiers do not reflect traditional, American leadership.
I have had to push my way through barriers while eventually coming to the realization that others need my perspective. We are all influential in various ways - there is no cookie cutter style. My style may not appear to be the classic one but, through experience, I now understand that this is the power of diversity. We all require something different therefore we all have something unique to contribute.
My middle initial is special to me. It stands for Isoke which means “a beautiful gift from God.” I absolutely love this name and I always want to make sure that the initial is highlighted. Many times women drop their middle name and that is something I will never do. I know it took a lot of thought to create it so I want to always honor the time that was spent ensuring I was named properly and with intention.
My preferred pronouns are she/her/hers. I love teaching. I love the arts - specifically dance. I am passionate about being able to see someone “get it.” I enjoy having intense discussions that people don’t generally want to have around race and gender. I am also passionate about the education and success of people of color. I want us to thrive and know how remarkable we all are despite the narratives that have been told.
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FULL BIOGRAPHYAisha I. DeBerry was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Jackson, Mississippi. She has always had a love for the arts, learning to play the cello at the age of eight and being formally taught in the areas of dance and theater. Aisha considers herself a right and left brainer loving the arts but having a passion for business, logic and justice. She majored in Economics at Northeastern University, that propelled her into entrepreneurship when she opened a dollar store business. Aisha later went on to pursue her J.D. from Lincoln Memorial University where she was president of the Black Law Student Association and Program Director for the National Black Law Association. Aisha has a passion for human and civil rights as she served as a Rule 31 mediator and juvenile legal intern for Knox County Juvenile Court in Tennessee. She currently resides in Atlanta and works in the Governmental Sector for Gwinnett County. Prior to this role, she was the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager for Gas South. In addition, Aisha was the Executive Director of Diversity and Community Partnerships for the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Georgia Campus) pushing initiatives for equal access for diverse populations to pursue medical professions such as developing a strategic plan to enhance diversity from student admission, faculty recruitment, student/faculty/staff retention and all things in between. She is the founder of ADJ Consultants - a consulting firm that provides Diversity and Inclusion strategies to include research, planning, training, and assessment and is the author of The Diversity Digest - A Beginner's Guide to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Aisha and her dad, Roy DeBerry, co-host the Dad Daughter Dialogues podcast where they talk candidly about their father daughter relationship through the lens of being an African American Baby Boomer and Gen X-er. Aisha enjoys traveling and using her "spanglish" whenever appropriate. She is a certified Zumba instructor and loves spending time with family and friends.
