FOUNDER

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Debra Johnston is a strategic human resources leader with over 18 years of experience, ranging from consulting to pioneering startups to mission-driven nonprofit organizations to Fortune 500 companies. 

She has a Master of Science degree in Human Resources and a Bachelor degree in both Communications and Political Science. Debra holds certifications as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP), and a Strategic HR Business Partner (sHRBP). She also obtained a Diversity and Inclusion certificate.  

Debra previously served as President & Board Chair of a chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management where she received the SHRM Superior Merit Award. She has also taught as an HR Instructor at a university.  Debra has contributed in many different volunteer roles for various organizations and charitable causes.

Through my education and career in human resources, I have spent years studying and gaining a fuller (but never complete) understanding of people, behavior, culture, communications and organizational systems. Over time, I began to see past the issues in the workplace and our individual microcosms to the underlying, recurring, systemic, problematic themes and patterns affecting our broader society.  As a passionate advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and belonging - both on the job and in society as a whole - I became increasingly attuned to four core areas of ongoing inequity: 

• Equity - Through my own lived experiences with sexism and workplace harassment, advocating for and navigating life alongside my child with disabilities, and listening to loved ones facing racism and systemic oppression, I know that inequity isn't abstract. Around the world, far too many people do not have access to equal opportunity, fair treatment, and basic life essentials. While we’ve made progress as a society, the gap between where we are and where we need to be remains painfully wide. 

• Education - As a learning and development professional and a lifelong learner, I know how transformative access to knowledge can be. Yet I watch family and friends struggle with the burden of overwhelming student loan debt, while women and girls in many other countries are denied further education entirely.  As a mother, I am also concerned about and vested in how we educate and shape our children.

• Economy - Having worked in financial services, I thought a lot about our economy and began to see the severe flaws of capitalism and our monetary system where an elite few hoard wealth while poverty runs rampant worldwide and most others are one crisis away from financial ruin.  

• Environment - We face accelerating climate change and pollution with an ever-growing population and environmental inequities without the desperately needed level of global cooperation required to protect our shared home. 

A moment of enlightenment happened for me when I began to see how these four areas were not separate issues but were all deeply intertwined. I found myself constantly, passionately talking about these topics but not really knowing what to do about them that would actually make a difference. It can feel overwhelming to look at problems this massive and realize no single person can solve them alone. But doing nothing isn't an option. I felt compelled to channel my frustration into productive action. Real change doesn't happen all at once. It happens when individual efforts accumulate into a powerful movement. 

That is why I created Equity 4 Everyone to shine a light on the interconnected issues of social, educational, economic and environmental inequities. By expanding our collective awareness and understanding of these challenges, we can all be part of the solution and tackle this together to eradicate inequities and strive for equity for everyone.  

Join me and be the change!

Debra Johnston

Founder, Equity 4 Everyone