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Nichelle Whitney Wash  

DEI Educator, Specialty in Imposter Syndrome & Anti-Racist Praxis for Non-profits, CEO of The Guarden LLC.

Nichelle Wash is a results-focused DEI leader who specializes in supporting key areas of DEI strategy. She brings with her a unique journey through DEI education where she started as a cancer researcher, transitioned to working in healthcare settings before joining numerous higher education institutions to support the student experience and enrollment management. As a highly sought-after educator, Nichelle has worked with hundreds of domestic and global entities to help solve some of the most critical people issues related to access, equity, and advancement.

She has been the chair of DEI councils and served as Commissioner for quasi-government, building support for senior leaders to integrate DEI throughout their lines of operation. This work resulted in culture and change management for employees across the enterprise that was focused on sustainability and scale. She has also overseen diversity recruitment and outreach efforts for organizations, providing real solutions to attract and retain employees with a focus on diverse hiring strategies. Nichelle is a sought-after facilitator who has delivered workshops around DEI for over a decade.

She was recently recognized as Woman of the Year for her role in designing and delivering DEI education; hosting a precollege camp to increase the number of girls interested in coding and entrepreneurship; and she sourced projects to address homelessness and support pathways to housing security across her home state of Indiana.

Speech Topics

Introducing the Bias Cycle as the Culprit: How the cycle perpetuates systemic harm

I do not use "microaggression" anymore. A persistent daily low hum of racist abuse is not minor. I use the term "abuse" because aggression is not as exacting a term. "Abuse accurately describes the action and its effects on people–Dr. Ibram Kendi". This workshop will unpack various forms of microaggressions and how they present in work and community context. We’ll explore the psychological impact of micro-aggressions, and we’ll offer tactics for productive responses when mishaps occur. In addition to unpacking stereotypes, we spend time understanding how oppression operates in cycles, and we explore the ways in which we are able to break the cycle. The session includes interactive dialogue surrounding video clips and allows for small group discussion in breakout rooms. This session includes the following learning objectives:

  • Create awareness surrounding the common occurrences of microaggressions.
  • Explore the outcomes associated with the experience of micro-aggressions.
  • Tips for how to respond to a situation where you are the aggressor and when someone has been micro-aggressive (harm reduction).

Let’s Talk: Identifying and Combating Imposter Syndrome as an Act of Resilience

Imposter Syndrome (IS) is a constant anxiety that you will be exposed as phony or unworthy even though you’ve achieved things, done good work, or mastered skills. IS impacting people at alarmingly high rates and results in increased anxiety, depression, and overall diminished performance in the work and community contexts. This session will identify and unpack IS, and give managers, providers and practitioners tips for spotting IS and empowering people to conquer IS.

Learning objectives include:

  • Create awareness surrounding imposter syndrome
  • Explore the impact of imposter syndrome on youth
  • Complete personal imposter syndrome assessment
  • Explore the 5 types of imposters and share tips for disrupting imposter syndrome.

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