Our Story

IT’S A PRIVILEGE was conceived at 30,000 feet while Founder and CEO, Kate Jordan-Downs, daydreamed about building a DEIB program that moved beyond the standard surface topics and created a brave space for folks to learn (and unlearn) important social and cultural concepts that foster human connection and belonging.

Having been particularly impacted by her personal and professional experiences and research related to unconscious bias and privilege, Kate knew removing barriers to discussing such issues would be critical if any advances were to be made towards a more inclusive and equitable workplace culture. There were common barriers she and other colleagues observed when tackling topics like bias, privilege and other complex DEI issues, however the most consistent barrier to meaningful progress tended to be leadership commitment for the long haul.

So, on the back of a few drink napkins, a new approach was born: one which centered the education and development of an organization’s leaders as the non-negotiable to DEIB strategy and initiatives, boldly claiming that without the commitment to invest their most precious commodity - a leader’s time - they would fail to meet their goals, and potentially do more harm to their company culture than good.

After pressure testing her theory in a few small organizations, Kate worked to scale her approach and create the solutions offered today that INTENTIONALLY, AUTHENTICALLY and EFFECTIVELY help leaders realize ‘it’s a privilege’ to create a culture of belonging where everyone feels seen, heard, valued and celebrated.

Fun Facts About Our Founder

  • DEI+B WERE HER ABCs

    Living with, learning about, and embracing differences is all Kate’s ever known. Her mother is a second generation immigrant whose grandmother survived the Armenian genocide and fled to the U.S. as a refugee. Her father has mobility challenges due to contracting polio at age 14. Sarah, the first child Kate babysat , was a five-year-old spit fire with Down Syndrome who helped her realize her purpose, and they remain friends still today.

    Exposure to different languages, foods, mobility supports, and learning styles gave Kate an appreciation of diversity, an awareness of injustice and inequity, and the opportunity to practice advocating for the inclusion of people she loved. These early experiences still fuel her passion to create a culture of belonging everywhere she goes.

  • A LEGACY OF EDUCATION

    Kate loves teaching and she comes by it honestly. Both of her parents are educators…in fact, they met during middle school lunch duty! While Kate did her best to outrun her calling, teaching was in her blood, and she eventually stepped into her purpose.

    Kate has had the opportunity to teach students across the age continuum, from two-years-olds to 70+ year old adult learners. She set out to be a high school history teacher, and every few years she would age down until she found herself in early childhood, and never looked back.

  • TRUTH-TELLING TRANSLATOR

    Often described as a ‘bridge’, Kate has a warm intensity and models the vulnerability needed for transformative conversations. Her ability to tell a great story draws people in and puts them at ease, connecting authentically and building a shared understanding.

    Her intentional relationships with diverse communities allow her to be a cultural translator of sorts, creating opportunities for understanding and growth across groups that otherwise may not have existed. Because Kate establishes trust through action, she is able to genuinely practice the radical candor needed in most DEIB-centered conversations: caring personally while challenging directly. This often gives others the courage to do the same, especially those who have not felt brave enough to amplify their voice in the past.

  • ONE PROUD MAMA

    “Some parents run a tight ship. I run a pirate ship. There’s swearing, drinking and occasional mutiny from the crew I created.”

    Kate and her husband, Ben, have two awesome kids who keep them quite busy and on their toes. From a young age, both Knox (11) and Knile (9) have been very active, curious, and bright little people. As every parent will admit, there are ups and downs to raising children - some days you think you’re killing it and somedays you’re positive you’ve damaged them forever.

    Kate works to keep her sense of humor and wonder when navigating life with the boys, however, her most humbling experiences with bias and privilege have come from seeing the world through their eyes, which has only stoked the fire in her belly to change it for the better.

  • SHE’S ABOUT THAT NERD LIFE

    Reading has always been Kate’s escape. When she was young her sister called her “Bookworm” because she would disappear for hours into a book - it was her escape from the world and anything that stressed her. Fast forward a few decades, and reading is still her escape, but now she prefers research texts over novels that help her make sense of - and find solutions for - things that keep her up at night.

    Twenty years after graduating the College of Wooster with a BA in History and Secondary Education, Kate earned her MS in Inclusive Early Childhood Education from Portland State University, where she completed her action research project on leveraging the Anti-bias Education framework to advance equity goals within a large corporation.