Change Wave

Cynthia Owyoung is Charles Schwab’s Vice President of Diversity & Inclusion, and partners with its business leaders, employee resource groups, and the human resources team, to drive Schwab’s approach to enhancing our corporate culture of diversity, inclusion and equality, and power better business results.   Cynthia is also the Founder of Breaking Glass Forums, accelerating more diverse leaders and inclusive organizations. She has established and led diversity and inclusion initiatives for nearly 15 years at organizations both large and small, including GitHub, Yahoo! and Intuit. Cynthia is known for integrating a diversity and inclusion lens into all aspects of the business, from talent management to product development.   Prior to her calling in human resources, Cynthia launched a strategic planning consultancy, increasing the capabilities of non- and for-profit organizations in organizational development, brand marketing and business strategy. She also built a decade-long career as a Brand Strategist for leading global brands and advertising agencies, developing campaigns for Microsoft, Levi Strauss and Apple.   Cynthia currently serves on the Board of Directors for Abilities United, a non-profit dedicated to the advancement, inclusion and independence of people with developmental disabilities. She earned an MBA in human resources from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, a BS in marketing and finance from UC Berkeley’s Haas Business School and a BA in psychology, also from UC Berkeley.