--- title: "More than numbers: Data and DEI" description: Dr. Anthony C. Hood serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Diversity Equity and Inclusion Officer for First Horizon Bank. image: https://www.upliftingimpact.com/hubfs/18%20-%20Anthony%20Hood%20Square.png --- [![Website Logo - White-1](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Uplifting%20Impact/Website%20Logo%20-%20White-1.png?width=1827&name=Website%20Logo%20-%20White-1.png "Website Logo - White-1")](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/) ![HEADER - Podcast 2](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/hubfs/Uplifting%20Impact/Headers-Backgrounds%20-%20UI/HEADER%20-%20Podcast%202.jpg "HEADER - Podcast 2") # More than numbers: Data and DEI Posted by [Justin Ponder](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/author/justin-ponder) | Nov 18, 2021 3:00:00 AM ![](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/hubfs/18%20-%20Anthony%20Hood%20Square.png) Dr. Anthony C. Hood serves as the Executive Vice President and the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer for First Horizon Bank. In this role, he leads the development and execution of a firm-wide strategy for embedding DEI into the DNA of the organization. He previously served as the Director of Civic Innovation in the Office of the President at UAB as well as a tenured Associate Professor of Management in the Collat School of Business at UAB. Dr. Hood is a board member of a number of organizations, including the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, Birmingham Education Foundation, Urban Impact, and the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District. In our conversation, Dr. Hood discusses the importance of using data as a powerful tool for driving better outcomes in DEI work. He shares that DEI within an organization must be integrated into the DNA, beyond just HR practices and policies, and in order to build and implement the best strategies data must be ground zero. We also discuss ways to approach DEI work when facing opposition. To connect with Dr. Anthony C. Hood, you can find him on social media or on LinkedIn at [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonychood](https://www.linkedin.com/in/anthonychood)   ## Topics In This Episode - Driving creativity and innovation within teams - Ensuring involvement in DEI implementation at every level of an organization - Systems to look at to apply a DEI lens - Tracking data on qualitative aspects of an organization and of DEI work - The importance of keeping data well-organized and understanding the “why” behind it - Data alone doesn’t drive results and momentum - Creative allyship within your organization ### Other Conversations We’ve Enjoyed - [Use Your Privilege to Uplift Others](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting_impact/use-your-privilege-to-uplift-others) - [Bringing the Human Back to Human Resources](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting_impact/bringing-the-human-back-to-human-resources) #### Written by [Justin Ponder](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/author/justin-ponder) Justin Ponder is a professor who teaches courses on Ethnic Studies, African American Studies, and Ethnic Minority Literature. He has published in numerous journals and books on the issue of race and identity politics, exploring the ways to bridge the gap between who we are and who we must become to achieve a more equitable world for others. He has helped organizations and leaders consider connections between the historical past, the social present, and a more just future. He knows how to masterfully weave the academic with the practical, the political with the personal so people can better appreciate the complexity of the issues while finding clarity about their responsibilities. In his work on diversity, equity, and inclusion, he is known for his ability to teach difficult lessons in gentle ways that combine heartbreak and humor to inspire hope. [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-ponder-1200b72b/) ## Leave a Comment [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3800673/1f539f85-6ead-40a9-a3eb-a782773e5c66.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3800673/1f539f85-6ead-40a9-a3eb-a782773e5c66) ### Subscribe [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3800673/67732611-6d2a-4bba-adb9-2aee4aab370d.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3800673/67732611-6d2a-4bba-adb9-2aee4aab370d) [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3800673/98e03c7f-012e-4501-bf38-fb3ee19c17fe.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3800673/98e03c7f-012e-4501-bf38-fb3ee19c17fe) [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3800673/486570d3-73d9-41b2-bb95-ff9b714f9207.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3800673/486570d3-73d9-41b2-bb95-ff9b714f9207) [![New Call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/3800673/560326cc-cbe1-4309-bf76-889ea2784d89.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/3800673/560326cc-cbe1-4309-bf76-889ea2784d89) ### Recent Posts ### Topics - [Accessibility (1)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/tag/accessibility) - [Culture (1)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/tag/culture) - [Diversity (3)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/tag/diversity) - [Employee (3)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/tag/employee) - [Inclusion (3)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/tag/inclusion) - [Initiative (1)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/tag/initiative) - [leadership (1)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/tag/leadership) - [Plan (1)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/tag/plan) [see all](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/more-than-numbers-data-and-dei#) [![2 - white-yellow](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Uplifting%20Impact/2%20-%20white-yellow.png?width=224&name=2%20-%20white-yellow.png)](https://www.upliftingimpact.com/) ### KEEP UP WITH UPLIFTING IMPACT: SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER **(631) 533-2662 ****• info@upliftingimpact.com** - [**](https://www.facebook.com/deanna.singh.10) - [**](https://www.linkedin.com/in/deannasingh/) © 2021 Flying Elephant, LLC All Rights Reserved • Privacy Policy Designed and developed by [**Trending Up Strategy**](https://www.trendingupstrategy.com) ** ![](https://px.ads.linkedin.com/collect/?pid=3856324&fmt=gif) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Justin Ponder", "url" : "https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/author/justin-ponder" }, "dateModified" : "2021-11-19T18:10:06.828Z", "datePublished" : "2021-11-18T09:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "More than numbers: Data and DEI", "image" : [ "https://www.upliftingimpact.com/hubfs/18%20-%20Anthony%20Hood%20Square.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.upliftingimpact.com/uplifting-impact/more-than-numbers-data-and-dei", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.upliftingimpact.com/hubfs/2023%20Uplifting%20Impact%20Logo%20(60%20%C3%97%2060%20px).png" }, "name" : "Flying Elephant" } } ```