Nzinga “Zing” Shaw is the first Senior Vice President and Global Chief Impact Officer of Velocity Global. She currently oversees their four centers of excellence: DEI, ESG, Community Engagement, and Philanthropy.
Zing is an experienced C-suite executive with extensive hands-on experience and knowledge spanning change and crisis management to human capital management, employee relations, talent acquisition, organizational and strategic planning, branding, and community engagement.
She is known for her pioneering DEI work with the National Basketball Association, serving as the first D&I Officer, and representing the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena franchise. Zing was the first Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at four blue-chip organizations: Edelman, the NBA, Starbucks, and Marsh McLennan.
She has been recognized with numerous “40 Under 40” awards from the likes of Sports Business Journal, Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Network Journal, and PR Week.
Listen in for some great takeaways about how Zing has transformed some of the largest companies out there and continues to leave her mark on corporate America by making it better than she found it.
You will want to hear this episode if you are interested in…
- Learn more about Nzinga “Zing” Shaw and what led her to DEI work [4:08]
- Why Zing walked away from multiple full-ride NCAA scholarships [10:20]
- How being authentically herself shaped Zing’s life and career [14:05]
- What Zing learned from her time with the NFL, NBA, and Starbucks [17:52]
- Partnering with Vision to Learn to change the trajectory of a child’s life [20:33]
- Why Zing’s career path was more of a jungle gym instead of a ladder [25:22]
- How learning to push away what others think has led to Zing’s success [29:02]
- What people need to understand about diversity, equity, and inclusion [30:33]
- Why you should become part of the communities you want to support [35:16]
- Zing shares some tips to help you build leadership in your organization [39:11]
- What Zing did today that put her in the right mindset for success [44:27]
Learn more about Nzinga “Zing” Shaw and what led her to DEI work
Zing grew up in New York, an only child of two educators. Her father was a professor of African American History at NYU and her mother was a high school teacher. Sadly, her mother died when she was 16. It was a pivotal moment in her life.
It’s what led her to attend Spelman College in Atlanta, a historically black liberal arts college for women. She wanted to be around people who could help her develop and grow as a Black woman. She studied alongside women she could call sisters.
She attended graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and got a Master’s in Liberal Arts. The most exciting part of the experience was spending a summer abroad at Oxford University. It was there that she became interested in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).
She went to the UK with a US mindset, especially around issues of race and gender. She quickly learned that people in the UK don’t think about race in the same way. Instead, they’re “split” by socioeconomic status. That’s when Zing realized that not everyone has the same worldview that Americans do.
It was a turning point in her life. She decided to focus her efforts on human resources and DEI in the workplace. She’s since worked in a variety of industries to understand what people need, want, and desire in the workplace. She’s spent the last two decades leading DEI initiatives in major Blue Chip organizations.
What Zing learned from her time with the NFL, NBA, and Starbucks
Zing notes that people target working for big brands because they think it’ll be the perfect atmosphere for them. But every organization has opportunities for growth. She’s grateful to have worked across industries, from small businesses to large publicly-traded companies. Each one has given her a different perspective that’s helped shape her work.
NFL and NBA employees are very passionate about what they do. It takes a lot of energy and effort. Organizations like Starbucks are full of brilliant people who come up with unmatched innovative programming, initiatives, and marketing.
What people need to understand about diversity, equity, and inclusion
Diversity, equity, and inclusion aren’t just about race and gender. It’s about all of the things someone brings to the table—seen and unseen. All of our life experiences are about places we’ve been, people we’ve met, languages that we speak, and ideas that we have. You learn those things by interacting and engaging with the world around you.
Secondly, diversity, equity, and inclusion are not one person’s job—it’s everyone’s. How do you create spaces and environments where everyone can belong, no matter what? Zing emphasizes that we get too caught up in our differences that we lose valuable people that we need in our lives and businesses (often because of something they can’t control).
People can’t control their race. They can’t control their gender or sexual orientation. These are assigned the moment we take our first breath. Why hate someone because of those things?
Why you should become part of the communities you want to support
Zing points out that you become an ally when the community you choose to support calls you one. They must say you’re an advocate and champion for their cause. If you want to become an ally, go deep with specific communities, groups, and demographics. You can’t immediately try to problem-solve. Instead, go on a listening tour. Engage in community service.
In the end, allyship is about empathy. And you become empathetic about a community by engaging with them. We have to teach the next generation so allyship is ingrained in them from the very beginning.
Resources & People Mentioned
Connect with Nzinga Shaw
Bio
Nzinga “Zing” Shaw is the first Senior Vice President and Global Chief Impact Officer of Velocity Global. She currently oversees their four centers of excellence: DEI, ESG, Community Engagement, and Philanthropy.
Zing is an experienced C-suite executive with extensive hands-on experience and knowledge spanning change and crisis management to human capital management, employee relations, talent acquisition, organizational and strategic planning, branding, and community engagement.
She is known for her pioneering DEI work with the National Basketball Association, serving as the first D&I Officer, representing the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena franchise. There, she launched the “MOSAIC” symposium (Model of Shaping Atlanta through Inclusive Conversations) and made the Hawks the first professional sports team to march in PRIDE and demonstrate public allyship to the LGTBQIA+ community.
Additionally, she created the RISE Fellowship Program (racial inclusion and social equity) during her tenure as the Global Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at Marsh McLennan (NYSE: MMC), the world’s largest professional services firm.
Zing was the first Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer at four blue chip organizations: Edelman, the NBA, Starbucks, and Marsh McLennan. She has been recognized with numerous “40 Under 40” awards from the likes of Sports Business Journal, Atlanta Business Chronicle, The Network Journal, and PR Week.
In addition to serving on the Board of Trustees of Fisk University, she also serves the Board of Directors of the National Rugby Football League, ColorComm, Moth+Flame and Arctos Sports Partners. She was appointed by President Jimmy Carter to serve a six-year term on the Board of Councilors of The Carter Center.
Zing received her MLA from the University of Pennsylvania and her BA from Spelman College. She was also a study abroad scholar at Oxford University in the UK while pursuing her graduate degree. In her free time, Zing enjoys interior design, international travel, cooking, and spending time with her husband Keith and their three children, Lacy, Hudson, and Trey.
Connect With Mitlin Financial
- podcast*at*mitlinfinancial(dot)com – email us with your suggestions for topics or guests
- If you would like to learn more schedule a call: https://mitlin.us/FitCall
- https://mitlinfinancial.com
- Follow on Twitter
- Follow on Instagram
- Subscribe on Youtube
- Follow on Linkedin
- Follow on Facebook
Guests on the Mitlin Money Mindset Show are not affiliated with CWM, LLC, and opinions expressed herein may not be representative of CWM, LLC. CWM, LLC is not responsible for the guest’s content linked on this site.
Subscribe to Mitlin Money Mindset™ on
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts
