From a low-income neighborhood in the south side of the Windy City, a.k.a. City of Broad Shoulders and deep-dish pizza, Shelton Banks has turned a blue-collar hustle into a white collar hoodie. This brilliant CEO of Rework Training discusses how to rework the wage gap and empower overlooked communities by infusing philanthropy into business development. Produced By Shermin Kruse Directed By Aaron Gottl, Atlas Arts Media Matthew Peckham, Peckham Media Productions Shermin Kruse Dr. Ghazal Banisadr Paul Ruffolo Video Production and Streaming Aaron Gottl, Atlas Arts Media Matthew Peckham, Peckham Media Productions Executive Producers Shermin Kruse Dr. Ghazal Banisadr Associate Producers Paul Ruffolo Ryan Kalous Brooke Tovar Curators Maaike Almeida Joshua Atterberry Dr. Ghazal Banisadr Roxy Bargoz Babak Barkhordar Monica Bernardo Marisa Buchheit Terese Connolly Alison Henderson Melinda Holland Jason Hsu Ryan Kalous Reese Klemm Shermin Kruse Dr. Benjamin Levy Jocelyn Martinez-Rosales Julissa Martinez Daphne Ortiz Shoba Pillay Paul Ruffolo Peter Salib Evan Sill Ciara Taheri Brooke Tovar Post-Production Digital Construction and Creative Direction Shermin Kruse Ghazal Banisadr Aaron Gottl, Atlas Arts Media Matthew Peckham, Peckham Media Productions Graphic and Web Design Brooke Tovar Josh Atterberry Jason Hsu Marketing and Communications Brooke Tovar Monica Bernardo Public Relations Daphne Ortiz Performance Coach Alison Henderson Special Thanks To The Chicago Cubs Exclusive Partner Avant With Additional Support From The Chicago Cubs Chicago History Museum Avant Addison and Clark Chaka Patterson Barnes & Thornburg LLP The Law Offices of Ursula Taylor Kruse Asset Management June Kim and Daniel Hwang Melinda Holland Terese Connolly Shoba Pillay Babak Barkhordar Beautify AMS SilverIP Compass Real Estate - Lisa Kalous WBS Equities, LLC Dr. Benjamin Levy Maloos Photography Will Byington Photography Paul Araki Elliott AC Photography AKIRA Ewa Baczek Hair & Makeup Artistry Brenda Arelano Makeup Artist ReinventAbility TACO Ryan Opera Center |
Lyric Opera of Chicago THANK YOU TO ALL RESIDENTS OF CHICAGO FOR INSPIRING US WITH YOUR COLLECTIVE HUMANITY AND REMARKABLE COMPASSION DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES Born in an untapped neighborhood on the southside of Chicago, Shelton Banks’ story shows life isn’t determined by the cards you are dealt, but how you play your hand. Having a background that lends itself to common Black stereotypes – high-school dropout, single-parent household, and other daily hardships – Shelton knows how to face and overcome fundamental challenges that arise as a result of lack of education, capital, and the color of skin. Shelton is a certified diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant, Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, and co-founder of Sales for The Culture. He is also CEO at re:work training, a non-profit organization focused on creating workplaces that reflect the diversity of our neighborhoods, starting with the tech industry. Combining his background in sales and passion for DEI, Shelton is bridging the gap between overlooked communities and companies committed to taking real action on DEI. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx |