From the moment you meet him, you wonder if something is different about him. After you get to speak to him, you know that he is different. In a world absent of true leadership when you get to know Tyronne Stoudemire you can feel the passion he has for the world. Stoudemire is Hyatt’s Global DEI Sr. Vice President, but when he speaks, he sounds more like Martin Luther King Jr., Barack Obama, and Quincy Jones wrapped into one person.
Hyatt has always been a soft place to fall for the Black community. In 1965 when the civil rights leaders of that time needed a place to meet, they convened at a Hyatt-owned hotel.
“Hyatt was the first high-rise hotel in downtown Atlanta and during that time it was the host to invite Blacks into its hotel rooms,” Stoudemire said. Fast forward 60+ years later, and Hyatt remains committed to supporting and empowering underrepresented individuals and communities and driving change across the organization and its business practices.
This includes working with local Black vendors, and hiring Blacks into positions of management and influence so the corporation reflects society. Hyatt had a choice, it could either be passive in its response to racism or it could be actionable.
In the world of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) companies quite often check the box on diversity but never create the infrastructure to see Blacks benefit from it. Stoudemire knew things would be different at Hyatt.
“I have the most supportive board and executive leadership team in the country.” Stoudemire continued, “If we are going to impact change, you must have the support of your CEO, and my CEO supports and encourages me daily to effect change.”
Stoudemire learned early what change looked like growing up in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. He lived with a certain fear of white people because his family was one of the only Black families in his community.
“My father had a great job, and my mother was a nurse, so I grew up with a lot of love and nourishment. We lived in the inner city of Detroit and my dad wanted us to have a better life, so he moved us to a better community,” Stoudemire said.
For Blacks during the 60’s escaping from one lifestyle did necessarily guarantee a better life someplace else. Moving from one neighborhood to create a better future didn’t always go according to plan. For Blacks, if you moved to a better place, you sometimes had to deal with how Blacks were treated in the past. One must wonder which is worse.
“I grew up getting stones thrown through our windows. They used to put trash on our lawn. Some nights they drove their cars across our grass and yelled crazy things to us, all because we were one of the only Black families in that community,” Stoudemire said. “That taught me very early about who I was
and how I wanted to live my life.”
The impact of trauma in one’s life can either break them or create them. Stoudemire decided that his encounters with racism would be the foundation for who he would become as an adult. Having educated parents exposed Stoudemire to hard work and developing a passion for success.
Stoudemire was very successful early by securing a global position at Hewitt and Associates. Stoudemire traveled the globe working to set up call centers around the world. He was asked to lead the firm’s DEI department and thus, his passion was realized.
“It’s interesting because based on my childhood and the racism I had to deal with, I feel like I was built destined to be part of DEI awareness and education to enact meaningful change,” Stoudemire said.
Stoudemire led a study on how long it would take for parity to be created in the modern workforce where Blacks, women, and people of color would be equal to whites. The results were surprising.
“It will not happen in our lifetime,” Stoudemire said. “In order for Blacks and people of color to have the same opportunities as whites will take maybe two or three life cycles.”
That’s why Hyatt’s Change Starts Here commitments are more than just words on a page. This set of actions and defined goals are a manifestation of Hyatt’s purpose – to care for people so they can be their best. For example, Hyatt offers grants to organizations that can assist in the mission of working to increase the minority presence in all the phases of the hotel business.
“We understand that money is the critical component of Black business.” Stoudemire continued, “We know that Black companies need capital to deliver. So, we sometimes will prepay for services. We will change from a net 30 to paying right away so these companies can compete and represent the best in themselves when it comes to collaborating with Hyatt.”
Stoudemire understands that there is so much more that can be done when it comes to DEI. His counterparts also see his efforts. On September 20th, at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Stoudemire will be honored at the We See You Awards International ceremony hosted by the International
Black Woman’s Public Policy Institute.
At that event the entire room will not have to wonder how good of a man Tyronne Stoudemire is, they will get a chance to learn, firsthand, that the man is different, and he is a special person and a true leader for Black people everywhere. ●
