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The road to true inclusion is not always an easy one – and three supporters of Emerson’s LGBTQ + Allies employee resource group (ERG) learned very early that this journey is best shared. Nicole Cameli, Jon Stokes and Christine Carney are actively working to build allyship and inclusion across the organization.

Nicole, Associate General Counsel for Emerson’s Measurement Solutions business, is also the Executive Sponsor for the Greater Twin Cities LGBTQ + Allies ERG and Chair of the Measurement Solutions Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Titles aside, at her core, Nicole is an advocate and leader pushing the discussion of inclusivity at Emerson. But Nicole wasn’t always comfortable out front; through years of quiet conversations with employees who identified as members of the LGBTQ+ community and other minority employees, she changed her perspective.

“As we connected, we realized that we faced similar challenges and benefitted from supporting each other when we had the courage to share our experiences,” Nicole said. “That was the beginning of me really understanding the value of having, and participating in, an organized community to support the unique needs of employees that share similar characteristics or life experiences and building allyship with the broader employee population.”

She began to speak up, slowly sharing her experiences with colleagues, and working to amplify the voices of others in the community to broaden people’s perspectives and open up a space for others to discuss topics they would not have felt comfortable discussing at work in the past. While Nicole is grateful for the progress she has helped drive at Emerson, she isn’t working towards inclusion on her own.

Jon Stokes, Group President of Measurement Solutions and Executive Sponsor for Emerson’s Twin Cities Somos (Latin American and Hispanic) ERG is a firm believer that with his title comes a responsibility to not only facilitate change but to live it. "As a leader, I believe one of my most important roles is to create an environment where everyone is respected and people can bring their authentic selves to work,” Jon said.

That phrase – authentic selves – stuck with him after listening to Nicole speak during one of Emerson’s Courageous Conversations. Following her presentation, Jon connected with Nicole to learn more. That first conversation was the start of dozens more they would share as they began a learning journey to strengthen inclusion at Emerson, together.

Christine Carney, Senior Associate General Counsel for Emerson’s Cold Chain Digital Solutions business is a longtime colleague and friend of Nicole’s.  Christine witnessed her friend stress over the uncertainty of acceptance in new workplace settings and knew she had to step up to help strengthen Emerson’s culture of inclusivity. One of the first initiatives Christine took on was to provide legal support for evaluating the Equality Act. Together, with Nicole and Scott Schenkelberg, Chair of the Emerson LGBTQ+ Allies ERG, they developed a pitch to senior leadership for Emerson to show support publicly by joining the Business Coalition in support of the Equality Act.

“Members of communities cannot be left to stand up for themselves; I’m proud to be an ally at Emerson for our ERGs and help us all work toward equity and inclusion, together,” Christine said.

Now, these three push forward as advocate-allies working toward a completely inclusive environment. From newsletters to webcasts and Courageous Conversations to championing support for the Equality Act, much can be learned from the LGBTQ + Allies ERG. They are eager to continue their journey – and they know it is one that will be shared.