Today we’d like to introduce you to Tiara Chesmer-Williams.
Hi Tiara, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to a powerhouse of a single mother who did whatever it took to make sure I had opportunities she never did. By day, she was cleaning homes and working as a bank teller; by night, she was studying to become a police officer. Her work ethic was unmatched, and her greatest mission was to keep me engaged, curious, and exposed to the world.
If there was a scholarship available – My mother made sure I took advantage. Spanish camp, soccer, basketball, softball, math camp, Outward Bound, the Boys & Girls Club, you name it, I did it. My mom believed in saying yes to every door that opened, and that mindset became the foundation of my life. She gave me access to people, experiences, and environments that expanded my perspective and that access changed everything.
She also enrolled me in a Spanish immersion school from kindergarten through fifth grade, where I became fluent. From there, I transitioned to a predominantly white, affluent private school where I was one of only three girls of color in my entire class. That experience opened my eyes to what it meant to feel different and the deep need for community, inclusion, and access because access isn’t just about proximity; it’s about belonging once you get there. Those early experiences shaped how I understood the world and planted the seed for my lifelong purpose: creating environments where inclusion and opportunity intersect.
After high school, I had scholarships to a few colleges but none at the schools I dreamed of. My vision was clear: I wanted to be a woman on Wall Street. So, I took a leap of faith and moved to New York City without being accepted into any college. I enrolled at Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), found a spot in another school’s dorms, and started working full-time within weeks of arriving. That became my rhythm for years: working full-time, studying full-time, and refusing to take “no” for an answer.
Eventually, that relentless drive led me to Blackstone, where I worked in Private Equity and Hedge Funds verticals as a deal assistant and later, to NYU and City College of New York. But even as I succeeded professionally, I couldn’t ignore what I felt personally: the isolation of being not only the only woman but often the only woman of color in the room. That’s where my passion for inclusion and access truly ignited.
At Blackstone, I began championing diversity, inclusion, and equity from within connecting the business to multicultural markets, overlooked talent, and untapped opportunities. I saw firsthand how inclusion wasn’t just good for people it was good for business. After nearly a decade there, I joined Morgan Stanley Wealth Management where I helped diverse advisors build and grow their books of business. I was in my element, advocating, changing hearts and minds, and proving that diversity of people, thought, and experience directly fuels innovation and profitability.
After 15 years in financial services, I decided to diversify my own story. I built my personal brand, amplified my voice, and started sharing the work I was doing publicly. That visibility led to new opportunities, recruitment conversations with the MLB, PepsiCo, and ultimately, a connection that changed everything.
While speaking on a panel, I met someone from LVMH who encouraged me to apply for a role leading Inclusion for Moët Hennessy. I did and soon thereafter became their Vice President and Head of Inclusion, leading strategy across the company’s entire luxury portfolio. It was the first role where I could build something from the ground up. I developed a comprehensive inclusion strategy that doubled our diverse supplier spend in under three years, launched a company-wide internship program, tripled internal engagement in our business resource groups, and built community partnerships that were both authentic and profitable.
When the company shifted leadership and I was laid off in early 2025, it was hard, there’s no sugarcoating that. For someone who had always been defined by drive, ambition, and forward motion, the pause felt uncomfortable. But it turned out to be one of the most pivotal blessings of my life.
That season gave me space to launch Deuce, my consulting agency centered on the power of strategic engagement, helping organizations authentically connect with employees, customers, and communities to drive meaningful growth. It also gave me the space to focus inward: I got engaged to the love of my life, made my health and wellness a true priority, and, maybe most importantly, learned the value of intentionality – being intentional about how you show up for yourself, your career, and your relationships. That shift changed everything.
And today, as I continue growing Deuce, I’m thrilled to also step into a new chapter, leading global inclusive programs and partnerships at Visa. It feels like the perfect full-circle moment: combining strategy, purpose, and impact at a global scale.
This journey has been anything but linear, but every chapter – from Minneapolis to Manhattan, from Wall Street to luxury, from corporate to entrepreneur, has been about the same thing: creating spaces of access, exposure, and opportunity where everyone belongs and can thrive. Because when people are given access, real access – it doesn’t just change their path. It changes their future.
And I’m just getting started. Stay tuned.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Absolutely not. My road has been anything but smooth — but I wouldn’t trade it for anything because every obstacle built my resilience, my faith, and my perspective.
Growing up, I experienced adversity early on. In high school, I was one of only a few girls of color in my entire class. I was called the N-word, “Spic,” and labeled things like “jezebel” — names meant to make me feel small, unseen, and unworthy. But I refused to let those words define me. Instead, they fueled me. They reminded me of why community, representation, and access matter so deeply.
