OSCPA's The Role of Leaders in EDIT (Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & Transformation)

Chelsey Branham, Not associated with any firm

Chelsey Branham is a member of the Chickasaw Nation with ancestral ties to both the Cherokee and Pawnee Nations. She specializes in public administration and public policy work, with over 15 years of experience in leadership development and facilitation in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including as an honorable state legislator. She harnesses executive coaching and workforce training and development to facilitate the transformation of workplace cultures and enhance the missions of entities of all sizes. With an extensive strategic training and evaluation background, Branham works with organizational leaders to identify structural, institutional, and individual behaviors and policies that reinforce harmful systems and aids in the transition towards more equitable practices. Building bridges between communities and aiding in communication through conflict has led to her working with a range of audiences from cultivating more culturally appropriate and community-centered policies and practices with governments, to leading transformative workplace campaigns for national organizations. She is also a master’s level professor in the Smith College School of Social Work, and works to create space, support, and inclusion for Indigenous and other students of color, as well as bringing decolonized curriculum and accountability to students going into the field.

Branham holds a Bachelor of Art in Psychology and Religious Studies with minors in Women and Gender Studies and Anthropology and a Master of International Studies in International Economics and Development, both from the University of Oklahoma. She also holds a Business Institute Certificate from the LEAD Business Institute at Stanford.