Profile Story
Dr. Kimberly Harden
Written by Julius Johnson
Dr. Kimberly Harden is an executive, educator, and pathfinder. In all aspects of her life, she is determined to make a way for herself regardless of the circumstances; in her own words, “When one door closes, go through a window. There's more than one way to get in.”
Founder and CEO of Harden Consulting Group Dr. Harden is on a mission to get clients “out of the traditional diversity, equity, and inclusion mindset.” Whether she’s working with tech giants, hospital groups, or construction agencies, Harden uses her expertise to support clients in achieving their DEI goals.
However, for Harden, it’s not enough for her clients to simply reach their quotas or display their visible diversity to the public. It’s important for Harden to know what sort of diversity her clients are looking for and what that diversity looks like at their organization. But equally important, what’s the benefit to the person hired?
“So that's what we coach them on, you want to attract and retain people, but you need to be actively engaged in that community. So we [start] with the fundamentals,” Harden said.
These DEI skills come naturally to Harden. When asked at what point she knew what she was doing was what she wanted to do, Harden said, “I had always been doing it...In my previous jobs before I started working in academics. Basically, people knew that I had done it before. And they kept reaching out to me, asking me to do it. And I was like, well, maybe I'll get paid for it.”
Since making her start in the consultation business, it’s been clear to Harden that visible, racial diversity isn’t enough to make a foothold in the industry. Harden said, “A lot of people, particularly Black people, or people of color, get into this space because they think it's a moneymaker. They think ‘because I'm a person of color, that I can do this work,’ but it's not just about being a person of color to do this work. I mean, you really have to know what you're talking about.”
While her launch into the industry was unplanned, Dr. Harden has managed to succeed twofold in a white, male-dominated space. Harden said, as a Black woman, she’s unsure and “still trying to figure out” what this particular type of success means.
“We know that there's a different set of rules for Black consultants and white consultants [. . .] They say, oh, you have to have this experience, you have to have this degree, and so on and so forth. And then once you get that, there's always something else, they keep moving the needle. But at the same time for white people, they keep lowering the bar,” Harden said.
Regardless of the racial dichotomy between white and Black consultants, Dr. Harden has a clear idea of her path into the future. Running her business full-time with a built-out team, Harden envisions a less stressful future, with the ability to delegate and trust those around her to do their jobs efficiently and effectively.
Dr. Harden gave two universally applicable pieces of advice. “I remind myself of this daily, ‘delayed does not mean denied.’ Things come to you when they're supposed to come to you. And don't be afraid to invest in yourself. Trust me, it's hard writing those checks [. . .] but you realize that you're going to get that back and then some, so I always say invest in yourself.”