Chief Diversity Officer. Attorney. Author. A compelling voice on the conversations that matter most — trusted by people across the political spectrum.
Anjali Bindra Patel is a lawyer and Certified Diversity Executive with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of law, human capital, and civic life. As Chief Diversity Officer at Georgetown Law, she leads the work of building communities where every perspective — including the uncomfortable ones — has a place at the table.
She is the founder and former CEO of Sweatours, a DEI and wellbeing consultancy that helped mission-driven organizations move beyond surface-level inclusion toward cultures of genuine belonging. Her book Humanity at Work became a #1 Amazon bestseller for its candid, practical take on diversity in distributed workforces.
Anjali's approach to civic discourse is grounded in a simple conviction: that honest disagreement, handled well, is a sign of a healthy democracy — not a threat to it. She has spoken at Yale Law School, served on the Advisory Board of Class Action, and is a member and speaker at Heterodox Academy — one of the leading organizations advocating for viewpoint diversity in higher education. She is also a member of Chief, the private network for senior women leaders. She brings rare clarity and warmth to the hardest conversations — the kind that make people lean in rather than shut down. From law school classrooms to boardrooms to stages across the country and around the world, Anjali doesn't just talk about dialogue. She models it.
Anjali doesn't take sides — she builds the table where sides can actually talk. Her work draws on principles that resonate with people of every political orientation, because great civic discourse isn't left or right. It's about shared humanity.
Anjali's work centers belonging and genuine inclusion, ensuring that inclusion goes beyond representation to create cultures where people from every background feel genuinely valued and empowered.
Anjali has publicly challenged DEI orthodoxies that silence disagreement. She believes intellectual diversity and honest debate are essential, not optional, in any institution that claims to value truth.
"I don't want a room full of people who agree with me. I want a room full of people who respect each other enough to disagree well."
— Anjali Bindra PatelBelonging that goes deeper than demographics — building cultures where intellectual diversity, viewpoint pluralism, and honest disagreement are features, not threats.
Frameworks for honest conversation across political, cultural, and generational divides — without silencing anyone or pretending the hard questions have easy answers.
Helping individuals and institutions develop the capacity to sit with discomfort, engage with difference, and emerge stronger for having done so.
After 20 years as a DEI professional and CDO, I've watched well-intentioned frameworks make things worse. Here's what I've seen — and what actually works.
Read Essay → EssayThe original promise of diversity and inclusion has been lost in jargon and politics. A frank look at what DEI actually means — and what it should look like in practice.
Read Article → EssayAcademic freedom and inclusion are often framed as opposites. A challenge to the assumptions driving today's campus and workplace culture wars.
Read Article → OpinionWhen DEI becomes a forum for grievance rather than genuine connection, it fails everyone. How to redirect it toward its real purpose.
Read Article →How you engage in public life shapes every conversation around you. Five questions to discover your civic participation style — and how to make your voice more effective.
Anjali speaks to audiences navigating the hardest questions in civic and institutional life — DEI, free expression, democratic participation, viewpoint diversity, and belonging across difference.
Her approach combines legal precision with human warmth, creating spaces where audiences leave not just informed, but genuinely changed in how they show up in difficult conversations.
Get in Touch"Anjali brings a unique blend of professional expertise and emotional intelligence. Any event would be benefited by her participation, experience, and knowledge."— Law Firm Employee Wellness Summit
A #1 Amazon bestseller on building truly inclusive cultures in the era of distributed work — without losing the human connection that makes teams and communities thrive.
Praised for its practical frameworks and honest voice, this book has become essential reading for leaders who believe belonging is not a perk. It's a prerequisite for doing any meaningful work together.
Get the Book →Follow along for daily reflections on civic discourse, free expression, and the art of disagreeing well.
"The SEALs have built something remarkable: a system where backgrounds don't matter and appearance is irrelevant. They have one question: Can you contribute? Most inclusion programs aren't working. Maybe instead of more workshops and quotas, we need to give people real challenges to tackle together."
"The greatest threat to free speech isn't censorship. It's the quiet decision we make, every day, to stay silent when we should speak. That's the real enemy we need to face."
"The truth is, DEI isn't dead. It just needs to evolve. Away from metrics and blame. Towards genuine understanding and shared progress. Real conversations — not corporate training sessions, not diversity scorecards, not PR statements."
"The companies that get this right don't talk about DEI. They just do it. Merit drives decisions. Different perspectives spark innovation. People belong because of their contribution, not their category."
"Democracy isn't just about winning. It's about continuing. It's about showing up, especially when you disagree. Maybe even because you disagree. Beneath our political labels, we're all writing the same American story."
"Truth isn't something you can force. It emerges naturally through discussion. Bad ideas are best defeated through open debate, not suppression. In the light of day, better ideas win."
"Stop treating DEI as a political issue or an ideology to fight over. Start seeing it as a business imperative — one that's about unleashing everyone's potential to drive innovation and growth."
"Diversity isn't just about appearance. It's about how we think — and our courage to voice it."
"The tools being used to 'protect' us today will be the same ones used to silence us tomorrow. And by then, speaking up might not be an option."
"You don't have to agree with what people think to learn from how they think. You don't have to share their identity to be curious about what shaped it. Treating people with civility is a prerequisite for discovery."
For speaking engagements, media inquiries, consulting, or collaboration — reach out below.
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Listen to Anjali on DEI and freedom of expression:
Diverseek Podcast →