Dr. Tibisay Hernandez

Dr. Tibisay Hernandez is an educator, organizational strategist, facilitator, and nationally experienced leader in diversity, equity, inclusion, leadership development, and culturally responsive practice. She is the founder and Chief Learning Officer of "A Curious Space", a learning and consulting organization that helps businesses, educational institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations develop more inclusive leaders, healthier workplace cultures, and stronger connections among the people they serve. Through A Curious Space, Dr. Hernandez creates interactive training and leadership-development experiences that encourage participants to approach difficult conversations with curiosity rather than defensiveness. Her work addresses subjects such as implicit bias, cultural responsiveness, inclusive recruitment, organizational equity, leadership development, and belonging. Instead of treating inclusion as a one-time workshop or compliance exercise, she helps organizations examine the behaviors, systems, and everyday decisions that determine whether people genuinely feel respected and valued. Over the course of her career, Dr. Hernandez has trained more than 10,000 participants and collaborated with organizations including the **U.S. Department of Justice, Brown University, and the New York City Department of Education**. Her professional experience spans education, government, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, giving her a broad understanding of how culture, leadership, policy, and institutional practices affect people’s ability to participate and thrive. Dr. Hernandez earned a master’s degree in Curriculum Development and Instructional Technology and a Ph.D. in Education, Theory and Practice from the University at Albany. Her doctoral research examined the experiences of first-generation Latinx and Afro-Latinx college students navigating racialized expectations, institutional barriers, identity pressures, and questions of belonging within higher education. Her research reinforces a central principle of her work: organizations cannot create meaningful inclusion without listening carefully to the people whose experiences have historically been overlooked. She currently serves as Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer for the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports, where she leads statewide strategies focused on embedding justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion into addiction services, workplace culture, and community engagement. Dr. Hernandez’s appearance on The Lifestrong Project, titled "A Culture of Inclusion,” explores what it takes to move beyond performative diversity efforts and build environments in which people can bring their complete identities, perspectives, and experiences into the room. Her message challenges leaders to understand that inclusion is not simply about who receives an invitation—it is about creating a culture in which everyone has a meaningful opportunity to be heard, contribute, and belong.