Headshot of Hawzien Gebremedhin.

In response to the genocide currently happening in my hometown of Tigray, Ethiopia, I started the nonprofit Tigray Action Committee to help give back and build awareness.

Hawzien Gebremedhin
Manager

Experience

As the DEI leader at the firm, I help develop and guide the firm’s various diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies affecting our talent, our clients, and how we show up in our communities. I’m passionate about how we, collectively, can be more intentional about our goal to make the firm more diverse, equitable, and inclusive.

Prior to joining Plante Moran, I worked in banking where I started in bank operations and then, most recently, was VP of business development. My responsibilities evolved from supporting and participating in employee resource groups to designing, leading, and managing organization-wide strategies and programs to recruit and retain diverse talent, while partnering with the bank’s executive team to make meaningful changes across the company.

When I was a one-year-old, my family and I immigrated to the United States from the Tigray region of Ethiopia as refugees. Ever since, I’ve committed myself to supporting marginalized people and helping them achieve their highest potential.

I have a B.A. in communications with an emphasis on business and ethnic studies from the University of Colorado, and I hold a Diversity & Inclusion Certificate from Cornell University. Recently, I cofounded a nonprofit called Tigray Action Committee that’s committed to bringing awareness and action to the #TigrayGenocide (for which I've been featured in Forbes), and I also serve on the board of the Emily Griffith Foundation. I am a proud mother to two beautiful sons, Alex and Theo.