Elaine Ho serves as NASA’s Chief Diversity Officer, providing executive and transformative leadership over diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policy and programs for the entire NASA workforce. Ho is a long-time public servant who has been connected to DEIA throughout her career, having held multiple high-level positions at the Department of Agriculture, IRS, and the White House. Prior to her federal service career, Ho was a practicing attorney, specializing in employment law and workplace diversity and inclusion, and served over four years active duty as an Air Force criminal prosecutor.

Key Takeaways:

• Representation matters – you have to see it to be able to achieve it

• Collaboration is everything

• Trust is the foundation of successful collaboration

• Meet people where they are at – put yourself in their shoes

• Demonstrate the value of DEIA to get people onboard

• There are times to be right and there are times to understand 

• Be yourself, everyone else is already taken

• Authenticity is a lifelong state of self-reflection 

Guest’s Media Recommendations:

• The Space Race (documentary)

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Find Guest’s work:

• NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/

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For more of Michael’s work, visit our website www.incognitotheplay.com or follow us on Instagram @incognitotheplay

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Thanks to Ned Doheny for providing our podcast music! You can find him and his music on Spotify.

Editing and co-production of this podcast by Nina Kissinger.

Email info@incognitotheplay.com with questions or comments about the show!