Dr. Mary “MJ” McConner is an award-winning diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practitioner and Certified Diversity Executive who has worked in the DEI and international education sectors for over fifteen years. She has dedicated much of her professional career to understanding the evolving challenges impacting different organizational cultures and how to best foster environments committed to equity, access, and inclusivity.
Dr. McConner is an experienced leader who has worked at public research (R1) universities, land grant universities, and a private religious-affiliated postsecondary institution. Her previous roles include serving as vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion (chief diversity officer), chief of staff to the president, multicultural student services director, social justice committee leader, international education advisor, and instructor. She now serves as the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inclusive Excellence Consulting–a full-service diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting firm headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Dr. McConner’s thought leadership has been featured in MSN, FOX, AfroTech, Roland Martin Unfiltered, Medium Magazine, Living Corporate, and more. In 2023, she was honored as a Super Woman in Business by the Memphis Business Journal and recognized as an honoree for the inaugural Memphis Business Journal Expand: Diversity in Business Awards. Dr. MJ’s research, advocacy, and community engagement work has been instrumental in her commitment to promoting DEI nationally and globally.