When I made it to Wall Street, I thought I’d left those challenges behind, but a new kind of adversity met me there. I was sexually harassed more times than I can count. I was told to “come sit in on meetings” — not because of my skill or insight, but to “distract the client.” I often had to fight twice as hard just to be seen, heard, and respected. There were countless times when I didn’t get a fair shot — but I learned how to make my own lane.
I survived and thrived in New York City with nothing but grit and faith. There were days I had only $2 to my name — just enough for a subway ride to class, not knowing how I’d get home, but trusting that somehow, I would. I worked full-time, went to school full-time, and kept pushing forward because I knew what I was chasing was bigger than the struggle.
I’ve faced loss, too — including losing my father while I was still in college. That pain taught me how precious time and purpose are. Through it all, I’ve learned to trust my gut, even when it led me down the harder, lonelier, more uncertain path. It’s always led me exactly where I was meant to be.
Everybody has their story, and perspective is everything. I know people who have walked paths far harder than mine and others who’ve had smoother journeys — and I’ve learned not to compare, but to connect. My goal has always been to lead with empathy and kindness, because you never know what someone else is carrying. And I truly believe that mindset — choosing compassion over comparison — has been one of the biggest keys to my growth and success.
We’ve been impressed with Deuce, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At Deuce, we do more than advise — we transform how organizations engage, grow, and lead.
We’re a boutique strategy firm built on duality — where cultural fluency meets business precision, and engagement becomes the ultimate growth engine. Because here’s the truth: organizations don’t fail from a lack of ideas; they fail from a lack of connection.
For over 15 years, I’ve been helping brands, leaders, and enterprises bridge that gap — turning stakeholders into believers, audiences into advocates, and teams into high-performing cultures. Whether we’re laying the foundation for a startup ready to scale or untangling complex challenges for a global enterprise, Deuce adapts to the moment. Sometimes we’re your long-term strategic partner; other times, we’re your realest reality check. Either way, we deliver strategies that move the needle on people, performance, and profit — turning engagement into growth.
That means:
Building programs that turn audiences into loyal advocates.
Designing strategies that elevate both reputation and revenue.
Influencing at every level — from the boardroom to the frontlines — to align culture, purpose, and execution.
What sets Deuce apart is our ability to combine heart and strategy. We understand people — their motivations, their pain points, their culture — and we translate that into actionable business outcomes. We don’t create copy-and-paste “diversity programs.” We build ecosystems of engagement that drive measurable impact — internally with employees, externally with consumers, and holistically across every brand touchpoint.
What I’m most proud of brand-wise is how authentic our approach is. Deuce was built on real-world experience — decades of navigating corporate spaces, breaking barriers, and proving that inclusion, strategy, and profit aren’t separate concepts. They’re interdependent. And our results speak for themselves — helping clients unlock new markets, strengthen internal culture, and connect meaningfully with the communities they serve.
Ultimately, Deuce is about impact that sticks. We don’t just want you to check a box or run a campaign. We want you to build momentum — the kind that transforms how your business operates and how your people feel. Because when organizations learn to engage intentionally, they don’t just grow. They thrive.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk has been the heartbeat of my entire journey — but I don’t see it the way most people do. Where some might see danger or uncertainty, I see opportunity, alignment, and faith in motion.
Moving to New York City was my first big risk — and, to this day, one of the most defining ones. I had no job, no school acceptance, and no place to live. Just a dream, a duffel bag, and this unshakable belief that I was meant to be there. I enrolled in community college, worked full-time, and figured out the rest as I went. It was far from easy — but it was the moment I realized that betting on myself, even without a safety net, would always pay off in some form.
Since then, risk has been a constant companion — not something to fear, but something to partner with. I’ve changed industries, walked away from comfort, and pivoted when it didn’t make sense on paper but felt right in my spirit. Every leap I’ve taken — from Wall Street to luxury to entrepreneurship — has been about trusting my gut, leading with intention, and allowing faith to guide me where logic might hesitate.
When I was laid off in early 2025, that was another crossroads moment. I could’ve rushed to find another corporate role. Instead, I took the risk to pause — to listen. And in that space, Deuce was born. Launching my own firm wasn’t just a business decision; it was a faith decision. It was me saying, I believe in the vision God placed in me more than I fear the uncertainty ahead.
For me, risk isn’t reckless — it’s calculated conviction. I think through my choices, I prepare, and then I trust. Because even when something doesn’t go according to plan, I don’t view it as failure. It’s feedback. It’s redirection. It’s preparation for what’s next.
At the end of the day, I’m betting on myself — 100 times over — because I know who’s guiding my steps. Every “risk” I’ve taken has brought me closer to purpose, to peace, and to the kind of growth you can’t learn from comfort.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.deuce-consult.com/
- Instagram: @titi_diversity
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiara-chesmer-williams/
