Bird Guess

President and CEO

Bird Guess is CEO of the Racial Equity Group. He and his team provide policy design and analysis for public and private sector organizations, along with training and policy-making tools that measure and monitor equal opportunity and prevent discrimination. His evidence-based methodology equips organizations to make equal opportunity and nondiscrimination standard operating procedure. The work starts with data. The firm’s motto: if you don’t have data, all you have is an opinion.

Racial Equity group has worked with countless public and private sector organizations across the United States.

Bird is the author of The System: How Racial Inequality Outgrew Racism and Is Becoming Permanent

Justin Knox

Vice President of Client Engagement and Training

Justin accepted a position with the Racial Equity Group in 2019 as Vice President of Client Engagement and Training. Justin serves as project manager responsible for clarifying client goals, designing diversity, equity and inclusion curriculum, evaluating organizational development needs and managing client training experiences. Justin graduated from Northwestern Missouri State University with a degree in Business Management.

Dr. Rene Paulson

Senior Statistician

Dr. Paulson is the founder of Elite Research and manages the data collection and analysis methodologies for Racial Equity Group’s audit assessments. She earned a Ph.D. and Master’s degree in Experimental Psychology from Texas Christian University after obtaining her Bachelor’s degree from Ohio University. She has worked on a number of assessment projects, particularly around campus climate, domestic violence, trauma-informed care, health education, and attitude and behavioral change toward minority groups and women in STEM, and is well published in the field.

Vernita Stevens

Senior Racial Equity Trainer

Vernita Stevens joined The Racial Equity Group in 2021 and is a retired United States Marine, DoD Certified Mediator, and Certified in the Narrative Big 5 Assessment. She has been assisting organizations make situations more palatable at all levels and ensuring they understood one another by using a shared language for over 17 years. Her training experience both nationally and internationally, solid leadership skills, congressional and command experience has given her the distinctive ability to take extremely complicated procedures and situations and turned them into teachable moments. Vernita’s presentation style is energetic, interactive, and always delivered with a smile. She holds the Blacks in Government Meritorious Service Award, Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition and Secretary of Defense for Legislative culture and climate that is sustainably inclusive to all members of the community. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Strayer University.

Racial Equity Group is a management consulting firm that provides advisory services to public and private organizations on Racial Equity, diversity and inclusion strategies, as well as customizing and facilitating Racial Equity audit assessments, and implicit bias training experiences.

Our vision is to equip organizations to make Racial Equity standard operating procedure.

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