Brenda Kitchen

About Brenda Kitchen

Brenda Kitchen absolutely loves building relationships and supporting people. Her ability to encourage and inspire people is highly respected by those who have crossed her path. Being a diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging practitioner for many years has only fueled that fire. She uses her facilitation skills to create a safe space for the hard work of heart work. She is best known for opening any session with “I know that most people would rather die than speak in public. I would rather speak in public than die.” Ms. Kitchen is an experienced leader, mentor and executive coach who is passionate about connecting with and advocating for people to develop to their highest potential. She believes her responsibility is to be a resource for others, whether it is leadership, diversity and inclusion, talent management, organizational development or social responsibility. The skill of active listening is critical. Ms. Kitchen’s years of consulting experience has helped her use that skill to become a trusted advisor to senior leaders in the C-Suite. She has been able to provide a level of professional expertise and wisdom to identify goals and business needs and support implementation for positive long-lasting change. To quote Ms. Kitchen, “If I don’t know how to do it, I know how to find the right person who can.” Many believe trust and psychological safety are the keys to any successful business relationship. Ms. Kitchen leads that charge. Ms. Kitchen has traveled extensively throughout the US to support leadership efforts. She has worked with numerous corporate and federal clients, including offices within the United States Navy and Marines, United States Air Force, Darden Restaurants and Xerox Corporation where she successfully managed a portfolio of over $1 million in sales. She is currently a Diversity and Inclusion Director at Vizient, Inc. Her team focuses on the implementation of the corporate diversity strategy, diversity learning journeys and Diversity Networking Associations support and success. Ms. Kitchen holds a BA in Psychology and an MBA in Business Management. She is a financial member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Please feel free to connect with Ms. Kitchen to explore a partnership to be inclusive.

Experience

1. Sr Director, Diversity and Inclusion

   Vizient

   Nov 2022 — Present

Education

• Queens University of Charlotte

  BA, Psychology

  1975 — 1978

• Strayer University

  MBA, Management

  2008 — 2010