MillerKnoll’s Cheryl Kern Leads Strategic Plans

As the Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at MillerKnoll, Cheryl Kern leads the development and implementation of the company’s commitment to DEI. Cheryl works to ensure the recently launched DEI strategy is accessible, relatable and of service to all employees, from the operations floor to the C-Suite. As Cheryl finalized the strategy to align to the company’s commitment to take tangible DEI actions, she engaged many others in advancing DEI, whether internally or externally. A group of Multicultural Executives were formed as a working team and created a three-pronged plan to address systemic issues of under-represented groups in MillerKnoll.

Cheryl also mapped the initiative to be inclusive of executives outside of the U.S. As a result of her efforts, this group mentor’s talent, meets with educational institutions to form partnerships to bring more diverse talent to the company, and drives an internal culture of inclusion. With a focus on external drivers that impact markets and revenues, Cheryl launched MillerKnoll’s SEAT Committee, focused on enabling the growth of Black owned businesses, developing diverse dealers and transformation of supplier diversity. These initiatives are positioning these partners for increased success.

As a result of her global experience, Cheryl strives to integrate global perspectives into strategies, and uses metrics and measures of success to ensure sustainable change continues. An example is leading the team focused on the paradigm shifting work undertaken by MillerKnoll to increase the number of Black Designers to a level representing the Black population nationally.