ACG Detroit | The War for Talent: Acquiring & Retaining a Diverse Team

JoAnn Chávez is senior vice president and chief legal officer for DTE Energy. Chávez has responsibility for the management and strategic direction of DTE’s office of the general counsel and advises DTE’s board of directors and senior management on legal and related matters. Chávez also has responsibility for the oversight of ethics and compliance, corporate security, corporate emergency management, and tax.

Prior to joining DTE in 2007, Chávez served as an international tax partner for KPMG LLP with experience serving large multinational clients. Chávez earned a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame.

Chávez is a strong advocate for young people and is the founder of the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative (MiHC), a Michigan non-profit, that focuses on economic equity and provides opportunities for first-generation Hispanic students to graduate from college. MiHC delivers culturally relevant programming for both students and parents to help bring coherence to the chaos of college access. Chávez sits on the Boards of DTE Energy Foundation, the Cristo Rey Network, Invest Detroit, and the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan. She currently chairs the governance committee for the Cristo Rey Network and is the past chair of the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board of directors. She also sits on the Notre Dame Law School and the University of Michigan School of Education Advisory Councils.

DTE Energy (NYSE: DTE) is a Detroit-based diversified energy company involved in the development and management of energy-related businesses and services nationwide. Its operating units include an electric company serving 2.2 million customers in Southeast Michigan and a natural gas company serving 1.3 million customers in Michigan. The DTE portfolio includes energy businesses focused on power and industrial projects; renewable natural gas; natural gas pipelines, gathering and storage; and energy marketing and trading. As an environmental leader, DTE utility operations will reduce carbon dioxide and methane emissions by more than 80 percent by 2040 to produce cleaner energy while keeping it safe, reliable and affordable. DTE Electric aspires to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. DTE is committed to serving with its energy through volunteerism, education and employment initiatives, philanthropy and economic progress. Information about DTE is available at dteenergy.com, empoweringmichigan.com, twitter.com/dte_energy and facebook.com.

After graduating from Indiana University with an MBA, Mike began his career in the automotive industry, working for suppliers Owens Corning, Pilkington Glass and Avery Dennison. After 25 years of holding various roles in both finance and sales, he moved his career in a new direction. In March 2008, he joined a new high school that was in the process of opening - Detroit Cristo Rey. At Detroit Cristo Rey they served students who could not typically afford to attend a private school - over 90% of students qualified for free or reduced lunch under federal poverty guidelines. Using a unique work study program, in collaboration with many of the leading companies in the area, 100% of their graduates were accepted to college. In college, they have graduated at 2-3 times the national average. After 13 years, Mike retired as president in 2021.

Last year, Mike "unretired" to join CareerSpring. CareerSpring is a non-profit organization focused on supporting first generation / low income students through college and into their first professional job. Like Cristo Rey, CareerSpring achieves this in partnership with leading organizations in Detroit and across the country.

As the firm’s Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer and People and Culture Principal, Bernadette oversees and helps drive forward the firm’s DEI strategy, spearheading key programs to create impact, foster change and continue to build a sustainably inclusive culture. Additionally, she leads BDO’s people and culture talent acquisition field teams nationwide with the goal of leveraging the firm’s culture and values to enhance the employee and principal experience.

Bernadette has more than 25 years of human resources experience in both public accounting and private industry. Since joining BDO in 1999, she has collaborated with leaders across the firm to provide guidance on strategic firm priorities, change management, organizational development, talent acquisition, conflict resolution, investigations, coaching and development, employee retention strategies, succession planning, performance management, employee relations, and more. 

Throughout her tenure with the firm, she has been actively engaged in ensuring DEI is an integral part of the firm’s operations and culture, including through her previous role as the firm’s national director of diversity. She is a recognized Diversity Journal thought leader, a catalyst of the firm’s participation in diversity associations and conferences, and the firm’s core values ambassador.

Jeffery Wyatt, Senior Director at DWH Consulting, has more than 35 years of experience in leading executive teams and organizational transformation. Jeff helps business leaders navigate the entire M&A process, strategic planning, optimizing organization performance and growth, and succession planning and transition.

Jeff was CEO and Chair for over 20 years of minority certified family-owned Tier One Automotive and CE supplier. Jeff leverages his experience in transitioning from first to second generation ownership and leadership, diversifying offerings, and developing operational excellence to eliminate non-value-added activities to increase margin. He earned his M.B.A. from University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Jeff is on the boards of the Michigan Hispanic Collaborative, the Michigan Hispanic Fund and is a member of the Executive Board at the Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce where he is in his third year as Finance Chair.