Nzinga Shaw is the newly appointed Recording Academy Chief DEI Officer

Nzinga “Zing” Shaw, is the newly appointed chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officer at the Recording Academy. She will work directly with Ryan Butler, VP of DEI, and Ricky Lyon, DEI manager, to oversee DEI’s efforts across all areas of the Recording Academy,  according to Billboard. This includes internal and external programs, membership, awards, organizational and staff culture, as well as related initiatives.

“I am thrilled to introduce Zing to the Recording Academy as our Chief DEI Officer,” the company’s CEO, Harvey Mason jr., said in a statement. “Her groundbreaking work in the DEI field speaks for itself and we are excited to see how she’ll amplify the Academy’s commitment to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment and drive positive change throughout the organization.”

In her new role, Shaw will be in charge of ensuring that diversity and inclusion become integral business values and that those standards are demonstrated throughout the organization.

“I am proud to join the Recording Academy and work with a talented team of leaders to cultivate a culture of inclusion that fosters different points of view and empowers diverse colleagues,” Shaw said in a statement. 

“The organization has made incredible strides in diversity, equity, and inclusion over the last few years, and I look forward to being part of the Academy’s continued commitment to supporting both our internal stakeholders and the music community at large.”

Before her current appointment, Shaw played a pioneering DEI work with the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks. She launched their MOSAIC (Model of Shaping Atlanta through Inclusive Conversations) symposium and also made the team the first professional sports team to celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community.

Aside from working with the Atlanta Hawks, she was also the first chief DEI officer at three top organizations: Edelman, Starbucks, and the National Basketball Association (NBA). 

Aside from her role as the Academy’s DEI Officer, she also serves on the Fisk University Board of Trustees. She serves on the board of directors of ColorComm, as well as the board of advisors of Arctos Sports Partners. Also, she was appointed by former President Jimmy Carter to serve a six-year term on the board of councilors of the Carter Center.

Shaw is a graduate of Spelman College and holds a master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania. What is more, she was a study abroad scholar at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.