Jina is a consultant and speaker on diversity, inclusion, culture, and belonging. She creates training programs and workshops to help clients move forward in their D&I journey. She is a storyteller and speaks candidly about her experiences, hard lessons, and ‘aha’ moments that helped her understand the importance of individuality, the value of curiosity, and the courage it takes to “just” be yourself. Often described as “approachable” and “relatable” by her clients, she works with purpose and the intention of being engaging, practical, and immediately applicable to real-world situations. Jina draws from her unique background and mix of work experiences to offer examples and share insights designed to benefit everyone across the workplace ecosystem – executives, management, employees, and customers.

Previously, she was Principal Consultant at EtiennePartners (EP), a boutique consulting firm that offered a unique strategy development, workshops & coaching to leaders, executives and entrepreneurs. Co-founded with her husband, EP was a full-time partnership in both work and life. Although in different professions, their work often intersected around the importance of self-awareness in leadership and navigating conflict within teams. Combining their experiences, backgrounds, and work led to the development of their unique approach to D&I, which she continues to use in her practice today.

   

Elizabeth Almer is a Professor and Retzlaff Director of Accounting at Portland State University where she teaches Intermediate Financial Accounting and Auditing. She received her B.S. from Santa Clara University, PhD from Arizona State University and previously was an auditor for PriceWaterhouse in San Jose. Professor Almer conducts research on the changing relationship between public accounting firms and their professional employees, with a focus on gender issues. More recently her research examined equity issues among accounting academics. Professor Almer’s research has been published in many academic and practitioner journals, and she has been quoted in leading business and accounting news sites. 

Professor Almer has served on multiple editorial boards and is currently the senior editor for Issues in Accounting Education.  She values her continued involvement in the accounting profession as a means to stay abreast of current issues and strengthen ties to organizations hiring her students.  Professor Almer has served as a member of the Oregon Society of CPAs (OSCPA) Board of Directors, Women’s Initiative Committee and Educational Foundation, and AICPA’s Work Life and Women’s Initiative Executive Committee. She grew up in San Jose, the sixth child of immigrant parents.  She has two college-age daughters and her husband is a tax partner at one the most diverse accounting firms in Portland.