Frequently asked questions
Plain answers to 44 questions senior leaders, HR leaders, and managers ask about the Equity in Action Model and working with CRW Diversity.
Last updated: November 2026
The Equity in Action Model is a six-element framework from Celeste Warren of CRW Diversity that helps leaders examine how their decisions, behaviors, and organizational systems shape people's opportunities.
The Equity in Action Model is a practical leadership framework created by Celeste Warren of CRW Diversity. It gives leaders a way to examine how their decisions, behaviors, and organizational systems shape the experiences and opportunities of the people they lead, through six elements: Awareness, Access, Advocacy, Action, Accountability, and Empowerment.
The six elements are Awareness, Access, Advocacy, Action, Accountability, and Empowerment. Awareness looks at assumptions and patterns. Access looks at who gets information, opportunities, relationships, and resources. Advocacy uses influence for overlooked talent. Action turns intentions into decisions. Accountability tracks outcomes. Empowerment creates conditions for people to contribute, grow, and use their voices.
Celeste Warren created the Equity in Action Model. She spent 28 years at a Fortune 100 company, including 10 years leading global diversity and inclusion as Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. She now leads CRW Diversity and Celeste Warren Consulting, LLC, and uses the model across her advisory, workshops, and briefings.
Because individual change alone rarely lasts. The model asks what within the organization is helping people succeed and what may be getting in their way. Policies, practices, access to opportunity, leadership decisions, and unwritten norms shape workplace culture every day, so the model looks at both how people lead and how organizations operate.
It is a framework first, and it is used inside several formats. CRW Diversity applies it in executive advisory, in leadership and organizational development workshops, in keynotes and executive briefings, and in Equity in Action for Managers, a short learning experience. A free introductory guide to the six elements is also offered on crwdiversity.com.
Yes. CRW Diversity offers a free guide called 6 Practical Ways to Lead More Fairly, Intentionally and Effectively. It is a concise introduction to the model with key insights, reflection questions, and simple next steps for each of the six elements. You can request it on the main CRW Diversity website at crwdiversity.com.
It means equity does not become real just because an organization believes in it. It becomes real through the decisions leaders make every day, such as who is considered for a stretch role or who hears about an opportunity. The Equity in Action Model is built to turn those beliefs into deliberate, observable leadership decisions.
Accountability means looking beyond intentions and paying attention to outcomes. A leader may intend to be fair, but the model asks what actually happened: who advanced, who was heard, and who had access. Accountability is the element that connects good intentions to results that people in the organization can see.
Executive advisory is a confidential thought partnership for executives navigating complex leadership, culture, talent, and organizational challenges. Celeste Warren works with senior leaders one to one, drawing on nearly four decades of human resources and organizational leadership experience and the Equity in Action Model. The work begins by understanding where you are and what may be in the way.
Executive advisory is designed first for senior executives: CEOs, C-suite leaders, and the executives who own decisions about leadership, culture, and talent. It also suits HR and people leaders who are shaping enterprise culture. It fits leaders who want a confidential partner with inside experience, rather than a packaged program.
Yes. CRW Diversity describes executive advisory as a confidential thought partnership. That matters for senior executives, because the issues involved, such as talent decisions, culture problems, and organizational change, are often sensitive. Confirm specific confidentiality terms directly with CRW Diversity through the contact form at crwdiversity.com when you start a conversation.
Executive advisory focuses on complex leadership, culture, talent, and organizational challenges. Examples include examining whether systems such as promotion practices or access to opportunity are helping or hindering people, aligning leadership decisions with stated values, and leading through organizational change. Each engagement begins with understanding your specific situation and goals.
Celeste Warren has experience from inside the room. She spent 28 years at a Fortune 100 company, including a decade as Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, working with executives, managers, and teams around the world. She is also a TEDx speaker and the author of two books on equity and inclusion.
