About
Kelley Cornish is a diversity and inclusion executive, transformation leader, author, and speaker. In the corporate world, Kelley has served in leading roles for diversity and inclusion throughout her career, currently serving as a D&I Executive for a top bank leading strategy and integration. Prior to this role, she served as the Global Head of Diversity and Inclusion for a top 10 financial institution, charged with the bank’s efforts to promote diversity, equity and inclusion. This included creating and leading a global team focused on expanding the bank’s efforts throughout North America, Asia and Europe as she partnered with senior executives and various stakeholders to deliver and implement a global strategy. Kelley’s award-winning work includes bringing more than 30 years of leadership experience in D&I and HR.
A proven results-oriented leader, most recently Kelley was recognized as one of the 2019 Most Influential Women In Corporate America by Savoy Magazine, by the Network Journal as one of the Top 25 Influential Black Women in Business for 2019, and she was a recipient of the 2019 Sojourner Truth Award by the National Congress of Black Women. In 2018, Kelley was acknowledged for her commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout her career by receiving the 2018 Career Mastered Award and has been recognized as a member of the top team of distinction for the American Banker’s Most Powerful Women in Banking Award. Under her leadership throughout her career, she led the work for her organization to receive honors for the first time by Forbes as a Best Employer for Diversity and the Urban League of New York’s Diversity Champion Award. Additionally, in only two years with Kelley at the helm within an organization, they saw movement up 19 slots in their ranking as a top company on the Diversity Inc. Top 50 list between 2018 and 2019.
As a Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Award winner by Peirce College for the City of Philadelphia in 2017, Cornish is a Certified Diversity Professional by Cornell University (CCDP) and has completed course work at the Harvard Kennedy School in strategies for leading and building diverse organizations. She also serves as the Chair of the Special Expertise Panel for Diversity and Inclusion for the National Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) which includes addressing current and future trends within diversity and inclusion, and she consults and speaks for various organizations. Kelley obtained her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of South Carolina – Aiken in Business Administration and her Masters from Webster University in Human Resources. She serves on the United Negro College Fund’s Upstate Leadership Council in South Carolina and as a HR Committee Member for BAYADA’s Board of Directors.
In addition to her corporate role, Kelley serves as Women’s Ministry Leader and Bible teacher at her church alongside her husband, Douglas Slaughter, Senior Pastor. Trained as a Chaplain with close to 20 years of teaching and church leadership, Kelley leads classes for women within a series entitled, Titus2Gether with Kelley. Kelley and her husband Douglas Slaughter reside in South Carolina, and they have five adult children.