Karith Foster

Diversity Engagement Specialist, CEO at Inversity™ Solutions, Author, and Humorist

Topics: DE&I – Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Inspirational & Motivational, Leadership, Personal Development, Black History Month, Women Leaders, Comedy & Humorist, Communication, Societal Issues, TED Speakers, Best Selling Author, Future of Work, Employee Engagement, Health & Well-Being, Resilience

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Biography

Karith Foster is a professional speaker, author and diversity engagement specialist who for nearly two decades has taken her passion for entertaining and critical thinking nationwide: from the airwaves to organizations, from universities to corporations. She’s creating a seismic shift in mindsets and revolutionizing the way we address issues of diversity, leadership and self-care.

A former journalist and television producer, Karith gained notoriety when she became co-host of controversial radio personality Don Imus after his “Rutgers incident.” Karith is also a former Fortune 500 human resources executive administrator who, with her background of over 20 years in stand-up comedy, brings the perfect blend of humor, knowledge, and experience when conveying the ever-present need to address diversity, inclusion, and effective communication.

Karith has presented at the United Nations and to executives of the Chamber of Commerce C100, as well as at Harvard, Stanford, and colleges and universities across America. She leaves her audiences feeling engaged, connected, inspired and encouraged to commit to the journey of mutual respect, acceptance, and a greater sense of belonging.

She kicked off 2020 as a visiting expert for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars program at Stanford University where she is a 7-time repeat guest lecturer for the Graduate School of Business course “Reputation Management.” In June of 2020, her book, “You Can Be Perfect or You Can Be Happy,” debuted at #14 in the Personal Transformation category on Amazon’s Best Seller List.

“If you can laugh at it you can get through it,” is not only her motto, but the invaluable lesson she seeks to instill in others. As a speaker, humorist, TV & radio personality, author, social entrepreneur, wife, and mother Karith’s sense of duty, service, along with her riotous sense of humor, have made her a positive force of change. The words“no” and “impossible” are not in her vocabulary as evidenced by her career path, life challenges, chosen adventures and desire to help others.

Karith holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mass Communications Broadcast Journalism from Stephens College and received her certificate in Fostering Inclusion and Diversity from the Yale School of Management in the spring of 2020.

Videos

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

Stereotyped 101

Stereotyped 101 takes the "division" out of traditional DEI programming by offering a truly inclusive way to communicate, learn, and create an environment vital to current employee, management and company success. Karith's INVERSITYTM model invites all members of her audience to C.A.R.E. so they leave with the enhanced tools of Conscious Empathy, Active Listening, Responsible Reactions and Environmental Awareness.

Perfect or Happy

Perfect or Happy is a humorous interactive presentation that reminds us we can choose perfection or happiness. Spoiler alert! While the former is an impossibility, by getting back to the B.A.S.I.C.S Karith masterfully guides her audience through navigating the crazy balancing act of life, work and social media so the end goal is to find happiness and peace in our imperfection.

The ABC's of 2020 Leadership

It is widely known and accepted that leaders must be smart, strong and capable. Yet, the most telling sign of true leadership is humility, grace and heart. This program addresses head- on the most simplistic method to gain discipline and have a practice of excellence in leadership.

The Humor Initiative

The Humor Initiative is designed to showcase the importance and power of humor in business culture by teaching multiple ways for participants to incorporate humor into their everyday lives, enhance their personal and professional relationships and successfully use humor and positive reinforcement to manifest desired outcomes and productivity.

The Art of Letting Go

The Art of Letting Go deep dives into how we can release habits, ideas, and situations that do not serve us and hold us back from personal and professional success. This engaging program reveals how by "letting go" we actually gain more than we could have ever anticipated- more freedom, more confidence, more knowledge, and more personal power.

You Are E.N.O.U.G.H.

You Are E.N.O.U.G.H. is a positive, high-energy, interactive presentation designed to cultivate growth and expose the pitfalls of negative internal dialogues that act as obstacles for living our best lives personally and professionally.

Can We Speak Freely?

Can We Speak Freely? at Work gives insight and understanding to navigate the world of political correctness by understanding it's not what you say but how it is presented. This program aims to educate employees on free speech, expression and creating communication awareness for an open exchange of ideas to benefit the professional environment.

P.I.V.O.T. to Your Purpose

The global pandemic of 2020 has taken the world by surprise. Adjusting to new ways of life, working, learning and communicating has never been more necessary. Being able to P.I.V.O.T. is critical to our success and survival both personally and professionally.

Testimonials

I am the coordinator that worked with our students to bring Karith to campus. Working with Karith was a dream. She is so easy to work and communicate with. Her professionalism and demeanor was great. She was so calm and collected during the process of getting her to campus, going through our tech check the day of and her meeting with the small group of students at lunch before the program was a great success. The presentation was timely on our campus. Her presentation skills and ability to relate to the audience she is performing to are totally professional. My take away was that we need more dialogue on the subject of stereotyping, especially to the students of today. Our campus has a great Diversity and Inclusion Effort as part of its mission and I have engaged in it. I hope to keep the conversation going and improve and enlarge its scope.

– Todd Olsen, UVUSA Senate Coordinator, UTAH VALLEY UNIVERSITY

The South Dakota Safety Council recently invited Karith to be a keynote speaker at our 26th Annual Safety & Health Conference in Sioux Falls on October 3, 2018. Our attendee feedback strongly showed they truly enjoyed and appreciated hearing from Karith on her Stereotyped 101 presentation. Diversity, inclusion, harassment and other tough topics are never a comfortable discussion to have, and oftentimes difficult to understand, in the workplace and beyond. But Karith put it into perspective and showed how individuals can have healthy discussions and be understanding of others without it being a confrontational or uncomfortable situation. Karith’s use of humor was a great way for attendees to learn about and develop strategies to deal with these topics. I am already on the lookout for other opportunities to bring Karith back as a speaker for our organization. I would highly recommend Karith for your next conference, meeting or event.

– Janie Ritter, Executive Director, South Dakota Safety Council

Without hesitation I recommend Karith Foster to other colleges and universities looking for an innovative and effective way to launch the touchy conversations of stereotype. Her approach would work effectively for undergrads as well as graduate students. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about her work here at Stanford.

– JD Schramm, Ed.D., Stanford University

We invited Karith for our Diversity Coalition’s Kick-Off Week. We chose [Stereotyped 101] to help introduce the coalition to campus because of its unique approach of using humor to foster dialogue on respect and equality for human differences. Her program was not only entertaining but educational. It was thought provoking and challenged participants to evaluate their behaviors and beliefs about difference. The material was well-received by students, faculty and staff alike.”

– Yvonne Chamberlain, Director of Leadership and Diversity, Stephens College

Feedback from our audience, women ranging from college interns to heads of corporations, has been overwhelmingly positive. Your style, wit, intelligence, and charm was exactly what the doctor ordered.

– Katerina Gkionis, Student Affairs Committee Member, New York Women in Communications Foundation