Layla A. Ramirez

Ms. Layla A. Ramirez is the Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) at Justworks, a company on a mission to help entrepreneurs and businesses grow with confidence. She is responsible for operationalizing, integrating and continuously improving Justworks DEIB strategy throughout its workforce, workplace, and marketplace. Layla joined Justworks, after having held DEIB positions at Amazon Web Services, Netflix, Danaher Corporation and Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT).

Prior to launching her career as a DEIB practitioner, Layla spent several years as an Analyst in the Global Wealth & Investment Management division at Merrill Lynch. As a seasoned business professional, Ms. Ramirez has over 15 years of experience working in a multitude of cultural contexts throughout Asia, Europe, North America and Latin America. Her functional expertise includes strategy, operations, business development and inclusion, diversity and equity. Her industry expertise includes Financial Services, Non-Profit, Science & Technology, Media & Entertainment and Tech.

Ms. Ramirez is a trusted advisor to senior executives and board members, serving as the Chief of Staff to the Founder & CEO of The Daraja Collective, an ecosystem builder that is bridging the gap between entrepreneurship and engineering, and as the Co-President for First Generation Harvard Alumni, a Harvard University Shared Interest Group supporting first-generation students and alumni.

Previously she served as a board member for The Bexel Initiative, a community development platform that emphasizes investment management and entrepreneurship to expand opportunities within underserved communities, and has held board positions in non-profit organizations in the college readiness, college access and mentoring field, focusing on governance, growth, stakeholder engagement, and organizational management.

In 2022 Ms. Ramirez founded and became the CEO of The FirstOnes Collective, LLC, a firm dedicated to cultivating and nurturing the voices and dreams of First-Generation Professionals, so that they can reach their potential.

Ms. Ramirez is a systems thinker who has curated a reputation for operational excellence, conflict resolution and executive coaching. She is well respected for leveraging her strategic analysis, change management, negotiation and facilitation expertise to creatively reconcile competing interests, solve problems and drive sustainable results across public, private and non-profit organizations.

Ms. Ramirez holds a B.A. degree in Economics from Smith College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is based out of Brooklyn, NY, where she lives with her partner.