Zara Espinoza

Principal, Human Resources - Diversity & Inclusion at Discover | Out in Tech Chicago Leader, Out in Tech

Chicago

Zara Espinoza (pronouns: she/her, they/them) is Chicago’s first female and non-binary identifying Leader in the global non-profit organization, Out in Tech. As a multicultural Wonder Woman, she/they is known for empowering communities to build and organize inclusive programs that cultivate connections and support equitable opportunities in diverse organizations.

After living and working abroad as a cultural ambassador for the Japanese government, Zara moved to Chicago in 2013. She/They managed educational training programs in the health and wellness industry, which included owning and operating a Corporate Wellness business. Working with innovative tech companies like Relativity (formerly kCura) inspired her/their career transition into tech where she/they has excelled at executing employee engagement strategies focused on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) through an emphasis on building communities with a holistic, intersectional, and human-centric approach to Human Resources/People Operations. Zara remains a teacher of wellness programs at DePaul University.

Zara's continued success has led her/them to spearhead and partner to support diversity & inclusion initiatives in the tech industry, including working with large companies such as Yelp, Expedia, Grubhub, DocuSign, Verizon, and more. She/They has emerged as a leader in Chicago's DEI Professional community; Zara serves as a company ambassador in Blacks Excelling in Sales & Technology (B.E.S.T), a featured speaker for pay equity campaigns by Ladies Get Paid x Hired #nothingless, featured as a Pride Changemaker by The Flatiron School, workshop facilitator and speaker for Latinas In Tech (LiT), recognized by AnitaB Chicago as an outstanding woman leader in tech, and premiered her Wonder Woman origin story as a speaker at General Assembly’s Women of DEI Events.

Zara has also moderated discussions organized by and partners with the LGBT Chamber of Commerce of Illinois. She/They is also a University of Michigan alumni and works with the Consulate General of Japan as the Vice President of the Japan Exchange & Teaching (JET) Program Alumni Association. In addition, Zara is part of the Human Resources - Diversity & Inclusion strategy team at Discover Financial Services.