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Janice Gassam Asare Biography, Wiki, Age, Husband, Family, Height, Net Worth & More

Janice Gassam Asare (born 23 June 1988, Age: 35 years old) is a renowned diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) consultant, speaker, writer, professor, and podcaster. She is the founder and CEO of BWG Business Solutions, an award-winning consultancy that helps organizations create anti-racist and anti-oppressive workplaces.

She is also the author of two best-selling books, Dirty Diversity and The Pink Elephant, and a senior contributing writer for Forbes.com, where she has authored over 350 articles on DEI topics.

She has been recognized by the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) as one of the Global Top 100 Under 40 in 2021, and by LinkedIn as a Top Voice in Racial Equity in 2022. She has spoken at TEDx and has been trusted by Google, Amazon, The Dr. Oz Show, Nordstrom, Paypal/Venmo, Yale University, and many other organizations and institutions.

Early Life, Family, and Education

Janice Gassam Asare was born on June 23, 1988, in Richmond, Virginia, to Cameroonian immigrants. She is a first-generation Cameroonian-American with intersecting identities, which shaped her unique upbringing and worldview.

Growing up, her family moved around frequently, and when she was 11 years old, they relocated to the country of Oman in the Middle East, where she attended an international school. She experienced what W.E.B. Dubois coined as the ‘double consciousness,’ except she was experiencing a triple consciousness, as she navigated white America, Black America, and Cameroonian culture.

She returned to the United States for college and attended Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology in 2010. She then pursued her Master of Arts degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Louisiana Tech University, graduating in 2012.

She continued her education at Hofstra University, where she obtained her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Applied Organizational Psychology in 2017. Her dissertation focused on hiring bias and whether disclosure of aspects of a job applicant’s background affects the perceptions and employability of the job applicant.

Janice Gassam Asare Wiki/Bio

NameJanice Gassam Asare
Date of BirthJune 23, 1988
Place of BirthRichmond, Virginia, USA
NationalityAmerican
EthnicityCameroonian-American
OccupationDEI Consultant, Speaker, Writer, Professor, Podcaster
EducationVirginia Commonwealth University (B.S. in Psychology)
Louisiana Tech University (M.A. in Industrial-Organizational Psychology)
Hofstra University (Ph.D. in Applied Organizational Psychology)
BooksDirty Diversity (2020)
The Pink Elephant (2020)
Decentering Whiteness in the Workplace (2023)
PodcastDirty Diversity
Websitewww.drjanicegassam.com
Social MediaLinkedIn: janicegassamphd
Instagram: janicejnice
Twitter: DrJaniceGassam
YouTube: @JaniceGassamAsare23
Homepagenewsunzip.com

Career and Achievements

Janice Gassam Asare started her career as a professor, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in business, human resource management, and industrial-organizational psychology at various universities, including Sacred Heart University, Baruch College, and Farmingdale State College. She also worked as a consultant for small businesses and non-profit organizations, providing guidance on talent development, performance management, employee motivation, and diversity and inclusion.

In 2018, she founded BWG Business Solutions, a consultancy designed to help organizations create cultures built on racial equity. She facilitates workshops, provides guidance, and delivers keynote speeches and “Awareness Talks” to spark important dialogue about racial equity in the workplace. She also helps organizations develop interventions to remove systemic barriers that perpetuate harm and discrimination. Some of the topics she covers include anti-racism, anti-blackness, allyship, microaggressions, unconscious bias, cultural competence, and intersectionality.

As an Author

She is the author of two best-selling books, Dirty Diversity and The Pink Elephant, which provide practical and actionable tips for organizations to foster an equitable and inclusive workplace for all. She is also a senior contributing writer for Forbes.com, where she writes about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. She has written over 350 articles on various DEI topics, such as decentering whiteness, workplace racism, gender equity, disability inclusion, LGBTQ+ inclusion, and generational diversity. She has also contributed to other publications, such as Business Insider, Fast Company, The Hill, and Thrive Global.

She is a TEDx speaker and has delivered two TEDx talks, one on emotional intelligence and the other on allyship. She is also the host of the Dirty Diversity podcast, where she discusses all things diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

She has been featured on various media outlets, such as NPR, NBC News, CBS News, ABC News, Fox News, Bloomberg, and SiriusXM. She has also spoken at numerous events and conferences, such as the SHRM Annual Conference, the Diversity Women’s Business Leadership Conference, the Women in Tech Summit, and the Women of Color STEM Conference.

She has been recognized by several organizations and platforms for her work and impact. In 2021, she was honored by the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) as one of the Global Top 100 Under 40, a list that identifies high achievers of African descent in public and private sectors worldwide.

In 2022, she was voted by LinkedIn as a Top Voice in Racial Equity, a list that showcases the most influential and engaging creators on the platform who are driving timely and insightful conversations on race and social justice. She has also received awards from the National Association of Black Accountants, the National Black MBA Association, the National Society of Black Engineers and the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.

Personal Life & Spouse

Janice Asare is married to Kwame Asare, a Ghanaian-American entrepreneur and investor. They live in New York City with their two dogs, Coco and Chanel. She is fluent in English and French and can speak basic Arabic and Twi.

She enjoys traveling, reading, writing, cooking, dancing, and learning new things. She is passionate about social justice, human rights, mental health, and animal welfare. She is also a mentor and a volunteer for various causes and organizations, such as Dress for Success, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and the American Cancer Society.

Ohio State Diversity Chief Under Fire for Article on Decentering Whiteness

Janice Gassam, the chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer at Ohio State University, is facing a state probe over an article she wrote in Forbes about “decentering whiteness” in the workplace. The article, published in October, argued that whiteness is a system of privilege and oppression that harms people of color and white people alike and that organizations need to challenge and dismantle it to create more inclusive and equitable environments.

The article sparked a backlash from some Republican lawmakers, who accused Gassam Asare of being “racist” and “divisive”. Rep. Jena Powell, a member of the House Higher Education Committee, wrote a letter to Ohio State President Kristina Johnson, demanding that Gassam Asare be fired or resign. Powell claimed that Gassam Asare’s article was “anti-American” and “anti-white”, and that it violated the state’s ban on teaching critical race theory in public schools and universities.

Powell also requested that the Ohio Inspector General launch an investigation into Gassam Asare’s hiring and activities at Ohio State, alleging that she may have used taxpayer funds to promote her “radical agenda”. Powell said that Gassam Asare’s article was “evidence of a larger problem” at Ohio State, where she claimed that students and faculty are being “indoctrinated” with “leftist ideology”.

Gassam Asare, who joined Ohio State in July after serving as a diversity consultant and a Forbes contributor, defended her article and her work in a statement. She said that her article was based on “decades of research and scholarship” on whiteness and its impact on society and that she was “proud” of her role in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion at Ohio State. She said that she welcomed “constructive dialogue” on these issues, but that she would not “tolerate” personal attacks or threats.

“I stand by my article and my expertise as a scholar and practitioner in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion,” Gassam Asare said. “My article was not intended to offend or alienate anyone, but rather to challenge us to think critically about how we can create more inclusive and equitable workplaces and communities for everyone.”

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