“I’m a woman and I’m black. So when I walk into a room, people look at me!”

“I’m a woman and I’m black. So when I walk into a room, people look at me!” laughs Trenna Grice. But this daughter of a military family describes herself spontaneously as more of a chameleon. As well as being Senior Director Business Development for Higher Education at Elior North America, Trenna Grice is also an active member of the DEI Leadership Council. This dual role means that she’s well placed to promote diversity, inclusion and equality on a day-to-day basis. “I’ve learned to adapt to my environment. I get that from my childhood: because my father was in the military, we moved around a lot and lived in places with different cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds.”

I’ve learned to adapt to my environment. I get that from my childhood.

More specifically, Trenna is working to develop partnerships with HBCUs (Historical Black Colleges and Universities); an issue close to her heart: “I felt that these students in particular had no access to a decent diet. So the impact we can have on the quality of the food they get is very important.” Through her work with the Leadership Council, Trenna hopes to attract a greater diversity of talent into management roles. “We’re still seen all too often as a white company. And it’s true that on several occasions, I’ve been the only person of color in a meeting. So we have a long way to go, but I truly believe that we will get there.”