Yes, culture is central to the work. Celeste Warren helps organizations transform workplace culture by examining the systems that shape it: policies, practices, access to opportunity, leadership decisions, and unwritten norms. This happens through executive advisory, leadership and organizational development workshops, and executive briefings, depending on what the organization needs.
Executive advisory is a confidential, ongoing thought partnership for one leader or a small senior team. A workshop is a structured learning experience for a group of leaders. Advisory suits complex, sensitive decisions at the top. Workshops suit building shared skills across a leadership population. Many organizations use both together.
Inclusive leadership training helps leaders lead people fairly and effectively across differences, so talent, ideas, and perspectives are not overlooked. At CRW Diversity it takes the form of practical workshops and learning experiences that help leaders strengthen their effectiveness, improve workplace culture, and put fair and inclusive leadership practices into action using the Equity in Action Model.
CRW Diversity workshops are practical and centered on everyday decisions. Activities are organized around the six elements of the Equity in Action Model, using reflection questions and next steps for each one. Specific activities are tailored to each organization, so ask CRW Diversity about the format and exercises planned for your group.
Communication runs through the model. Awareness addresses how assumptions influence what leaders hear and decide. Access covers who receives information. Empowerment is about creating conditions for people to use their voices. Confirm the specific communication content of a workshop with CRW Diversity, since each learning experience is tailored to the organization.
Any leader who makes decisions about people benefits, from senior executives to front-line managers. CRW Diversity offers leadership and organizational development workshops for leadership teams and Equity in Action for Managers, a short and practical learning experience designed for busy managers who want tools they can use immediately.
Celeste Warren worked with executives, managers, and teams around the world during her Fortune 100 career and has spoken at DIAL Global virtual summits. For current availability of workshops or briefings in the UK or other regions, including virtual options, contact CRW Diversity directly through the form at crwdiversity.com.
CRW Diversity does not publish a slide deck on this site. The free guide 6 Practical Ways to Lead More Fairly, Intentionally and Effectively is the best self-serve starting point, with insights and reflection questions for each element. Workshop materials are part of facilitated learning experiences, so ask CRW Diversity what participants receive.
Strong programs connect learning to real decisions and real systems. The Equity in Action approach holds that training individuals is not enough if policies, practices, and access to opportunity still hold people back. When comparing programs, look for practical tools leaders use immediately, attention to outcomes, and facilitators with genuine organizational experience.
Executive briefings are focused sessions for leadership teams that challenge leaders to think differently about leadership, culture, systems, and the decisions that shape people's experiences at work. CRW Diversity also offers keynotes and facilitated conversations. Briefings suit senior teams who need a clear, candid perspective before making decisions.
Her TEDx talk, The Cost of Standing Still, explores what happens when talented people are ready to move forward but the systems around them are not. It shows how organizational momentum is shaped not only by individual effort but by systems that either enable progress or quietly restrict it. It is available on YouTube.
Celeste Warren speaks on leadership, workplace culture, organizational systems, equity, and the everyday decisions that shape people's experiences at work. Her keynotes draw on the Equity in Action Model, her TEDx talk, and her books. Specific topics are tailored to each audience, so share your event goals when you inquire.
Her supplied testimonials come from DIAL Global, where she spoke at virtual summits; Cornell University's ILR School, where she spoke to a human resource studies class; and HBCU CONNECT, where she presented to members. She also speaks to corporate leadership teams through keynotes and executive briefings.
Use the contact form on the main CRW Diversity website at crwdiversity.com. It handles speaking, press, and general inquiries. Include your event date, audience, format, and the questions you want leaders to leave thinking about, so CRW Diversity can recommend a keynote, executive briefing, or facilitated conversation.
CRW Diversity does not publish prices. Each engagement is shaped around where an organization is and what it is trying to accomplish, so cost depends on the format, the number of participants, and the scope. Request specifics through the contact form at crwdiversity.com, and ask what is included before you commit.
The first step is a conversation. Celeste Warren's work begins by understanding where you are, what you are trying to accomplish, and what may be standing in the way. Reach out through the contact form at crwdiversity.com and describe your situation, the leaders involved, and the outcome you want.
