Diversity, inclusion and belonging keynote · 3-Time Winter Olympian
DEI Speaker and Diversity Keynote Speaker Devon Harris
A team from a country with no snow made it to the 1988 Winter Olympics because four very different athletes learned to push as one. Devon Harris was one of them. As a DEI speaker, he shows your people how different backgrounds become one crew that performs under pressure, and what every person can do to make inclusion real at work.
Keynotes for IBM, American Express, Gartner and associations worldwide · Customized to your culture and language
1988
Original member of the Jamaican bobsled team at the Calgary Winter Olympics
3
Winter Olympic Games: 1988, 1992 and 1998, as team captain in 1992 and 1998
20+
Years speaking to corporate, HR and association audiences
3R
Responsibility, Reframe, Reset: the system behind every keynote
Organizations that have brought Devon to their stage
Why Devon
A Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Who Has Lived It
Devon Harris has often been the only one in the room who looked or sounded like him: a kid from Olympic Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica, at Britain's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; a bobsledder from a tropical island on Olympic ice; an immigrant building a new life in the United States.
That gives him a view of inclusion that people from every background can hear without feeling lectured. His message is practical. At work, as in the Olympics, what really matters is performance, attitude, teamwork and results, and a team gets all four when every person on the crew is valued and heard.
Research backs this up. A Harvard Business Review study of 1,800 professionals found that companies with diverse leadership were 45% more likely to report market share growth and 70% more likely to report capturing a new market. Devon's keynote turns that business case into something every employee can act on.
Devon on stage at the AHRMM conference, with the original Jamaican bobsled team on the screen behind him.
From Devon's book
“It is now much more common than say in the 1950’s to find a workplace where employees are respected as individuals and valued for their contributions in accomplishing the mission. At the same time, more and more organizations are fostering an inclusive, supportive, open, challenging and innovative work environment to enable employees to be positive, creative, and reach their full potential.”
Devon Harris, Keep On Pushing: Hot Lessons From Cool Runnings
What your people take away
The 3R System for Inclusive Teams
Every keynote is built on Devon's 3R System. For inclusion, it becomes four habits each person can practice the next morning, whatever their role or background.
Habit 1
Responsibility
Inclusion is more than a policy. Every person owns how they treat colleagues, who they listen to and who they invite in.
Habit 2
Reframe
See difference as a strength the team needs. Notice your own biases, question stereotypes and look at a problem from someone else's point of view.
Habit 3
Reset
Past injustices are real, and they do not have to define what comes next. Keep learning, build new skills and choose the actions that move you and your team forward.
Habit 4
Push Together
Build connections outside your usual group, speak up for colleagues who are different from you and become an ally. A sled only goes fast when every athlete pushes.
Where it fits
Events Where Devon Speaks on Diversity and Inclusion
Every keynote starts with a discovery call, so Devon can use your goals and the language your organization uses, whether that is DEI, inclusion and belonging, or culture and teamwork.
Leadership meetings and offsites
Help leaders model inclusive habits and build teams where every voice is heard.
Heritage months and ERG events
Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month and employee resource group events that bring the whole company into the room.
HR, inclusion and culture conferences
An opening or closing keynote from a diversity speaker who gives HR and people leaders a story to carry back to their organizations.
All-hands meetings and kickoffs
Unite a diverse workforce around one goal at the start of the year or after a big change.
Association annual meetings
Help members from different backgrounds, regions and generations find common purpose.
Virtual and hybrid events
The same message, delivered live on screen for distributed and global teams.
What clients say
What HR and Event Leaders Say About Devon
“The way that you wove our organization’s mission and challenges into your presentation was uncanny and the large crowd that gathered for your autograph was an indication of the impact you had on our audience.”
Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Annual Meeting
“The audience was hanging on to every word he said. Everyone was so inspired and challenged by Devon’s story. In looking over our participant surveys, Devon’s presentation was consistently rated as the highlight of our meeting.”
American Express
“Good speakers come and inspire – GREAT speakers understand the objective of the meeting and personalize their message to fit. The extra work Devon put in customizing his presentation really reinforced the goals of the meeting.”
Gartner, Recognition Event
“Your presentation will not be easily forgotten! I believe that your testimony and the valuable insight that you shared will make many human beings PASSIONATE about ACHIEVING, not only for Syngenta but for many other companies as well.”
Syngenta, Andean and Caribbean
In the room
Devon in the Room
Devon connects with every audience, on stage and off. He stays after each keynote for photos, questions and conversations with the people in the room.
See Devon on stage
Watch Devon Harris on Stage
About Devon
About Devon Harris
Devon Harris grew up in Olympic Gardens in Kingston, Jamaica, graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England and served as an officer in the Jamaica Defence Force, retiring as a Captain. He was an original member of the 1988 Jamaican bobsled team whose story inspired the Disney film Cool Runnings, and he captained the 1992 and 1998 teams.
In 2018 the World Olympians Association named him an Olympian for Life. He is the author of Keep On Pushing: Hot Lessons From Cool Runnings and founder of the Keep On Pushing Foundation, and he has spent more than 20 years helping organizations build teams where people from every background push together.
Planning questions
Questions About Booking a DEI Speaker
What does a DEI keynote speaker do?
A DEI keynote speaker, sometimes called a diversity speaker or inclusion speaker, opens or closes an event with a message that helps people understand why diversity, equity and inclusion matter and what they can do about it. Devon Harris uses his story as an original member of the Jamaican bobsled team to show how people from different backgrounds become one high-performing team, and gives every attendee practical habits through his 3R System.
Is this a DEI training or a keynote?
It is a keynote, not a training course. Many organizations use it to open an inclusion program, a heritage month or a leadership meeting, then continue the work with their own training and resources.
Our organization no longer uses the term DEI. Is Devon still a fit?
Yes. Devon's message is about people from different backgrounds pushing together toward one goal. He uses the language your organization uses, whether that is diversity and inclusion, inclusion and belonging, or culture and teamwork, and builds your goals into his story after a discovery call with your team.
Who is the audience for Devon's diversity and inclusion keynote?
Leaders, employees, HR and people teams, employee resource groups and association members. The message works for mixed audiences because it focuses on what every person can do.
Can Devon speak at a virtual or hybrid event?
Yes. Devon delivers keynotes in person worldwide and live on screen for virtual and hybrid events.
Will Devon customize the keynote for our organization?
Every keynote starts with a discovery call with your team. Devon learns your goals, your challenges and your language, then weaves them into his story so the message lands as yours.
How do we check Devon's availability and fee?
Send your date, location and audience through the form below, email speaker@devonharris.com or call 844-853-3766. Devon's team replies within 24 hours with availability, fee and format options.
Check availability
Book Devon Harris as Your DEI Keynote Speaker
Tell us your date, location and audience. Devon's team replies within 24 hours with availability, fee and format options.
✓ Keynote, keynote plus MC, or keynote plus seminar
✓ In person worldwide, virtual or hybrid
✓ Customized to your culture and language
Prefer to talk? Book a 15-minute discovery call
speaker@devonharris.com · 844-853-3766
Speaking inquiry: diversity and inclusion keynote