LOS ANGELES – Creative Artists Agency announced today that Dr. Sharoni Little, previously Vice Dean and Senior Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at the USC Marshall School of Business, and adviser to global organizations, has been appointed CAA’s Head of Global Inclusion Strategy. Little will oversee and build upon the company’s robust set of initiatives to vigorously and consistently ensure the most enriching, diverse and inclusive environment for all employees to excel.

“Sharoni is an inspiring and innovative leader in her field,” said CAA’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Sherrie Sage Schwartz. “Her deep expertise and experience will be invaluable in helping us continue to drive transformational change. Sharoni understands and cares deeply about organizational culture and will have an immediate impact on how we create opportunities within CAA for our colleagues.”

“CAA has clearly made diversity, equity, inclusion and antiracism a strategic priority for the company, valuing its profoundly positive impact not only on CAA’s workplace, but far beyond,” said Little. “I am inspired by the agency’s commitment to take an active, innovative and vocal role in using its unique access, resources and relationships to shine light and create real and sustaining change. I look forward to contributing to that ongoing process, alongside the many leaders within CAA who have been vital in forging this important and inclusive path.”

“Sharoni is a person of great character and supports the values and vision of our company,” said CAA President Richard Lovett. “She will help us accelerate the momentum created by Kevin Lin, Ruben Garcia, and so many others at CAA in creating the most positive and optimistic culture we can possibly have.”

In addition to her role as Vice Dean at Marshall, Little served the school as an award-winning professor, researcher, and mentor. As CEO of The Strategist Company, she has advised organizations and communities on creating holistic, evidence-based strategies and solutions related to strategic leadership and inclusion. A leading social advocate, Little has partnered with the Obama Foundation, the Aspen Institute, the Children and Nature Network, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Kellogg Foundation. She serves as the Vice Chair of the Compton Community College Board of Trustees; Senior Advisor, Compton, My Brother’s Keeper; Past Chair, Los Angeles County Policy Roundtable for Childcare and Development; and sits on several boards of trustees.

CAA has been a leading change advocate connected to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. The agency recently announced the appointments of Co-Head of Basketball Marketing and Servicing Lisa Joseph Metelus to the CAA Board that oversees day-to-day management of the agency; Lin and Garcia to Co-Heads of the Cultural Business Strategy group to maximize opportunities for diverse clients; and Lin to oversee the Cultural Innovation Task Force, working to build corporate culture best practices that help fulfill President Richard Lovett’s commitments made at this June’s Amplify Town Hall, hosting more than 9,000 guests. The event was one element of the agency’s four-year-old CAA Amplify platform that connects thought leaders and cultural changemakers of color to leverage their influence and generate transformational change across business and society.

The agency has also launched multiple initiatives focused on the next generation of diverse leaders. Among others, these include: CAA Scholars, an employee giving program that provides multi-year scholarships, fellowships, year-round programming, and mentorship to a diverse group of high-potential students attending college, university, or trade institute/programs; the Thunder Fellows Program, a partnership with the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder to unlock new opportunities in sports, technology, and entertainment for Black students in the Tulsa area; THE HUBB, a networking and professional development summit providing diverse internship and career-ready college students with the tools and resources needed to successfully enter the music business.

To help make the business case for diversity and inclusion at companies that produce content, CAA has conducted and released industry studies in recent years, including the Motion Picture Cast Diversity Index, Television Diversity Index Report and a study on female-led films that each demonstrate the correlation between cast diversity and box office/ratings.

An esteemed author and media commentator, Little earned her Ph.D. from Indiana University and her Ed.D. from USC. She received her M.A. and B.A. from California State University, Los Angeles.