Inclusion & Diversity
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Inclusion, Diversity & Belonging

Progress is an inclusive workplace where opportunities to succeed are available to everyone.

Our unique combination of perspectives inspires innovation, connects us to our customers and positively affects our communities.

Dr.-Shirley-Knowles

What I really want is for employees to feel as though they have a vested interest in inclusion, equity and diversity. This work is not just for “underrepresented” groups. There’s something for everyone.

Dr. Shirley Knowles Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer

Pillars of an Inclusive Company

Progress strives to be a diverse, equitable and inclusive company where every employee– no matter their experience, perspective, identity, or belief–has a sense of belonging. Belonging is a deeply felt sense that you’re a part of something bigger. You are welcomed and a valued member of a group or community. It’s when you feel comfortable to bring your authentic, whole self to work, knowing you and your ideas will be respectfully seen and heard.

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education

Education

We believe that Inclusion and Diversity (I&D) starts with education. It’s critical for employees to understand the “why” behind I&D before we ask them to do the “how”.

“The I&D training was extremely helpful, enlightening and valuable. It reinforced for me that Inclusion & Diversity is really about how we interact and treat each other so that everyone feels they are valued. Every single employee has a stake in helping to make us a more inclusive and diverse company. “

Michael Duncan

Values

Values

Our I&D mission is engrained into our ProgressPROUD values, especially the “R”: respect differences and diversity.

“I found the Inclusion & Diversity trainings to be eye-opening, particularly around the concept of unconscious bias. While most people have good intentions and proper manners, we can unknowingly be influenced by automated thinking. I sent my team the link for an Implicit Association Test so we can become more aware of these biases.”

Tom Stevens

 

Collaboration

Community

It takes a village to maintain a successful inclusion and diversity program, which is why we see collaboration and accountability with this work between our senior leaders, managers, and individual contributors.

“The inclusion training created an amazingly safe space for the attendees to participate in discussions that can sometimes be uncomfortable.  The instructors guided the conversation gently and used a number of tools that enabled the participants to share their experiences and ask questions to better understand different perspectives. “

ANGELA CAMPBELL

Our Active Progress ERGs

I&D Advisory Committee

Dimitrina Petrova
Dimitrina Petrova

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Being part of different teams and divisions over the years, Dimitrina has a lot to share with fellow colleagues. She is passionate about communication and exploring new environments, being especially interested in understanding how people connect and interact. Dimi harnesses the power of numbers to optimize and improve what she does, always seeking to ensure the best customer experience. Her topics of interest are learning to lose and establishing trust. After work, she is always ready to discuss any topic over a glass of beer or wine.

Shravani Roy
Shravani Roy

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Diversity is a mix of differences, while inclusion is making the mix work. Sharavani believes it is through the process of inclusion that we learn different viewpoints and experiences—and, that this is what drives innovation. Shravani is part of the Chef Content Experience team in Core C. She likes to build stuff and loves to learn about new technologies. Shravani enjoys traveling and reading her way around the world, as well as doodling and painting for leisure.

Jason Williams
Jason Williams

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Jason is the Director, Online Community, responsible for all things Core A community related.He is based in Northern Virginia and came to Progress by way of the Ipswitch acquisition.He has been with Ipswitch/Progress for 17 years and has held roles in tech support, QA, sales and product management.Jason strongly believes that if you are not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem.His goal within the I&D committee is to take a more active role in being a part of the solution.

Glenn Mulno
Glenn Mulno

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Located in Burlington, MA USA, Glenn is a Senior Manager for Technical Support, working with the products of Sitefinity, iMail and MessageWay, and has been #ProgressProud for over 13 years combined. Glenn works on the Infrastructure Council within support, with a focus on all external and internal support content, as well as the hardware infrastructure for support (phones, Salesforce, etc). Glenn works with the Training Council to conduct soft skills training for new support engineers and other customer-facing people. Glenn is also one of the co-captains for the Veterans@Progress ERG. It is Glenn’s belief that everyone should question their assumptions about inclusion and diversity and strive to help foster an as welcoming and inclusive environment as we all can build together.

