Michelle Purvis, senior vice president of human resources at Chicago-based Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), joins us for Episode 23 of the “Let’s Talk Dairy” podcast to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).

DMI, with its related organizations, works to increase sales and demand for dairy through research, education, and innovation, and to maintain confidence in dairy foods, farms, and businesses. DMI manages the National Dairy Council and the American Dairy Association, and founded the U.S. Dairy Export Council and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

Originally from Connecticut, Purvis completed her undergraduate degree at North Carolina State University and spent a semester traveling extensively around West Africa. Following graduation, she worked as a research analyst at a management consulting firm before going back to business school. Purvis received her MBA from the University of Notre Dame in 2013.

Upon graduation from business school, Purvis returned to consulting and spent four additional years focused on human resources consulting in industries including healthcare, financial services, energy and utilities, staffing, and retail. 

Since then, she has worked for DMI on the human resources team. She currently serves as the senior vice president of HR and leads all talent, culture, DEI, and workforce engagement activities for the company. 

In this first “Let’s Talk Dairy” episode of 2023, Purvis discusses the following:

• Efforts DMI has taken to promote diversity.
• How these efforts have helped the organization, such as providing a different perspective, creating better vendor relationships, improving teamwork, and enhancing the talent pool.
• What steps dairy processors that do not already have a DEI strategy in place can do to create an effective one.
• What the dairy industry can do better to further the DEI movement.

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