The Walt Disney Company has apparently lost another executive. Now Latondra Newton, Disney’s chief diversity officer, is leaving to “pursue other endeavors.” Newton began work at Disney in February 2017 after being at Toyota.
Her departure was announced via a memo sent out to staff not by her but by Disney’s human resources officer Sonia Coleman.
Here is the memo via Variety:
“To our extended DEI and HR team,
I’m writing to share the news that Latondra Newton has decided to leave The Walt Disney Company to pursue other endeavors.
Since joining the company in 2017, Latondra has led the company’s strategic diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, including partnering with stakeholders across the enterprise to amplify stories of the world by people around the world. She has been dedicated to ensuring every person sees themselves and their life experiences represented in a meaningful and authentic way.
I know you all join me in thanking Latondra for her many contributions, including the lasting impact she has had on our employees and our culture. Working alongside all of you and so many others, she has inspired countless cast members and employees to bring about lasting change and to help create a world where we can all feel safe and we all belong.
Latondra’s direct reports will report to Julie Merges on an interim basis until a new DEI leader is identified. I want to thank Julie for leading this team along with her Talent Acquisition organization. Additionally, Shelby Curry and the DEI Internal Communications team will continue reporting to Carrie Brown in her role leading internal communications & engagement for the company.
Thank you all for your continued contributions to our DEI efforts. I know we can count on you to keep this important work moving forward during this leadership transition.
Gratefully,
Sonia”
Newton’s people will now report to Julie Merges who is the current senior vice president of talent acquisition. Merges will be temporarily put in charge of DEI till a replacement is found.
It will be interesting to see how the company handles this. So far they need to replace the CEO, the CFO and now the DEI head.
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