Al Vivian has been working actively over the past 30+ years as a trainer and consultant to hundreds of organizations including dozens of Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, professional firms, non-profit organizations, and academic institutions. He is regularly sought by media to provide insights and analysis concerning diversity and its corresponding impacts on society and business. Media outlets include CNN, Forbes, USA Today, New York Times, Atlanta Journal &Constitution, Chicago Sun Times, Atlanta Business Chronicle, and WSB News Radio.
BASIC is the nation’s longest serving diversity and inclusion firm founded in 1974 by Al’s father, Dr. C.T. Vivian who served on Dr. Martin L. King, Jr.’s Executive Staff. For 50 years BASIC has been helping organizations become more profitable by engaging and leveraging the diverse abilities of ALL their employees. BASIC is best known for The Race Experience (formerly The Race Awareness Workshop), which has been evaluated as the most effective race relation seminar in the country.
Al’s passion is connecting people across their cultural differences. His specialty is Inclusive Leadership — teaching leaders the requisite skills and competencies to effectively lead across cultures. BASIC Diversity was the first diversity consultancy to place its primary focus on the interconnected relationship between leadership theories and diversity concepts.
Being raised with a value-set that taught, “… everyone is responsible to contribute to the society in which they live”, Al made the decision to begin his professional career as a U.S. Army officer where he earned the rank of captain. No organization studies, teaches and develops leaders better than the U.S. Army. As a result, while serving his country Al learned first-hand the vast difference between management and LEADERSHIP.
Throughout his professional life, Al witnessed many good, well-intentioned leaders limit their successes because they were unable to fully engage their people. Not because they were bad leaders, but because they lacked the competencies to engage across cultural differences. This is why Al has spent the past decades helping his clients (CNN, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Ford Motor, National Security Agency, Subway, U.S. Army, Wal-Mart, World Bank, etc.…) create diversity competent leaders at every level of their organizations.
Al’s memberships include: SHRM’s “100 Diversity & Inclusion Global Thought- Leaders”, the boards of Public Broadcasting Atlanta, Editorial Advisory Board of Atlanta Magazine, and the Overseer’s Team at The Outlet Community Church. Al’s military awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Parachute Badge (Airborne).
Al has also served as Advisor to the U.S. Army for Diversity and Cultural Affairs at the Secretariat level at the Pentagon.
Al is a graduate of Morehouse College and has received The Advanced Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University. Al resides in Atlanta with his wife DeAna Jo. They have two adult sons.