Hi there! I'm Chiany Dri (she/her). I'm a mixed-race Black Latina, born and raised in Los Angeles, a city that has shaped everything about how I move through the world and this work, and a city my family has lived in and been civil and community stewards within for over 100 years.

I wear many hats, and I wear them proudly: mother of three, community organizer, DEI practitioner, educator, and above all, a worker for justice and peace. I have a background in Black Studies (Santa Barbara City College), Comparative Ethnic Studies (Mills College), and I come from a background of Community Organizing training and experience that has informed and fueled my passion for equity and inclusion for all.

My journey into this work

For over a decade, I've been guided by a simple truth: I do this work to be the person I needed when I was younger, or struggling, or unseen. That north star has led me through community organizing in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, institutional DEI leadership, curriculum development, and the founding of my own practice.

Since 2015, I've trained hundreds of educators, young people, and community members on inclusion, belonging, and justice across organizations ranging from environmental education and homelessness services to reproductive health and beyond.

Milestones I carry with me

In 2021, I was honored with recognition from the California State Senate for my work on a land reparations campaign that helped return a beachfront property to descendants of the Bruce family, whose land had been illegally taken from them in the 1920s due to anti-Black racism. That work remains one of the most meaningful chapters of my career.

In 2025, I was named among the Top 25 Restorative People Leaders (2025 Watchlist) by Intersectional Innovations, in their Courageous Imagination & Resistance in Times of Rapid Change edition. This is an honor that recognizes leaders who don't just respond to change, but reimagine systems, build generative cultures, and advance equity with intention.

I've had the privilege of serving as the Director of DEI at both Planned Parenthood Los Angeles and LA Family Housing, where I worked in health equity, Black maternal and infant wellbeing, and worked alongside unhoused families and individuals across Los Angeles County.

In 2018, I co-founded Juneteenth Santa Barbara, an organization dedicated to Black liberation and joy while uplifting Black youth and artists in Santa Barbara County. In 2020, I self-published The Little Guide to Anti-Racism, a book for teens sponsored by The Empowerment Workshop. And in 2023, I was selected as an IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) Practitioner for NASA's Astrophysics Division database.

Where I am now

Today, I'm the Founder and Principal Consultant of The Inclusion School, a Black-owned, woman-owned DEI consulting practice based in Los Angeles. We work with nonprofits, mission-driven organizations, and HR and People teams to build cultures of genuine belonging, grounded in healing-centered, trauma-informed, and restorative justice frameworks.

My path has been anything but linear, and I think that's exactly why this work resonates. I've lived at many intersections, served many communities, and I bring all of that with me into every room I enter.

Thank you for being here. Thank you for being part of this work.

With love,