Q+A Series - Ayanna Anderson
To celebrate the honorees from the DAA’s 2022 Gala, the DAA team has launched a Q + A series to highlight the meaningful work of communicators who are driving forward diversity, equity and inclusion in the industry. The interview below was conducted by Jenny Ho.
“I have a powerful story of leaving the industry because I felt like I couldn't master the performance that I needed to and I would blame myself for all the inequities in the industry without being critical of the industry and what they aren't doing to better support folks like me. PR practitioners who are historically underrepresented, face a daunting challenge of navigating spaces that were not created with them in mind…The ability to be empathic and being an advocate through lived experience informs everything.”
-Ayanna Anderson, Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at Highwire PR
What was your first role when you were starting your career? What factors do you think you enabled you to get to where you are today?
My first role was a Community Engagement Specialist for a county hospital. I created pathways for underserved folks on the Southside of Chicago to get access to better healthcare. I also developed proactive relationships with patient populations of young mothers, Black men, and folks predisposed to health issues. I also was a part of a team that created campaigns that engaged the community, and got folks into the hospital setting to learn about benefits, and being on the preventive side versus the reactive side. This gave me a deep understanding of the reality of these health disparities.
The factors that got me here today are having a mindset of leveraging creative campaigns, using my PR toolkit, being a strong writer, and being an authentic brand ambassador. I can establish trust, lead by influence, and be a storyteller. In the case of this diversity work, I have a powerful story of leaving the industry because I felt like I couldn't master the performance that I needed to and I would blame myself for all the inequities in the industry without being critical of the industry and what they aren't doing to better support folks like me. PR practitioners who are historically underrepresented, face a daunting challenge of navigating spaces that were not created with them in mind. The storytelling aspect and the lived experience helps because when people talk about being othered by a client on a call, I’ve been there; I know all about that because it’s happened to me. The ability to be empathic and being an advocate through lived experience informs everything. I understand when people feel like they are experiencing gaslighting, such as asking “Did that really happen?” or if someone’s overthinking their reaction to things that really happened. This is why talking about psychological safety at work is so important.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your job? What do you consider to be the
biggest challenge you face in your role?
Without a doubt it’s being able to be a champion for up and coming leaders, and being their Chief Encouragement Officer and to strategically create an echo system within this agency. When I got to Highwire, we launched affinity groups and committees to empower folks to lead these different initiatives. I love that I can give early career folks a platform to showcase their leadership skills because agency life can be very hierarchical. I love that I have these auxiliary pathways for people to tap into and hone their leadership skills. I enjoy being a creative thought partner. I enjoy being a high-level strategic visionary and I’m also not afraid to roll up my sleeves and get into the work. I’ve already seen the transformation of some of the folks I am working with who’ve gained confidence, become strategic thinkers, take bigger risks, and overall have more optimism. I want to establish trust, I want to be a sounding board for others because PR life isn’t roses and pancakes every day. The pain and harm they’re experiencing is valid, and I will do my best to take action.
When I worked on the agency side, the mindset was more about faking it until you made it, and doing your best to fit in. As a woman of color, I felt like it was up to me to work through any workplace dis-ease or discomfort. So much of PR is relationship building, and it was often hard to relate to other people like reporters or client contacts. For example, if you’re going on a media tour with a senior executive, I remember being stressed out thinking about what to talk about to build rapport and a sense of connection with the client. I made sure that I was on top of my game by reading business press outlets like the New York Times, or Wall Street to try and impress my clients. It was about shape shifting and code-switching. I never imagined clients taking time out to wonder how they might relate to me on these trips. This is why I am so driven to advocate for those who may not feel seen and heard in the workplace.
The biggest challenge for this work is that we’re in a client services environment and time is very tight. Every hour, every second, is billable. There are set things that require a lot of time and attention. Being able to do great DIBs work in tandem with great client work and great culture work, requires patience and understanding. For example, the market is changing now, what does this mean to keep your business thriving? What does it mean to navigate your career during a tumultuous economy? Being agile is very important, and doing the best work you can do knowing there are serious limitations with capacity. I have been learning to embrace a “not yet" philosophy. I’m impatient, I’m an Aries, I want everything done today. I’m leaning into “not yet,” because my manager has been a huge advocate for being selective so that we can be more impactful with our outcomes.
What book are you reading now and why is it appealing to you?
The Necessary Journey: Making Real Progress on Equity and Inclusion by Ella F. Washington. She’s a researcher and an organizational psychologist. I love that this book breaks down brands and talks about how they manifest their DEI flavor, chapter by chapter. The book talks about how different companies were founded, why they decided to make DEI a priority, how they problem solved, what were their approaches, and what were the results or lessons learned. You leave the chapter learning their brand. The author is a black woman. I love that she has a background in psychology and she leads with this lens. It's multifaceted because it discusses all these different industries and different stakeholders. Because I’ve had a very rich career being in health care, education, communications and tech, it reflects my hybrid career life. I love that this book reflects that.