Inclusion and employee wellbeing don’t happen in a vacuum. It requires collaboration and partnership between departments and employee groups to improve a company’s culture, performance, and reputation. 

During this live panel webinar, we’ll explore how DEI, HR, and ERGs intersect in the workplace. We’ll dive into how each discipline works together to make a collective impact on employee well-being and drive inclusion initiatives in the workplace. We’ll uncover best practices for departmental collaboration and how creating a collaborative strategy works toward the greater good of employees and culture while impacting company ROI.

Our panel comes to us from the team at Tyson Foods and includes Paul Davis, Chief Diversity Officer; Erich Barnes, VP Total Rewards; and April Foster, Sensory Scientist & enABLE BRG Chair.

This webinar is hosted by Joshin’s CEO Melissa Danielsen. Captions will be provided.  

Portrait of Paul Davis, a black man in a collared shirt and glasses.
Meet Your Presenter

Paul Davis

Vice President & Chief Diversity Officer, Tyson Foods

Results-oriented senior sales executive with outstanding accomplishments over the past twenty-five years. Since February 1988, Paul Davis has been appointed to eleven different field sales and headquarter assignments with increasing responsibilities. He also served as a core member in the development and execution of company-wide strategic initiatives. Currently, Paul is responsible for the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) strategy across Tyson Food’s enterprise. Additionally, he oversees organizational development including a newly formed DE&I Council, team leadership, internal collaboration, and external partnerships.

Connect on: LinkedIn

Portrait of Erich Barnes, a Black man in a suit and white collared shirt.
Meet Your Presenter

Erich Barnes

Head of Total Rewards, Tyson Foods

Erich Barnes leads the Total Rewards team at Tyson where he is responsible for strategy and design of compensation and benefits programs for all Team Members, from the frontline to executive team members.  He has conceptualized, designed, and implemented compensation and benefits programs across many industries and in various countries around the globe. Through his work over the years, Erich has come to appreciate that all employees have various abilities to offer employers, and successful companies recognize that their programs should be designed to meet the diverse needs of all employees. Erich is a member of the Human Resources Leadership team at Tyson and enjoys meeting with all Team Members, hearing their stories, and advocating for inclusion for all.  In his free time, Erich enjoys reading civil war era history; his favorite title is “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” by Doris Kearns Goodwin.

Connect on: LinkedIn

Portrait of April Foster, a woman with short brown hair in a purple suit jacket and white blouse.
Meet Your Presenter

April Foster

Sensory Scientist and Chairperson of enABLE BRG, Tyson Foods

April Foster leads Sensory work across several of Tyson’s key categories. As Sensory lead, she functions as the Product Attribute Expert for her product groups, providing the cross-functional Team with consumer-based product insights to allow for more efficient and timely product development. In her Sensory role, April is most proud of her identification of and research into utilizing several new methodologies that have allowed for more nimble product launches.

In addition, April is heavily involved with Tyson’s enABLE Business Resource Group (BRG), most recently serving as Chairperson for over two years. Her passion for DE&I and the BRG has seen membership growth of over 400%, a successful rebrand from DisAbility and Accessibility to enABLE, development of multiple long-term strategic community partnerships, and most recently, a successful campaign in partnership with Total Rewards for additional Team Member benefits including Hearing Aid insurance coverage and expanded mental health offerings.

April is an Arkansas native with a passion for food, inclusion, and mentoring. In her free time, she enjoys reading of (almost) all kinds, supporting small business (shopping), and hanging out with (the coolest) kindergartner.

Connect on: LinkedIn

Portrait of Melissa Danielsen, a smiling woman with long dark hair, wearing a black top, against a leafy green background.
Meet Your Presenter

Melissa Danielsen

Co-founder & CEO, Joshin

Melissa Danielsen is a serial entrepreneur with a deep passion for creating positive societal impact. With her innovative approach, Melissa is focused on launching and scaling products and services that address unmet needs, particularly in the neurodivergent and disabled communities. Her journey began in corporate America, where she served in business development and marketing roles before transitioning to entrepreneurship. She founded her first company as a licensed Medicaid provider, developing person-centered programs for adults with disabilities. Her company was later acquired by a public corporation, leading to her next venture, Joshin.

Joshin is a tech-enabled support solution that offers expert-led virtual coaching, digital programs, and personalized navigation for individuals with neurodivergence and disabilities, managers, allies, and caregivers. Melissa’s commitment to this cause is deeply personal, drawing from her experiences with her late brother, Josh, who had developmental disabilities and epilepsy, and her own ADHD and dyscalculia diagnosis, which she navigates alongside her 7-year-old daughter.

In addition to her role as CEO and Co-Founder of Joshin, Melissa has served on several boards, including as the board chair of Joshin, and as a director for ARRM, Association of Residential Resources in Minnesota, and The Arc Minnesota. She brings nearly twenty years of experience in marketing and sales, with a focus on partnership development, program growth, and entrepreneurship.

Melissa’s life outside work is filled with the joy of raising two spirited and beautiful daughters. An active yogi, film buff, and podcast enthusiast, Melissa continues to address systemic problems through human-centered tech solutions, bridging the gap between access and opportunity.