Unity in the CommUNITY 2022: Embracing our Differences

If you want to further your knowledge on diversity, equity, and inclusion and how to apply it to your professional and personal life, then you are in the right area!

UNITY in the Community offers a safe space for conversations regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I) with leaders and shakers who channel advocacy in their professional and personal lives. This event was created for the community by the community. As a guest, you will learn the latest initiatives in multiple industries such as Entertainment and Media, Technology, Education, Health Care, and more!

Our returning co-host is Tamala Lewis of Dignity Health Sports Park-AEG, joined by the Manhattan Beach Chamber Chairman of the Board, Jill Dunn.

We have also created our first UNITY playlist created by the community for the community. Click here to listen to the UNITY Spotify Playlist.

Meet our Panelists
Hildy Stern, Mayor of Manhattan Beach

Diana Skaar, Technology Executive for (Google) X, and Community Organizer
Diana is a Technology Executive at (Google) X, responsible for taking early-stage technologies from concept to go-to-market via strategic partnerships for prototyping, piloting, and first commercial revenues. She has led cross-functional business development efforts for the robotics portfolio at X, Alphabet’s moonshot factory of inventors and entrepreneurs who build radical technologies and launch companies that aim to make 10x impact on the world’s most intractable problems. As part of managing X's robotics portfolio, Diana became a founding member of Intrinsic (a robotics AI platform), successfully taking the project from its early stages at X to launching it as an Alphabet company in July 2021. Diana is also passionate about diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, calling for greater allyship in the workplace (see “All Nails Rise: A Call for Solidarity”). Diana was also recently honored by Manhattan Beach City Council and CA State Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi for her efforts in uniting local communities against hate.

Eliza Santarosa, District Counselor for MBUSD
Eliza Santarosa is honored to be the first District Counselor in MBUSD. Prior to this position, she was a School Counselor at Mira Costa High School for 8 years. She holds a Masters Degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and a School Counseling Credential from USC. She is fulfilling her passion by working closely with the district office and various school sites to provide increased awareness about student mental health and implement support. She oversees the Healthy Relationships Committee at MCHS, which focuses on reducing sexual violence and empowering our students with healthy boundaries and confidence. At the District level, she is actively working to make MBUSD a more inclusive, supportive, and understanding community.

Jae Requiro, Vice President, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for AEG
Jennifer “Jae” Pi’ilani Requiro is the Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for AEG. In this role, she is responsible for developing, implementing, and driving the DEI strategy for AEG. In 2016, Jae wrote the Foreword to a best-selling business book on diversity and inclusion by Jennifer Brown, “Inclusion: Diversity, The New Workplace, and The Will to Change”. Jae currently volunteers on the national non-profit board of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF). Jae is Co-Chair for the APIAHF Business Leadership Circle which works toward positively addressing the unique and complex challenges facing Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders, while simultaneously creating value for their partners’ brands and businesses. She started her DEI career at Toyota, building and implementing their diversity and inclusion strategy. Her responsibilities included D&I education, executive accountability, mentoring and ERGs. Jae also developed strategies to enhance Toyota’s reputation around D&I and increase partnerships with certified diverse suppliers.
Living her passion project, Jae served as a Sensei at an Okinawan karate studio in Southern California.  The dojo’s teaching philosophy focused on the principles of respect, discipline, and self-defense.  The dojo earned a reputation as a nurturing and safe space for students with special abilities to thrive.  Jae also encouraged her students to find their “ikigai”.  
Jae is an “expert panelist” with the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks (GDIB) through The Centre for Global Inclusion. In May 2014, Jae was awarded a “California Multicultural Leadership” Award from the National Diversity Council. Jae earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with a specialization in stratification, race, and ethnicity and an emphasis in business administration from UCLA. In her spare time, Jae performs hula; paddles outrigger canoes; and is a single mother to a college-aged daughter, her source of inspiration and perspiration.

Chidi Njoku, LCSW, Director for Behavioral Health for Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical Center
Chidi Njoku serves as the Director of Behavioral Health at Kaiser Permanente South Bay Medical, where he manages the organization’s behavioral health and addiction medicine services. He has worked in the mental health field since 1997, initially serving homeless families on skid row. After obtaining his Master’s in Social Work from the University of Southern California, he spent several years working with children in foster care and group homes in the Pasadena/Altadena area. He also worked with victims of violent crime in South Los Angeles. Chidi joined Kaiser Permanente as an addiction counselor providing support to families of children struggling with substance abuse. From there he went on to work in the social work department, supporting the families of patients in the pediatric and adult ICU. He also spent a portion of his social work career focused on serving individuals diagnosed with HIV. For the last 7 years, Chidi has served in various management positions, including his current role overseeing mental health care to Kaiser Permanente’s more than 260,000 members in the South Bay service area.