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Promoting and embracing representation and visibility across age, ethnicities, gender and sexual orientations is essential to creating impactful and inclusive learning and work environments.
Katie Ewers considers herself lucky to have found that place right here at McKesson.
The Minnesota native leads the cybersecurity community and partnerships program at McKesson. Her position has presented her with the unique opportunity to create partnerships with local organizations, as well as to share cybersecurity insights with customers across the nation.
Though Katie identifies as lesbian, she says she has sometimes felt less informed regarding other aspects of LGBTQIA+ issues. It’s what drove her to become more involved and show up through Pride, McKesson’s LGBTQIA+ employee resource group (ERG). Now, she feels a calling to not only continue her own learning, but to also proudly support her community.
“Visibility and representation matter, especially in male-dominated fields like cybersecurity,” Katie explains. “It’s important to have diverse perspectives around the table, because it’s hard to problem-solve through one lens only – whether it’s work related or even a personal challenge.”
Katie views the opportunity to be involved in Pride as a privilege, and says she’s particularly energized by the opportunity to serve as cochair on the national Pride ERG board, a role that allows her to focus on business resources.
Coming out in the early 1990s, she explains, was anything but an easy experience. It’s why she’s fighting today to make sure current and future generations don’t experience some of the social challenges she encountered in her past.
“Some members of our community are fighting for their survival and need allies to rise up,” Katie says. “From my view, the antithesis of pride is isolation. Marginalized communities need protection and support, and I want to be part of the communities that are building and uplifting others.”
Three decades later, she’s doing exactly that by educating her friends, coworkers, neighbors and family – including her two teenage children – on her experiences in the LGBTQIA+ community and the importance of representation across the board.
Katie with her family.
“My favorite thing about working at McKesson is seeing our leadership step forward fearlessly and courageously to make room for all of us,” Katie says. “You don’t find that everywhere you go, and for that, I’m grateful.”
She’s paying it forward by encouraging those around her to not only embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, but to also step outside of their comfort zone[s] and learn from others’ experiences with whom they may not fully relate. Her latest role includes serving on the national Pride board as the co-chair of the business resource lead. She’s also the president of the board of directors for InfraGard Atlanta Member's Alliance, a non-profit organization focused on the protection of critical infrastructure industries. In both roles, she’s championing inclusion through having meaningful conversations and providing leadership and professional opportunities in partnership with the McKesson Diversity, Equity and Inclusion organization.
While her advocacy for pride is a calling she’s committed to year-round, she says she has special plans for celebrating this year’s Pride Month: attending a yoga retreat and basking in the opportunity to simply be comfortable in her skin – an opportunity she didn’t always have.
“Pride Month is a celebration of my identity and my community,” she says. “It’s an opportunity to come together, celebrate differences and reaffirm our commitment to inclusion and equality. It’s a time to stand tall and embrace who we are without fear or shame, and to honor those who came before us and fought for our rights. Pride is a reminder that we are not alone – that we are a part of a vibrant and diverse community, and together, we have the power to create change.”
During Pride Month and year-round, McKesson is dedicated to fostering a safe environment that encourages employees like Katie to use their voices and join one of 11 employee resource groups that helps employees to connect with others.
“If we lose the art of dialogue, we simply lose,” she says. “We are all unique because of our life experiences and backgrounds. Fundamentally, there is no downside to sharing our humanity. We have a limited time on this earth, and kindness costs nothing.”
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