Daniela Dimitrova
Daniela Dimitrova

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Daniela is a Senior Director, Software Engineering in IT, responsible for the Website & Application Development teams. She is based in Sofia and has been with the company since 2013. One of her core values, driving both her personal and professional life is the kaizen (Japanese word for continuous improvement) mindset. She thinks that integral parts of continuous improvement are different perspectives, a broad range of experiences and an open mind to learn from every situation and every person around you. And that everybody has something to share.

Iliyan Iliev
Iliyan Iliev

FINANCE DIRECTOR

liyan is an Engineering Manager based in Sofia since joining the company in 2012. Iliyan believes “that the only way to reach the best decisions and minimize potential risks is to include various points of view. We all fall victim to our biases and exclude that important opinion which could have changed the whole point of view.” He believes that everyone should be given the same opportunities for growth and talent expression.

Jocelyn Parfaite
Jocelyn Parfaite

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Jocelyn is the Office Coordinator/Facilities Support in the Alpharetta, Georgia office and joined Progress in 2019. She is an active volunteer and supports organizations such as Black Girls Code, Fulton County Senior Services and Meals on Wheels. Jocelyn believes we should all take the opportunity to learn, grow, support and celebrate all people and their differences.

Nichol Goldstein
Nichol Goldstein

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Nichol is the Community Engagement Specialist, responsible for Programs and Gamification for employees, partners, customers, and potential users within the Progress Core A Community. She is based in the Bedford office and has enjoyed being a Progresser since 2018. Nichol thinks that every perspective is worth hearing. There is a saying that goes, “You have two ears, but only one mouth, and this is for a reason,” and so she’s excited to learn more from her colleagues and support our efforts to be more diverse and inclusive.

Sam Basu
Sam Basu

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Sam is a Developer Advocate in Core B/Telerik. He has been with Progress since 2013 and works remotely from his home in Erie, Pennsylvania. When it comes to inclusion and diversity, Sam says, “A diversified inclusive workplace empowers everyone to do their best. Empathy makes a lot of business sense.”

Shalini Thakkur
Shalini Thakkur

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Shalini is part of the Product Operations team in Core C. She firmly believes that every intellectual is uniquely talented and needs a forum to be their best. As part of the I&D committee, she wants to intentionally drive action that synergize and make Progress – A Great Place to Be! Every day she strives to keep everyone positive and draws inspiration from her network to improve herself and others around her.

Todd Karabatsos
Todd Karabatsos

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Todd is a Finance Director within the Corporate FP&A department based in Bedford, MA. Throughout his 10-year career at Progress, he’s had the opportunity to work across several different functions of the organization. It is through this experience that he’s reinforced his belief that diversity in people, culture and ideas creates the best environment for success.

Vivek Taparia
Vivek Taparia

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Vivek is working as a Senior Engineering Manager with Core A Product Group. He is based in Hyderabad, India, and has been a part of Progress since Jan 2011. He believes that a strong inclusion and diversity strategy can help organizations attract top talent and drive innovative results.

Focus Areas

Accountability

Everyone at Progress, from our senior leaders to our employees without management responsibilities, has a role to play in creating a workplace where all individuals feel valued, respected, and supported. This means holding ourselves and others accountable for our words, actions, and behaviors that can positively contribute to an inclusive workplace culture.

Connection

By building strong relationships with our internal and external stakeholders, we continue to create a powerful network of allies and advocates who are committed to advancing diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity in our workplace and global communities. Together, we aim to create a world where all individuals are valued, respected, and empowered to thrive.

Education

We continue to expand the scope of our I&D work by incorporating a greater focus on wellbeing, accessibility, and deepening the understanding of why inclusive work environments matter. By providing training and resources on topics such as unconscious bias and inclusive leadership, we can empower individuals to understand their own biases and take proactive steps to create a culture of belonging.

ProgressPROUD Podcast

Episode 1:

Progress leadership talks inclusion & diversity

Episode 2:

Lessons learned from a double-lung transplant: How to move through life’s unexpected challenges and…

Listen all episodes

Awards

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