NASHVILLE, Tenn. – (TN Tribune) – Vaco, a global talent solutions firm, has promoted internal talent acquisition leader Farah Hottle as the organization’s new senior director of diversity & inclusion, to further drive Vaco’s focus on building a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
Hottle, who joined Vaco in 2006, will serve as the firm’s leader for DEI initiatives, advancing best practices, industry benchmarks, community involvement and education, and innovative hiring approaches aligned with Vaco’s core values. She was a visionary leader in the establishment of the firm’s Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Cabinet (IDEC) in 2020, where she co-authored an action roadmap that builds awareness and education throughout the organization, enabling diversity recruitment, bolstering bias training, increasing belonging and strengthening ties between team members.
“The social injustices that occurred in spring 2020 were a wake-up call for Vaco, leading to immediate action for us to become an organization thatactively fights for and encourages inclusion, diversity, and equity – and Farah was a leader among a group of trailblazers who executed internal meetings focused on change and unity throughout our organization,” said Brian Waller, CEO and co-founder of Vaco. “Farah has enthusiastically assumed a principal position through our IDEC initiative, and I am confident her leadership will fuel our diversity and inclusion initiatives to drive meaningful change throughout our firm and for all those we serve.”
Hottle previously served as director of talent acquisition for Vaco, a role in which she led the firm in leveraging best practices in recruiting and placing internal talent across the organizations. She joined Vaco as a recruiting and staffing consultant 16 years ago.
In her new role, Hottle will expand existing partnerships and advance new ones with HBCUs, HSIs, and other organizations focused on elevating historically marginalized populations while creating greater opportunities for Vaco employees to celebrate divergent perspectives and backgrounds. Vaco has always been an organization focused on equity, by creating policies that consider everyone’s unique circumstances and the tools they need to succeed. Hottle will seek ways to remove any existing barriers for current and future employees while preserving fairness in hiring and promotions.
“Change starts from within, so promoting Farah, who possesses a strong understanding of Vaco’s culture and our teams, gives us an immediate advantage in achieving our goals,” said Tracey Power, chief people officer of Vaco. “She is a passionate leader who is dedicated to creating a culture that embraces differences, levels the playing field, creates a sense of belonging and empowers our team members to listen, act and promote social justice and absolute inclusion. Farah is and will be a great champion for these values, amplifying diverse voices and perspectives and continuing to make Vaco – and the world – a better place.”
In addition to her role at Vaco, Hottle is an active community member, working with organizations such as ReEstablish Richmond, which connects refugees and new immigrants to the resources they need to establish roots, build community and become self-sufficient in the United States. Hottle also supports the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, a coalition of 23,000 members of all faiths and goodwill working for a more just society.
“Central to Vaco’s culture is the belief that our differences are not only valuable, but essential,” Hottle said. “We are fiercely committed to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion inside and outside of the organization and I am beyond thrilled to work with our leaders and all Vaconians to drive change that positively impacts our employees, clients, friends and communities.”