3 Nov 2026
CPH 81 — Widening the View: A Conversation with Celeste Warren, MS
What becomes possible when we stop looking only at the individual—and widen the view?
Celeste Warren spent nearly four decades in global corporate organizations, including ten years as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Merck.
Her work taught her that inclusion isn't just about who is in the room. It also requires looking at the policies, practices, and systems surrounding people.
And when she began working more closely with public health, she saw the same thing: you can't understand a person's health by asking only what's happening with that person. You have to look at the ecosystem around them.
So what becomes visible when we widen the explanation?
And how does that give us more places to intervene?
This is the Courageous Public Health Podcast, Episode 81.
Meet Celeste Warren, MS ✨
Celeste Warren spent 28 years at a global Fortune 100 company, rising to Vice President and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. For a decade, she led its Global Diversity and Inclusion Center of Excellence, developing initiatives to foster inclusion and equity across the organization.
After retiring, Celeste founded Celeste Warren Consulting, LLC, where she helps organizations create fair and equitable opportunities, strengthen workplace culture, and transform the policies, practices, and systems that shape opportunity and outcomes.
She is also a TEDx speaker whose talk focuses on changing systems—not just individuals—to create sustainable momentum in equity.
Alongside her two children, Celeste founded Destination STEM, Inc., a nonprofit providing resources and support to students of color and students in need pursuing degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Throughout her career, Celeste has championed diversity, equity, and inclusion globally, helping organizations incorporate diverse cultures, perspectives, and beliefs into corporate strategy.
Her honors include:
• Black Enterprise's "Top Executives in Global Diversity and Inclusion"
• Savoy Magazine's "Most Influential Women in Corporate America"
• Diversity Global Magazine's "Influential Women in Global Diversity"
• Diversity Woman Magazine's "Elite100" List
• Chief Diversity Officer of the Year, National Minority Supplier Development Council
Celeste serves on the boards of RWJBarnabas Health Systems and the Pennsylvania Conference for Women and is a member of the Forbes Nonprofit Council.
Her writing on diversity, equity, and inclusion has appeared in national and global publications. An internationally sought-after speaker, she recently published her second book, The Truth About Equity: What It Really Is, What It Isn't, and Why Everyone Wins When We Get It Right.
Celeste earned her B.S. from the University of Kentucky and her master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She is the wife of John Warren and mother of Christina-Celeste and John Steven, Jr.
Conversation Highlights 🎙️
Courage as elevating your voice—and helping other people find the confidence and opportunity to elevate theirs.
What Celeste learned from watching her father encounter barriers as the first Black teacher and principal in Western Pennsylvania—and hearing not only what happened, but what he did about it.
Creating the conditions for someone else's courage to grow—from one employee's uncertain idea to a new role and work serving an overlooked patient community.
Moving inclusion beyond representation to examine the policies, practices, procedures, and systems shaping people's experiences.
Widening the view beyond the individual to the surrounding ecosystem—and finding more places to intervene when we expand what belongs in the explanation.
"It's not just about counting the people, but it's about making the people count." — Celeste Warren, MS
Stay in Touch 🔗
With Celeste Warren, MS
LinkedIn ↗ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/celestewarrenllc/): https://www.linkedin.com/in/celestewarrenllc/
Website ↗ (https://crwdiversity.com/): https://crwdiversity.com/
Instagram ↗ (https://www.instagram.com/crwdiversity/): https://www.instagram.com/crwdiversity/
With Dr. Kristi McClamroch
LinkedIn ↗: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch
Follow for weekly reflections on courage and leadership ↗ (http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6): http://eepurl.com/jcgQv6
Speaking & Leadership Development 🤝
Dr. Kristi McClamroch partners with organizations navigating complexity through keynote presentations, workshops, and leadership development.
Her work helps leaders better understand themselves, one another, and the conditions that shape what's possible.
To explore speaking or consulting opportunities, connect on LinkedIn ↗ (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristi-mcclamroch/) or visit Courageous Public Health ↗.
