Institute For Inclusion

Veda White is the Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Talent Management and Development, for The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.

 In 2003, Talent Management and Development was formed as a new Human Resources area in The Hartford, where Diversity & Inclusion was designated as one of the primary focus areas for the corporation of 30,000 employees worldwide.  In this role as the Director of Diversity & Inclusion, Veda has been charged with developing and implementing a framework and methodology for consistently implementing Diversity & Inclusion practices and behaviors that support an inclusive work environment at The Hartford. 

 Prior to taking on this role, Veda as Director, Diversity & Inclusion in Property & Casualty Claim, a business area of approximately 6,000 employees implemented a 3 years Diversity & Inclusion strategy, Chair of the Claim Inclusion & Diversity Council from 1999 to 2001, and worked with senior leaders to improve D&I competency.  While serving in this capacity, The Hartford was an industry forerunner in establishing metrics and financial incentives for successful execution of the D&I strategy. 

 During the past 8 years working in the area of Diversity & Inclusion at The Hartford, Veda has initially worked with Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group, Inc. (KJCG) in co-facilitating more than 60 D&I Education Sessions for about 3,000 leaders.  In developing internal facilitation capability, more than 62 business leaders within Claim were trained to deliver D&I education to all other Claim employees to address ongoing needs. Veda was awarded the Claim Award of Excellence for the design and successful delivery of the Train the Trainer sessions and the employee D&I sessions in 2002.

 n addition to the D&I work, Talent Management and Development work has included team projects to embed inclusive behaviors and practices into key HR and business programs such as Performance Management, Leadership Competencies, Leadership Development Curriculum, Diversity Recruiting training, and Change Management.

 Veda has more than 30 years of leadership experience through 20 different jobs primarily at The Hartford.  She worked as a Work Measurement Analyst simplifying job procedures, developing and providing training for the new processes in offices in both the United States and Canada.  This was followed by increasingly more responsible functional and management positions in Field Claim Operations in New Jersey where she worked with local agents, brokers, policyholders, and attorneys to adjudicate complex tort claims.

 Outside The Hartford, Veda has been active in church and community activities serving as a Board Member of Co-op Initiatives, Inc., participant in Leadership Greater Hartford, Advisory Board to The Village for Families & Children, Inc. and the Urban League of Greater Hartford.

 Veda is currently working on a leadership development program for approximately 80 ministry leaders at her church in Bloomfield, Connecticut.

 Veda holds a Bachelor's degree in Mass Communications with a major in Journalism from the University of Houston in Houston, Texas.