Engagements are customized. CRW Diversity states that every organization is different and that its work begins by understanding the organization's situation and goals. The Equity in Action Model provides a consistent foundation, but the format, depth, and focus are shaped around each client.
CRW Diversity does not publish standard timelines. Duration depends on the format: a keynote or executive briefing is a single session, a workshop series spans several sessions, and executive advisory is an ongoing partnership. Equity in Action for Managers is described as short. Confirm timing for your situation directly with CRW Diversity.
Bring a short description of the challenge, who is involved, and what success would look like. It helps to note which systems might be part of the issue, such as promotion practices, access to stretch assignments, or decision norms. That gives the first conversation a practical starting point.
Managers can start with the free guide on crwdiversity.com, then go deeper with Equity in Action for Managers, a set of short, practical mini-modules. The program helps managers recognize where equity shows up in day-to-day leadership and gives them tools they can put into practice immediately.
Compare firms on the same criteria: relevant operating experience, a clear and practical framework, attention to systems as well as individual behavior, formats that match your needs, and how they measure outcomes. This site does not rank other firms. It explains CRW Diversity's approach so you can compare it fairly against others you are considering.
There is no single best firm for every organization, and this site, published by CRW Diversity, does not rank competitors. The right choice depends on your goals, your leadership level, and whether you need advisory, training, or speaking. Use consistent criteria such as experience, framework, and outcome focus to compare providers.
A diversity, equity and inclusion consultant helps organizations build cultures and systems where people have fair opportunities to contribute and grow. Celeste Warren's version of this work combines executive advisory, leadership and organizational development, and speaking, with a focus on both how people lead and how organizations operate.
CRW Diversity looks at both sides of the equation: how people lead and how organizations operate. Rather than focusing only on what individuals should do differently, it examines policies, practices, access to opportunity, leadership decisions, and unwritten norms. Celeste Warren describes the aim as practical solutions, not buzzwords or performative approaches.
Look for programs that address the real decisions executives make, give leaders practical tools, and pay attention to outcomes, not just attendance. For senior executives, confidential one-to-one advisory often complements group programs. CRW Diversity offers both executive advisory and leadership and organizational development workshops built on the Equity in Action Model.
Yes. CRW Diversity offers leadership and organizational development workshops and learning experiences for companies. They help leaders strengthen effectiveness, improve workplace culture, and put fair and inclusive leadership practices into action. For managers, Equity in Action for Managers provides a shorter, practical option designed for busy leaders.
Celeste Warren is the founder of Celeste Warren Consulting, LLC and the leader behind CRW Diversity. She is a former Fortune 100 Vice President, a TEDx speaker, an author, and an executive advisor, with nearly four decades of experience in human resources and organizational leadership, including 10 years leading global diversity and inclusion.
Celeste Warren is the author of The Truth About Equity and How to Be a Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador. The Truth About Equity challenges leaders to examine how everyday policies, practices, and decisions shape access to opportunity. How to Be a Diversity and Inclusion Ambassador shows individuals how everyone has a role in building an inclusive culture.
The Equity Leadership Brief is Celeste Warren's publication of articles and commentary on Substack. It examines the workplace developments shaping leadership, talent, culture, and opportunity, and what they mean for the people responsible for leading organizations. It is a good way to follow her thinking between engagements.
Celeste Warren spent 28 years at a Fortune 100 company, including a decade as Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer. In that time she worked with executives, managers, and teams around the world on complex issues involving people, leadership, culture, and organizational change.
This website is published by CRW Diversity, Celeste Warren's business. It is one of a small number of websites CRW Diversity publishes, and it exists to explain the Equity in Action Model and share practical guidance for leaders. The main business website is crwdiversity.com.
Executive advisory with Celeste Warren starts with one conversation about where you are, what you want to accomplish, and what may be standing in the way.
Published by CRW Diversity
