There’s hard work, and there’s heart work. Throughout my multifaceted career, I’ve positioned myself within many of Indiana’s leading industries as an expert in equitable organizational leadership and strategy — and though the work is complex, my mission is simple: helping Indianapolis embrace its intersectionality.
In 2024 alone, Indianapolis has collaborated on a global stage to host All-Star Weekend and the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials. Through innovative approaches to public, private and philanthropic partnerships, Indiana has cemented itself as a global sports destination — and this designation has a tremendous impact on our competitiveness, business and talent attraction, and economic impact.
In fact, Mayor Hogsett was quoted sharing that the projected economic impact of the NBA All-Star Game was around $320 million. The results are clear: when Indiana partners across county, industry, and political lines, we’re unstoppable. The question remains, how far are we willing to go together?
I’m a Black, biracial woman born and raised a Hoosier. Although I state this identity with confidence today, it hasn’t always been easy to navigate. Living on the edges of identity always allowed me to see how I relate to others’ cultures, languages, and experiences — even if their experiences don’t mirror my own. Brené Brown calls this cognitive empathy, and it’s a skill set that leaders who lean into a practice of intersectionality possess. It allows us to really see the complexities in ourselves and how they relate to others, how we all can contribute to a shared vision.
Growing up, I learned Spanish in middle and high school to better communicate with the rapidly expanding Hispanic population in Indiana. I knew we were connected and intuitively understood that everything affecting them also affected me in some way. This understanding of connection is something that Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar Chavez embodied. They focused on different subgoals in the Civil Rights Movement but were aware of each other’s actions and understood they were fighting the same fight.
I want us to be able to do that in Indiana — to build a collective “we” that is inclusive of all needs. Our identity must take into account the complexity of all Hoosiers and act accordingly. Conversations about race and gender can sometimes be divisive but they don’t have to be. Investing in historically excluded populations doesn’t have to be charity; it can build a stronger outlook for our state. The results are clear: when Indiana embraces its diversity and invests in all its people, we’re unstoppable. The question remains, how far are we willing to go together?
Just as sacrifices have been made to ensure that Indiana leads in innovation and economic development through sports, agriculture, and other sectors, we could truly be an example of bipartisan intersectionality by innovating and investing strategically in diverse communities.
Diversity and equity have become common topics of conversation and, at times, weaponized. My organization, Indy Equity Collaborative, was created to approach this work differently.
We guide organizations to strategically “do intersectionality.” In doing so, we create space for people to gain a complex understanding of themselves and those around them and the threads that connect us all in the same tapestry. This leads to collective action and accountability along with better communication, collaboration and community-building.
However, this work will never succeed in isolation. True community requires breaking down our silos, and Indianapolis has shown this is possible in our sports industry. What more could we achieve if we aligned around a shared vision and a shared voice across lines of difference? As my 13-year-old would say, at IEC we like to stand on business. You know — don’t just talk about it — be about it.
In that spirit, we know we are not the only organization working to create a better community, and we truly believe our community is stronger when we collaborate. The false narrative of a zero-sum mentality — that one person’s gain is another’s loss — needs to be dismantled. Multiple women in my industry have elevated me, even when they seemingly had no reason to. We can all win together.
That’s why, Indy Equity Collaborative was proud to partner with Women’s Equity Bruch for the recent WE Happy Hour at the Biltwell Event Center. During WE Happy Hour, the community was invited to have candid conversations about workplace inequities and engage with allies in the room to discuss how men can support their women colleagues. Through WE Happy Hour, everyone has a place where they can access safety and support. But it’s all about showing up and being ready to engage.
If this is one example, my hope is that it sparks many others. We have the tools, the momentum, the talent, and the leaders to become a model for equity right here in Indiana. Now we just have to determine our collective commitment to that vision.
Dr. Nicole Carey currently works as the CEO of the Indy Equity Collaborative.
