Chanel Lewis (she/her) is the Head of Global Diversity and Inclusion for a local, publicly traded corporation in the Portland area. As the keynote speaker at the Maine Development Foundation 2020 Annual Meeting she presented Leading for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Maine’s Third Century. At The Maine HR Convention, she and Jason Judd, Executive Director of Educate Maine, discussed a renewed approach to diversity & inclusion as the key for future prosperity in Maine’s workforce in their keynote Breaking Barriers in Maine.

She speaks frequently on the importance and benefits of “radical listening” as a way to build and strengthen empathy, compassion, understanding and action to make our communities more equitable and inclusive. In her TedxDirigo talk, she shares how radical listening came to play during an encounter at the Waterfront Flea Market in Brunswick, Maine. Given the current events and climate, you may find her talk inspirational and hopeful.

Chanel moved to Maine when she was in seventh grade and her father, Reverend Kenneth Lewis Jr., was appointed pastor of Green Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church on Munjoy Hill (home to Maine’s oldest African-American congregation). She attended Portland High School and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Howard University and a Master’s degree in African American Studies from Boston University.  When she returned to Maine, she worked in the intersection of higher education and workforce development first with SMCC and then as a Program Coordinator for Educate Maine’s Project>Login program. Educate Maine is a nonprofit that advances policies and practices that prepare Maine students to be productive, engaged citizens, and Project>Login is the state’s leading resource for computer science education.

Chanel has a strong commitment to community. She is the Board Secretary and Governance Committee Chair for the Portland Parks Conservancy. She is a board member of the YMCA of Southern Maine. In partnership with Treehouse Institute, Chanel brought forth, A Seat at the Table, in 2016 to bridge the gaps in the community by promoting “radical listening” as a way to build and strengthen empathy, compassion, understanding and action to make our communities more equitable and inclusive. This yearlong project hosted weekly meet-ups engaged the community in having difficult discussions and conversations around entangled and complex subjects — race + privilege; sex, gender and identity; and climate change — and culminated in a family-style dinner. Discussion guides are available.