Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute helps Black women upskill, close pay gap 

In this one-on-one with the Indianapolis Recorder, Joy E. Mason, CEO of Optimist Business Solutions, shares the inspiration for creating the Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute, “an innovative leadership program designed to upskill Black Women and Black Latinas to be complex problem solvers.” Participants in the institute will work toward earning their green belt while being trained by instructors, coaches, mentors and Six Sigma Black Belts and Master Black Belts.& Joy Mason (Photo provided) Recorder: What inspired you to create the Six Sigma Racial Equity Institute (SSREI)?& Mason: A number of factors divinely came together in 2021. My love of continuous improvement, my enthusiasm for supporting women, my commitment to the Black community, an obsession for equity and my anger over George Floyd’s murder culminated into an urgent desire to step up. I believe God wanted me in this current role to address equity in this way – an institute that empowers and teaches women how to leverage Six Sigma for our communities and our workplaces.& Recorder: What successes have you observed since the first cohort?& Mason: Of the previous participants surveyed, 67% stated that they received a pay raise since completing the Green Belt program, and 33% noted that...