Nichole B. Pardo has experienced workplace discrimination on two fronts. She has both helped organizations avoid discriminatory practices and has filed a grievance for discriminatory practices.
Both experiences inspired her to start her own diversity training and crisis management company,
Global Alliance Solutions, in Detroit.
"It was a classic situation of when life gives you lemons," Pardo says.
Global Alliance Solutions provides comprehensive diversity training to employees and members of management on unconscious bias as it relates to employment decisions. It is currently working with the
Detroit chapter of the NAACP,
Congress of Communities,
Vardar Soccer Club,
Mariners Inn, and
Oakland Community College.
Pardo has an extensive history in diversity training. She worked as an investigator with Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the office of the president for Blue Cross Blue Shield. Before starting Global Alliance Solutions last fall, Pardo worked at another employer where she claimed to have been discriminated against because of her age (she is older than 40) and her race (she identifies as African-American), prompting her to file a claim with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission. The resulting settlement inspired her to start Global Alliance Solutions.
"I created the company so I could help prevent companies from violating discrimination laws and to help create more diversity," Pardo says.
Source: Nichole B. Pardo, owner of Global Alliance Solutions
Writer: Jon Zemke
Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.