Jessica M. Oladapo, Owner, Coach, facilitator

Jessica M. Oladapo is an educator, scholar-practitioner, licensed clinician, and organizational consultant whose work sits at the intersection of equity, belonging, narrative, and healing. With nearly two decades of experience in higher education, she has served as a tenured professor of Sociology and Psychology, a department chair, and a faculty leader committed to transforming learning environments into spaces where all people, students, staff, and communities, can thrive. Her scholarship and practice draw from interdisciplinary training in Psychology, Sociology, African American Studies, and Community Mental Health Counseling, grounding her work in both critical theory and compassionate human development.

As the founder and lead strategist of Diversity to Inclusion, Inc., Jessica partners with schools, colleges, and organizations to move beyond performative DEI efforts toward structural, sustainable change. Her work centers belonging as inclusion 2.0, the understanding that inclusion is not merely access, but the lived experience of safety, trust, and authenticity once people enter a space. Through equity audits, strategic plans, leadership coaching, and narrative-based organizational development, she helps institutions cultivate cultures rooted in accountability, connection, and collective care. Her consulting practice emphasizes bridging differences, strengthening relational trust, and creating psychologically safe environments where curiosity can flourish instead of being replaced by fear or resentment.

Jessica is also a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the state of Illinois, providing culturally responsive therapy through Transformative Growth Counseling. Her clinical work focuses on racial identity development, belonging wounds, identity-based stress, and healing from racialized trauma. She integrates somatic awareness, mindfulness, and narrative processing to support clients in understanding how systemic inequities become embedded in emotional and bodily experience.

Her therapeutic and consulting expertise is supported by multiple professional certifications, including a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion certification from Cornell University. She also holds two advanced certifications in mindfulness practices: Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) through the Mindfulness and Health Institute in partnership with Brown University, and certification through the Guided Meditation Framework, with a focus on trauma-sensitive meditation and grounding practices. These credentials inform her healing-centered approach across both counseling and organizational work, allowing her to support individuals and institutions in cultivating emotional regulation, reflective capacity, and deeper self-awareness.

Jessica is the creator of Rooted and Rising, a healing and mindfulness-based program for Women of Color navigating the emotional labor of educational and corporate spaces. The program blends contemplative practices, narrative exploration, and community care to foster resilience, identity grounding, and radical rest.

Across her roles as professor, clinician, facilitator, and strategist, Jessica is guided by a central belief: the stories we hold shape the systems we build. Known for her clarity, warmth, and ability to translate complex sociocultural dynamics into accessible and actionable practice, she is a sought-after speaker and advisor. Her work invites honesty, grounded reflection, and transformative possibility.

Currently pursuing an Ed.D. with a focus on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, Jessica continues to expand her research on racialized identity, relational power in practice, narrative, organizational change, and the emotional architectures of belonging. Her life’s work is helping individuals and institutions imagine and embody more just, humane, and connected ways of being together.

In her spare time, she enjoys swimming, hiking with her partner, and being a mother to her four children.

Whitney Mittons, Trainer and Facilitator

Whitney Mittons is a lifelong student and practitioner of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion who uses public speaking, curriculum development, and executive consulting as platforms to amplify marginalized voices and bridge equity gaps. With a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and a master's degree in organizational leadership, Mittons highly values formal education while deeply appreciating anecdotal, cross-cultural, experiential, and intergenerational knowledge.

Ms. Mittons currently serves as the Accessibility Services Coordinator for an area university, responsible for ensuring students receive necessary services and accommodations as well as assessing needs.

Over the past decade, Mittons has served as a DEI practitioner across the industries of business, higher and k-12 education, healthcare, federal and local government. The focus of Mittons’ work is combining data and proven effective practices with community voice and input to build and maintain diverse, equitable, and inclusive environments. The heart of her work is leveraging empathy, compassion, honesty, and accountability to move people and spaces forward on their DEI journeys.

Isiaka Oluewu, Photographer & Media Specialist

Isiaka Oluewu is an experienced photographer, videographer, and media specialist. He lends his tech savvy support in capturing important moments as well as ensuring that D2I, Inc. functions as a well oiled machine.