WHO WE ARE
Meet Our Leadership Team.
GVC is an inclusion business strategy firm that guides our partners through the complexity of diversity, equity, and inclusion work. Based in Pawtucket, RI we work all over the U.S. providing counsel and solutions, in an environment of rapid social change.
GREG ALMIEDA
CEO and Founder
Greg has over three decades of experience in DE&I. At GVC, Greg manages all operational facets and divisions of the business, and is responsible for overseeing relationships with GVC’s most significant clients across multiple industries, sizes, and organizational structures. He is skilled at leadership engagement, strategy, consulting, marketing, business development, and cross functional team management. Greg has served as a member of multiple professional and civic organizations over the years, and currently serves as Chair of both the Human Resources Leadership Forum (HRLF) and The Providence Foundation diversity committees.
TRACY BARAC
Account Director
Tracy has over 25 years of experience in DE&I business strategy, culture audits and executive engagement. Tracy specializes in marketing & communications, with a focus on digital and social media inclusion. She’s skilled at building strong relationships with clients by leading and motivating teams to improve business outcomes. Tracy is a graduate of Bentley University and has held multiple board positions with New England Resource Association, American Association of Advertising Agencies, and Diversity and Inclusion Professionals of Rhode Island.
VIA VALENTI
DE&I Strategy Consultant
Via began her career as an intern in the newly established Office for Institutional Diversity and Inclusion at Bryant University. Since then, Via has completed both her MBA in Leadership from Bentley University, and her Master of Arts in Corporate Diversity from Tufts University and has worked on global, cross-functional teams across a variety of HR functions. Via has researched and published theses on gender disparities in STEM, as well as the impact of Generation Z on workplace culture, business outcomes, and hiring/recruitment. Via has given a TedX talk on her publications and has won several awards for her leadership and DE&I work.
DR. RITA HARDIMAN
Senior DE&I Strategy Consultant
For over 35 years, Dr. Rita Hardiman has worked as a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) strategy consultant. Rita earned a doctorate in Education at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She has presented at numerous conferences and to many groups throughout the U.S. on social justice, & diversity, equity and inclusion topics. As a noted thought leader on social justice, her writings on racial identity development, social justice education, creating equitable organizations, and facilitating dialogue groups on diversity are widely referenced by DE&I practitioners and scholars alike.
LYNN FRESHOUR
Research Director
Lynn Freshour serves as Research Director for GVC and has over six years of industry experience in DE&I research and analysis. In addition to her passion for DE&I, Lynn enjoys working with qualitative and quantitative data to provide actionable insights about a company’s culture, workforce, and DE&I perceptions. Lynn earned a B.S. from the University of New Hampshire’s Whittemore School of Business and Economics, and later augmented her education with statistics and data coursework at Bridgewater State University, performing grant-funded research in the process.
KATIE LEEMAN
Senior DE&I Strategy Consultant
Katie has worked with GVC since 2013. In the past 20+ years, she has partnered with hundreds of clients on large-scale marketing, branding, internal/external communications, and strategic DE&I efforts. She loves working closely with clients to identify opportunities and challenges in DE&I, connecting business strategy and people through communication, and especially communication around race, ethnicity, religion, language of origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health, socio-economic status, differing abilities and more. Katie received both her MBA in Marketing & Organizational Behavior & MSW in Clinical Social Work from Boston University. Katie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW).