Who are we?

Dr. Adriana B. Rojas is an esteemed leader, TEDx speaker, and advocate for inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA), with a rich background spanning public and higher education, healthcare, non-profit, and corporate sectors. In her capacity as a trusted advisor at her consultancy, Social Justice Works, and in her previous role as Senior Consultant at Cook Ross, Dr. Rojas’ notable projects include conducting state assessments and strategic planning for clients like Mazda and The California Water Environmental Association, delivering leadership training and strategic roadmaps at institutions such as Dartmouth College, and developing and facilitating continuing education curriculum for Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center.

Dr. Rojas partners with C-Suite, Boards, ERG/BRGS, and human resource leaders to examine the state of IDEA at their organizations. Dr. Rojas’ philosophy of work centers both ‘head and heart’ conversations to help leaders understand the imperative for inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA), and data-driven, transformative change. Her areas of expertise are intercultural and interpersonal communication skills, race equity, allyship, women’s studies, conflict transformation, trauma awareness and strategies for resilience, dignity models, restorative justice, and Hispanic/Latine issues. Dr. Rojas conducts full state assessments, including programmatic review and data analysis, strategy labs, charrettes, focus groups, and listening processes. She provides recommendations for integrating IDEA best practices and support clients in an advisory capacity to support the implementation of recommendations. 

At Eastern Mennonite University, Dr. Rojas served as a tenured faculty, Director of the Spanish and Hispanic Studies Program, and Co-Director of the Global Studies Program. After successfully securing grants from the Department of Education, she crafted an interdisciplinary curriculum that integrated principles of social justice, peacebuilding, and forged connections between the campus and community partners.

Dr. Rojas holds an MA and PhD in Hispanic Studies from the University of Virginia, professional certificates in HR Management, Diversity and Inclusion for HR, and professional certificates in race equity, language interpretation for healthcare and social justice contexts, and restorative justice facilitation.

Actively engaged in her community, she is a proud member of the Frederick Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Rojas is writing a book titled IDEA Begins at Home, which delves into the significance of inner growth and proactive measures to foster meaningful change within ourselves, our homes, and workplaces. 

Channeling compassion and empathy into her work, Sanjita Pradhan is a deeply experienced counselor to our clients. Sanjita is experienced and skilled in helping businesses understand the business case for DEI and helping them develop a comprehensive DEI plan with measurable goals and outcomes. Sanjita has experience leading in a variety of industries, including nonprofit, government, private companies, public institutions, and public-private partnerships.

Sanjita identifies as a first-generation immigrant and describes being the first, the few, and the only in too many situations to create a path for herself. She uses her experiences to advocate for others who are marginalized and make way for them. As a Senior Consultant, she provides guidance and support in navigating each of her clients’ Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) journeys. With her experience in pulling together comprehensive assessments and transforming them into actionable IDEA plans, Sanjita provides ongoing support and counseling to organizations to transform their cultures. Sanjita also enjoys facilitating discussions, training, and workshops and specializes in topics like bias, inclusive leadership, cultural competency, and allyship. 

Sanjita has served a a Senior Consultant at Be Equitable, and Sanjita was the Director of Diversity and Inclusion at the Greater Des Moines Partnership; a regional chamber covering 9 counties in Des Moines Iowa. She led internal DEI strategies and provided external support to the 6500 business members to help them develop their DEI plans. She provided one-on-one consultation to business members across industries and sizes to identify the current state of DEI, identify stakeholders needed for success, launch culture, and climate assessments to understand the current situation, formulate a multi-year strategy that is integrated with the business of the organization, help organizations with a governance structure to implement these strategies and provide guidance along the way.

One of her key accomplishments during her time at the Greater Des Moines Partnership was designing and implementing a CEO DEI roundtable discussion, inviting CEOs to learn and engage in DEI topics so they can lead DEI authentically.

A lifelong learner with a growth mindset, Sanjita holds a MBA and a second MS degree in leadership development. Sanjita also holds Certified Diversity Professional (CDP)® and Certified Diversity Executive (CDE)® certifications through the Institute of Diversity Certification. 

Keara DeKay, M.Ed. is a strategic and service-oriented problem solver who is based in Baltimore, MD.  With a background in global education and workforce development, she is passionate about translating IDEA learning outcomes into tangible skills that correlate to community improvement and development.  Through her work with Social Justice Works, LLC, Keara is able to connect leaders with the thought partners and tools they need to create inclusive, equitable, and accessible work environments for themselves, their employees, and their local communities.